Learn Hardcore Malay: Bos menyatakan, selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting. - The boss states that besides salary, training opportunities are also important.

Besides/in addition to. Selain is typically inclusive: “other than X, also Y.” It does not mean “except for” in the excluding sense. For exclusion you’d use kecuali.

Inclusive: Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting. = In addition to salary, training opportunities are important too.
Exclusive: Kecuali gaji, semua faedah lain dipotong. = Except for salary, all other benefits are cut.

Do I need bahawa after menyatakan, and is the comma after menyatakan okay?

bahawa is optional but common and clear after reporting verbs. Very natural: Bos menyatakan bahawa selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting.
The comma in your sentence is a stylistic pause often used in newsy writing. Many style guides prefer either:
- no comma with bahawa, or
- a colon if you treat the rest as a quote: Bos menyatakan: "Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting."

Should bos be capitalized? Are there more formal words for “boss”?

It’s capitalized here only because it starts the sentence. Otherwise write bos. More formal alternatives:

majikan = employer
ketua = head/chief
pengurus = manager
pengarah = director

What’s the difference among menyatakan, mengatakan, berkata, and memberitahu?

menyatakan = to state/declare (formal-ish). Takes a clause or noun phrase. No person-object needed.
- Bos menyatakan bahawa…
mengatakan = to say that. Similar meaning, slightly less formal than menyatakan.
- Bos mengatakan bahawa…
berkata = to say/speak. Often used with direct quotes or with bahawa; can add a recipient with kepada.
- Bos berkata, "…"; Bos berkata kepada kami bahawa…
memberitahu = to tell/inform. Requires the person told.
- Bos memberitahu kami bahawa… (you must say whom he told)

Does peluang latihan mean “training opportunities” or could it mean “exercise opportunities”?

In workplace/HR context, peluang latihan means “training opportunities.” latihan can also mean “practice/drill/exercise,” but for physical fitness “exercise” is usually senaman. If you meant sports drills, you’d specify: latihan sukan.

Why is there no “the/a” before “training opportunities”? How do I make it definite?

Malay has no articles. peluang latihan can be “training opportunity/ies” depending on context. To make it definite, add a demonstrative:

peluang latihan itu = the training opportunities
peluang latihan ini = these training opportunities

Where should I place juga? Can I move it?

Default placement is after the subject/focus:

Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting. Other placements are uncommon or change emphasis. Avoid putting juga at the very start. You can front another element and keep juga after the subject:
Peluang latihan juga penting, selain gaji. (fine; slightly different rhythm)

What’s the difference between juga and pun?

Both can mean “also/too,” but:

juga is neutral “also.”
pun adds a nuance like “even/too as well,” sometimes with a tone of emphasis or concession.
- Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting. (straight “also”)
- Selain gaji, peluang latihan pun penting. (even training opportunities are important too)

Why is there no adalah before penting? Is adalah wrong here?

With adjective predicates, Malay usually drops the copula:

… juga penting. (most natural) adalah is used mainly with noun predicates or in formal writing. … juga adalah penting is formal and acceptable, but in everyday style it can sound stiff. Compare:
Dia adalah ketua. (noun)
Dia (memang) penting. (adjective; no adalah)

How is menyatakan built morphologically?

Root: nyata = clear/real/explicit.
Prefix + suffix: meN-
- nyata
  - -kan → menyatakan = to make explicit/to state (transitive).
Related noun: kenyataan = a statement (e.g., kenyataan media = press statement).
Imperative form often seen as: nyatakan (state/declare).

Should it be “selain daripada gaji” instead of just “selain gaji”?

Both are fine:

selain gaji (very common and natural)
selain daripada gaji (a bit more formal/explicit) Meaning is the same here. You’ll see both in Malaysian usage; Indonesian usage typically favors selain without daripada.

How do I show plural for peluang latihan? Is peluang-peluang latihan okay?

Malay doesn’t need a plural marker; context handles it. To emphasize plurality or quantity:

banyak peluang latihan = many training opportunities
pelbagai peluang latihan = various training opportunities
peluang-peluang latihan is grammatically correct but can feel heavy or formal; use it sparingly.

Do I need yang between peluang and latihan?

No. peluang latihan is a standard noun–noun construction (“opportunity [for] training”). yang introduces relative clauses, not simple noun–noun compounding. Use yang only if you add a clause:

peluang latihan yang baik = training opportunities that are good

Could I write it as direct speech? How should I punctuate it?

Yes:

Bos menyatakan: "Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting."
Or with a more common verb for quoting: Bos berkata, "Selain gaji, peluang latihan juga penting."

How do I pronounce the key words?

Approximate guides:

bos: boss (short o)
menyatakan: mə-nyah-tah-kahn
selain: sə-lah-een (lai as in “lie”)
gaji: gah-jee
peluang: pə-loo-ahng (ng as in “sing”)
latihan: lah-tee-hahn
juga: joo-gah
penting: pən-ting (schwa in the first syllable)

Are there synonyms for penting, or ways to vary the tone/register?

Yes:

penting = important (neutral, most common)
mustahak = important/essential (slightly old-fashioned/formal in Malaysia)
utama = main/primary
signifikan = significant (loanword, formal/technical) You can intensify with sangat/amat: sangat penting, amat penting.