Learn Hardcore Malay: Perbezaan kecil itu jelas. - That small difference is clear.

Malay doesn’t need a verb like “is” when the predicate is an adjective. The adjective jelas itself functions as “is clear.” Avoid inserting adalah here. Use adalah mainly before noun phrases or in formal frames like Adalah jelas bahawa… (It is clear that…).

What exactly does itu do, and why is it at the end?

Itu is the distal demonstrative (“that”) and often doubles as a definiteness marker (“the”). It follows the noun phrase it modifies, so perbezaan kecil itu = that/the small difference (already known in context). For “this,” use ini: perbezaan kecil ini. A formal alternative is tersebut (“the aforementioned”): perbezaan kecil tersebut.

Why is the adjective after the noun (why not kecil perbezaan)?

In Malay, attributive adjectives normally come after the noun: perbezaan kecil (small difference). Putting the adjective before the noun is rare and limited to fixed expressions or stylistic emphasis.

Do these word orders mean the same thing?

Perbezaan kecil itu jelas
Perbezaan itu kecil
Itu perbezaan kecil

No.

Perbezaan kecil itu jelas: That small difference is clear (focus on clarity).
Perbezaan itu kecil: The difference is small (focus on size/degree).
Itu perbezaan kecil: That is a small difference (deictic “that” as the subject).

Can I say Perbezaan kecil itu adalah jelas?

Best avoid it. In simple adjective-predicate sentences, Malay does not use adalah. If you need a formal structure, use Adalah jelas bahawa… or simply Jelas bahawa… with a following clause.

Does itu make the noun singular?

No. Itu does not mark number. Perbezaan kecil itu can mean either “that small difference” or “those small differences,” depending on context.

How do I make the plural explicit?

Reduplication (more formal): perbezaan-perbezaan kecil itu (those small differences).
Quantifiers: beberapa perbezaan kecil (several small differences), banyak/perbagai/pelbagai perbezaan kecil (many/various small differences).
For a specific set: Semua perbezaan kecil itu jelas (All those small differences are clear).

What is inside the word perbezaan?

It’s derived: per- + beza + -an.

beza: different; difference (root)
berbeza: to be different
membezakan: to differentiate
pembezaan: differentiation Example: Kedua-duanya berbeza. (The two are different.) | Sukar membezakan dua warna itu. (It’s hard to distinguish those two colors.)

Is this Malaysian Malay or Indonesian? Any differences?

The sentence is in Malaysian Malay. In Indonesian, perbezaan is perbedaan and berbeza is berbeda. The sentence in Indonesian would be Perbedaan kecil itu jelas. The rest (kecil, jelas, itu) is the same.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Syllables: per-be-za-an ke-cil i-tu je-las. Approximation: pər-bə-za-aan kə-chil ee-too jə-las. Note the double aa in -za-an is two separate vowels (a slight break between them). Stress is light and not contrastive in Malay.

How do I say “very/quite/not very clear”?

Very: sangat jelas, amat jelas, jelas sekali
Quite/fairly: agak jelas, cukup jelas
Not very/unclear: kurang jelas, tidak begitu jelas, tidak jelas langsung (not clear at all)

Are there good synonyms for jelas?

nyata: evident, manifest (more formal)
ketara (Malaysia): noticeable, pronounced
terang: clear/bright (can sound more literal or old-fashioned depending on context) All can work, but jelas is the default neutral choice.

Can jelas also mean “clearly” (adverbially)?

Yes. Use dengan jelas for the adverb:

Dia menerangkan dengan jelas. (He explained clearly.) As a sentence adverb or complementizer frame:
Jelas bahawa… (It is clear that…)

Where exactly does itu go if there’s an adjective?

After the whole noun phrase: perbezaan kecil itu. Don’t split it as perbezaan itu kecil unless you intend “the difference is small” (a different meaning). If you mean “that one,” use yang itu: perbezaan yang itu (that particular difference).

Can I use -nya instead of itu to mean “the” as in “The difference is clear”?

You can say Perbezaannya jelas. -nya can mark possession (his/her/its) or definiteness (“the”). Context decides which reading is intended. If you don’t want the possessive reading, itu is safer.

How do I say “clear to X / clear in Y”?

To a person/group: jelas kepada/bagi/pada (e.g., … jelas kepada saya, … jelas bagi semua orang). bagi is a bit more formal; kepada/pada are common.
In (data/text/etc.): jelas dalam (e.g., … jelas dalam data).

What happens if I drop itu entirely?

Perbezaan kecil jelas is grammatical and tends to read as a general statement (e.g., a headline: “Small differences are clear”). Without itu/ini, the noun phrase is typically generic or indefinite.

Is kecil the same as sedikit?

No.

kecil = small (size/degree): Perbezaan itu kecil.
sedikit = a little/few (quantity): Hanya sedikit perbezaan. (only a little difference / only a few differences) Don’t say perbezaan sedikit to mean “a small difference”; use perbezaan kecil.