Learn Hardcore Malay: Bos menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat. - The boss evaluates my skills before the meeting.

Yes. It’s capitalized because it starts the sentence. The common noun is bos (lowercase) meaning “boss.” If it appeared mid‑sentence, you’d write bos unless it’s part of a name or title.

Does this mean “the boss” or “my boss”? How do I make “my boss” explicit?

As written, Bos menilai… can be read as “the boss” in a general/contextual sense. To say “my boss,” use bos saya: Bos saya menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat.

How do I show past or future time in Malay for this sentence?

Malay doesn’t change the verb for tense. Use particles or context:

Past: Bos sudah/telah menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat.
Future: Bos akan menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat.
In progress: Bos sedang menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat.
“Just now”: Bos baru menilai kemahiran saya sebelum mesyuarat.

Can I move the time phrase to the front?

Yes. Fronting the time phrase is natural:

Sebelum mesyuarat, bos (saya) menilai kemahiran saya. Add a comma after the fronted time phrase.

Is kemahiran singular or plural here?

Malay doesn’t mark plural by default. Kemahiran can mean “skill” or “skills” depending on context. To emphasize plural, you can say:

pelbagai kemahiran (various skills)
Reduplication: kemahiran-kemahiran (rare in everyday speech but possible for emphasis)

What’s the nuance difference between kemahiran, kebolehan, and kecekapan?

kemahiran: skills (often specific, learned abilities; e.g., technical skills)
kebolehan: abilities/capabilities (broader, inherent or learned)
kecekapan: proficiency/efficiency (how well/efficiently something is done)

Is menilai the best verb here? Any alternatives?

Menilai (“to evaluate/assess”) is natural. Alternatives:

menyemak (to check/review)
meneliti (to scrutinize/examine closely)
For performance reviews: menilai prestasi
For grading/marking: memberi markah or memeriksa

How do I say “My skills were assessed by the boss before the meeting” (passive)?

Use the passive with di-:

Kemahiran saya dinilai (oleh) bos sebelum mesyuarat. The agent marker oleh is optional in many contexts.

Do I need an article like “the” before mesyuarat? How do I specify a particular meeting?

Malay has no articles. Use demonstratives or context:

Specific: sebelum mesyuarat itu/tersebut (before that meeting)
Referring back: sebelum mesyuarat tersebut
Time-specific: sebelum mesyuarat esok (before tomorrow’s meeting)

How can I say “before our meeting” or “before the meeting with HR”?

sebelum mesyuarat kami (before our meeting; exclusive “we”)
sebelum mesyuarat kita (before our meeting; inclusive “we”)
sebelum mesyuarat dengan HR/Jabatan Sumber Manusia (before the meeting with HR)

Is bos too informal? What are more formal options?

Bos is common and fine in many workplaces. More formal or specific options:

penyelia (supervisor)
pengurus (manager)
ketua / ketua jabatan (head / head of department)
majikan (employer; not always the same as “boss”)

Pronunciation tips for the key words?

mesyuarat: “sy” = English “sh”; roughly meh-SHOO-ah-rat (final “t” is clear); no strong stress.
kemahiran: kə-ma-HEER-an (first “e” is a schwa).
menilai: mə-NEE-lai (final ai like “eye”). Malay has fairly even syllable timing; keep vowels pure.

How do I emphasize “right before the meeting”?

Use intensifiers/time expressions:

sejurus sebelum mesyuarat
betul-betul sebelum mesyuarat
sebelum mesyuarat bermula (before the meeting starts)

What’s the noun form for “evaluation”? How would I say “There was an evaluation before the meeting”?

Noun: penilaian.

Ada penilaian sebelum mesyuarat.
More formal: Terdapat satu sesi penilaian sebelum mesyuarat.

Is this wording Malay (Malaysia) or Indonesian? What would Indonesian look like?

This is Malay (Malaysia) — mesyuarat and kemahiran are typical. In Indonesian you’d likely see:

Bos menilai keterampilan saya sebelum rapat. Other common Indonesian equivalents: atasan (boss), rapat (meeting).