Breakdown of Dia membayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
dia
he/she
di
at
kaunter bayaran
the payment counter
membayar
to pay
secara tunai
in cash
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Questions & Answers about Dia membayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
Why use membayar instead of just bayar?
Both are correct. Membayar (with the prefix meN-) is the standard/formal active verb, common in writing and careful speech. Bayar (bare root) is very common in everyday conversation. Meaning is the same:
- Formal/neutral: Dia membayar ...
- Informal: Dia bayar ...
Does membayar require a direct object? There isn’t one here.
It often takes an object (e.g., a bill/fee), but Malay allows the object to be omitted if it’s understood from context. So this sentence is fine. With an explicit object:
- Dia membayar bil itu secara tunai di kaunter bayaran. (He/She paid the bill in cash at the payment counter.)
What does secara tunai add, and can I say it differently?
Secara tunai means “in cash” and functions as a manner phrase. Alternatives:
- Dia membayar tunai … (short, very common)
- Dia membayar dengan tunai … or dengan wang tunai … (with cash)
- Colloquial: bayar cash (code-mixed; informal)
Can I change the word order of the adverbials?
Yes. Manner and location phrases are flexible. All are natural:
- Dia membayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
- Dia membayar di kaunter bayaran secara tunai. With an object, it usually comes right after the verb:
- Dia membayar bil itu secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
Why di and not ke before kaunter bayaran?
- di = “at/in/on” (location): di kaunter bayaran = at the payment counter.
- ke = “to/towards” (movement): ke kaunter bayaran = to the payment counter. Here, we’re talking about where the paying happens, so di is correct.
What’s the difference between the preposition di and the passive prefix di-?
- di (separate word) is a preposition for location: di kaunter.
- di- (attached to a verb) marks passive voice: dibayar (is/was paid). Don’t write a space for the prefix: ✅ dibayar, ❌ di bayar.
Is kaunter bayaran the same as kaunter pembayaran?
Both are used and both are understood as “payment counter.”
- Bayaran = a payment/fee (noun).
- Pembayaran = the act/process of paying (verbal noun). In Malaysia, signage often says Kaunter Bayaran; Kaunter Pembayaran also appears and can feel a bit more formal/technical. In Indonesian contexts, you’ll see kasir or loket pembayaran.
Does Dia mean “he” or “she”? Are there more respectful forms?
Dia is gender-neutral singular (he/she). For respectful reference to a distinguished person, use beliau. Plural “they” is mereka. Colloquial plural “they” in Malaysia is often diorang/diaorang (informal).
How would I say “at the cashier” or refer to the person?
- Person: juruwang (cashier) in Malay; kasir is Indonesian/colloquial in Malaysia.
- Place: kaunter juruwang (cashier’s counter). So you can say:
- Dia membayar di kaunter juruwang.
How do I make this passive (e.g., “It was paid in cash at the counter”)?
Use passive di-:
- (Bil itu) dibayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran. Optionally add the agent with oleh:
- Bil itu dibayar oleh dia secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
What’s the difference between membayar and membayarkan?
- Membayar = to pay (a bill/fee/amount).
- Membayarkan often means “to pay (something) for someone” or to settle on someone’s behalf/for a purpose.
- Dia membayarkan bil saya. (He/She paid my bill for me.) In everyday speech, people also use tolong bayarkan to emphasize doing it for someone.
Is membuat bayaran different from membayar?
Meaning is effectively the same (“to make a payment” vs “to pay”), but:
- Membayar is a straightforward verb.
- Membuat bayaran is a light-verb construction and sounds a bit more formal/bureaucratic. Example: Dia membuat bayaran secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
How do I express tense/aspect (past, already, will)?
Malay has no tense inflections; use particles/adverbs:
- Completed: sudah / telah — Dia sudah membayar …
- Ongoing: sedang — Dia sedang membayar …
- Future/intended: akan / nak (informal want) — Dia akan membayar …
How do I ask “Where did he/she pay?” or “How did he/she pay?” with this vocabulary?
- Where: Dia membayar di mana? / Di manakah dia membayar? (more formal/polite with -kah)
- How: Dia membayar bagaimana? / Bagaimanakah dia membayar? Answers can echo the structure: Dia membayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran.
If I want to mean “the” payment counter specifically, how do I mark definiteness?
Use demonstratives like itu (“that/the” in context) or tersebut (aforementioned, formal):
- Dia membayar secara tunai di kaunter bayaran itu.
- Dia membayar … di kaunter bayaran tersebut.
What’s the closest Indonesian equivalent of this sentence?
Common Indonesian phrasing:
- Dia membayar tunai di kasir. Also possible/formal:
- Dia membayar secara tunai di loket/konter pembayaran.