Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menangguhkan latihan renang kerana demam. - I postpone the swim practice because of a fever.

Root: tangguh (postpone, defer).
Prefix: meN-. Before a root starting with t, the t drops and the prefix surfaces as men-. Hence not “mentangguhkan.”
Suffix: -kan, forming a transitive verb “to postpone something.” So: meN-
- tangguh
  - -kan → menangguhkan (“postpone [an object]”).

Can I just say menangguh or even tangguh?

Standard/most common with an object: menangguhkan latihan.
Colloquial speech often uses the bare root: Saya tangguh latihan... (casual).
menangguh exists but is less common in everyday standard usage with objects.
Related forms:
- bertangguh = to procrastinate/delay (intransitive: “Jangan bertangguh.”).
- penangguhan = postponement (noun).

How is menangguhkan different from menunda, melambatkan, and membatalkan?

menangguhkan = postpone/defer to a later time (neutral, very common in Malaysia).
menunda = postpone/delay (very common in Indonesian; understood in Malaysia too).
melambatkan = slow something down; make it late (affects speed, not rescheduling).
membatalkan = cancel (call it off entirely).

Why latihan renang and not latihan berenang?

latihan is a noun (“training/practice”) and naturally takes a noun: renang (“swimming” as a sport/activity).
latihan renang ≈ “swimming practice.”
latihan berenang mixes a noun (latihan) with a verb (berenang), so it’s less natural. If you want a verb after a verb: berlatih berenang (“to practice swimming”).

Could I say menangguhkan berenang?

Grammatically possible if you mean “postpone the act of swimming,” but many speakers prefer a clear noun:

menangguhkan latihan renang
menangguhkan sesi/aktiviti berenang

Does kerana demam mean “because of fever” or “because I have a fever”?

Both are valid readings in Malay. kerana can take:

a noun phrase: kerana demam (“because of fever”),
or a clause: kerana saya demam (“because I have a fever”). The shorter noun phrase is natural when the possessor (my/your) is obvious from context.

Can I use sebab instead of kerana?

Yes. sebab and kerana both mean “because/because of.”

kerana feels a bit more formal/standard in Malaysia.
sebab is very common in speech. Example: ... sebab demam.
Other options: akibat (due to, often negative/formal), disebabkan (oleh) (formal “caused by”).

Where can kerana demam go in the sentence?

All are fine:

Kerana demam, saya menangguhkan latihan renang.
Saya menangguhkan latihan renang kerana demam. In writing, a comma after a fronted Kerana demam is typical.

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

Saya: “SA-yah.”
menangguhkan: “meh-NANG-gooh-kahn.” The ngg is like the “ng” in “sing” plus a hard “g” (as in “finger”).
latihan: “lah-TEE-han” (t is clean, h is sounded).
renang: “rǝ-NANG” (final ng as in “sing”).
demam: “dǝ-MAM” (schwa-like first vowel). Stress is light and fairly even across syllables in Malay.

How do I show past/completed action (e.g., “already postponed”)?

Malay doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Add aspect/time words:

Completed: sudah / telah (formal), dah (colloquial).
Example: Saya sudah menangguhkan latihan renang.
Just now: baru (just).
Example: Saya baru menangguhkan latihan renang.
Time phrases: tadi, semalam, minggu lepas, etc.

How do I negate this or say “despite the fever”?

Negate the verb with tidak:
Saya tidak menangguhkan latihan renang.
To deny responsibility, use bukan:
Bukan saya yang menangguhkan latihan renang.
“Despite/although”: walaupun/meskipun:
Saya menangguhkan latihan renang walaupun demam means the opposite (postponed despite), so for “didn’t postpone despite,” say:
Saya tidak menangguhkan latihan renang walaupun demam.

How do I say it in the passive (“The practice was postponed”)?

Use di- passive:

Latihan renang saya ditangguhkan kerana demam. Agent can be added with oleh, but it’s often omitted:
Latihan renang saya ditangguhkan oleh saya (grammatical but rarely needed).

How do I make it clear it’s “my” swim practice?

Add a possessive:

latihan renang saya (my swim practice)
Other natural options: kelas renang saya, sesi latihan renang saya.

Any politeness or register issues with saya?

saya = neutral/polite “I,” safe in almost all contexts.
aku = informal/intimate with close friends.
Plural “we”: kami (exclusive, not including the listener) vs kita (inclusive, including the listener).
Example: Kami/kita menangguhkan latihan renang...

Are there Malay vs Indonesian differences here?

Malaysia: kerana, menangguhkan.
Indonesia: karena, menunda (more common than menangguhkan).
Both understand latihan renang and demam. Indonesian version would be: Saya menunda latihan renang karena demam.

How do I say what it’s postponed to (next week, tomorrow, etc.)?

Common patterns:

To a time/day/date: ... ditangguhkan ke/pada minggu depan/hari Isnin/15hb.
- Example: Saya menangguhkan latihan renang ke minggu depan.
Until a point: hingga/sampai esok.
For a duration: selama seminggu (“for a week”).

What exactly does demam cover, and how do I say “high fever” or “flu”?

demam = fever; also used statively: Saya demam (“I have a fever/I’m feverish”).
Stronger: demam tinggi or demam panas (high fever).
Flu/cold: selesema; you might hear Saya demam selesema (I’ve got the flu).
Saya ada demam is heard, but Saya demam is more natural.

Is -kan here the same as the sentence-ending kan (tag/particle)?

No. In menangguh-kan, -kan is a derivational suffix making the verb transitive.
Sentence-final kan (e.g., ...kan?) is a pragmatic particle/tag (“right?/you know?”). They’re unrelated despite identical spelling.