Learn Hardcore Malay: Awak faham soalan sejarah itu? - Do you understand that history question?

Yes. In Malay, a yes/no question can be formed with normal word order and a rising intonation (plus a question mark in writing). Awak faham soalan sejarah itu? is fully natural as a yes/no question.

Can I add the colloquial particle to make it sound more conversational?

Yes. In casual Malaysian Malay you can add final ke: Awak faham soalan sejarah itu ke? It’s friendly/informal and common in speech, but avoid it in formal writing.

What’s the formal way to ask this question?

Use -kah or adakah:

Fahamkah awak soalan sejarah itu? (formal, slightly bookish)
Adakah awak faham soalan sejarah itu? (formal/standard)

What’s the nuance of awak? Could I use other pronouns?

Awak = you (casual in Malaysia). Alternatives:

Anda (polite/neutral, formal)
Kamu (neutral but can feel curt in Malaysia)
Titles like Encik/Puan/Cik/Abang/Kakak can replace “you” for politeness. In Indonesia, kamu/Anda are more common than awak.

Can I drop the pronoun?

Yes. Malay often omits subjects when clear from context: Faham soalan sejarah itu?

Is faham a verb or an adjective? Do I need a “to be” verb?

Faham is a stative verb meaning “understand.” No copula is needed. Say Saya faham (I understand), Saya tidak/tak faham (I don’t understand). Don’t use adalah here.

What’s the difference between faham, memahami, and mengerti?

Faham: common, neutral; can take an object: Saya faham soalan itu.
Memahami: more formal/literate: Saya memahami soalan itu.
Mengerti: synonym of “understand” (more common in Indonesia, still understood in Malaysia).

Why is it soalan sejarah, not sejarah soalan?

Malay noun-noun compounds put the head first, then the modifier: soalan sejarah (a history question). Sejarah soalan would mean “the history of questions,” which is different.

What does itu do here, and where does it go?

Itu is “that/the” and follows the noun phrase: soalan sejarah itu (that/the history question). Preposing itu changes the structure to an equational sentence: Itu soalan sejarah (That is a history question).

Does soalan sejarah itu mean “that specific question” or just “the history question”?

It’s definite and usually refers to a specific, known question (by context or pointing). For extra specificity you can say soalan sejarah yang itu (that particular history question) or, in formal writing, soalan sejarah tersebut (the aforementioned history question).

How do I say “Did you understand it already?” or show past aspect?

Malay is tenseless; use aspect words:

Awak dah/sudah faham soalan sejarah itu? (Have you understood it already?)
Telah is very formal: Awak telah faham…?

How do I negate or answer the question naturally?

Negation: Saya tidak/tak faham.
If not yet: Belum.
Short answers: Ya (Yes), Tak/Tidak (No), Belum (Not yet).

Can I use tak as a question particle?

Yes, very common in speech: Awak faham tak soalan sejarah itu? Here tak after the verb turns it into a yes/no question.

How do I make it plural, like “those history questions”?

Use reduplication or quantifiers:

Awak faham soalan-soalan sejarah itu? (those history questions)
Or: Awak faham semua/banyak soalan sejarah itu? Plural can also be left unmarked if context makes it clear.

Are there differences in Indonesian?

Yes. Indonesian typically uses paham (not faham) and different nouns:

Kamu paham soal sejarah itu? / Kamu mengerti soal sejarah itu? Also, soal (exam question) and pertanyaan (question) are common in Indonesian; Malay prefers soalan.

Should sejarah be capitalized?

Lowercase for the field: soalan sejarah (a history question). Capitalize when it’s the official subject/course name: soalan Sejarah (a History-subject question).

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Awak: final k is unreleased.
Soalan: three syllables, say the o-a separately (so-a-lan).
Faham: clear f; in Indonesian it’s spelled/pronounced paham.
Itu: both vowels pronounced clearly (ee-too).