Learn Hardcore Malay: Pelanggan itu memilih pembayaran tanpa tunai.

In Malay, demonstratives come after the noun. So pelanggan itu literally means “customer that,” i.e., “that customer” or “the customer (already mentioned).” Without itu, pelanggan would be more general or indefinite (“a customer”/“customers” depending on context). Use:

pelanggan itu = that/the customer (specific)
pelanggan = a customer/customers (generic)
pelanggan ini = this customer

Is pelanggan itu definitely singular?

Malay doesn’t mark number on nouns. Pelanggan itu is most often understood as singular (“that customer”), but it can be plural (“those customers”) if the context makes it clear. To force a plural meaning, use:

para pelanggan = the customers (formal)
pelanggan-pelanggan = customers (reduplication; formal/writing) Add itu for specificity: para pelanggan itu = those customers.

Does memilih mean “chose” (past)? There’s no tense marker—how is time shown?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Memilih just means “choose/chooses/chose,” and time is inferred from context or added with particles/adverbs:

Past: telah/sudah memilih, or a time word like semalam (yesterday)
Present: context, or sedang (in the middle of)
Future: akan (will) Your sentence can mean “The customer chose/chooses/will choose …” depending on context; in narratives it’s usually past.

What’s the base word of memilih, and how is it formed?

The base word is pilih (“choose”). The active verb memilih is formed with the prefix meN-. With roots starting with p, the p drops and the prefix surfaces as mem-:

pilih → meN- + pilih → memilih More examples:
pukul → memukul (hit)
tulis → menulis (write; initial t drops)
kira → mengira (count; initial k drops)

Why pembayaran and not bayaran? What’s the difference?

pembayaran = “payment” as an action/process/transaction (from bayar with peN- … -an nominalization)
bayaran = “payment/fee/amount payable” (from bayar
- -an; often the sum/charge) In many signs both occur, but to talk about a payment method, pembayaran is safer: pembayaran tanpa tunai = cashless payment (as a mode/process).

Is pembayaran tanpa tunai natural, or should I say “payment method” explicitly?

It’s acceptable, and widely used (e.g., on signs). If you want to be explicit about method, say:

kaedah/cara pembayaran tanpa tunai = cashless payment method Or rephrase with a verb:
Pelanggan itu memilih untuk membayar tanpa tunai.

What exactly does tanpa do here? Could I use tidak or bukan instead?

tanpa means “without” and is used before nouns/nominal phrases: tanpa tunai = “without cash/cashless.”

tidak negates verbs/adjectives: tidak bayar = “do not pay”
bukan negates nouns: bukan tunai ≈ “not cash” (less natural here) So use tanpa in this phrase.

Can I use ini, itu, or tersebut interchangeably?

ini = this (near speaker): pelanggan ini
itu = that/the (known/mentioned): pelanggan itu
tersebut = “the aforementioned” (formal/written): pelanggan tersebut They overlap in marking definiteness, but tersebut is more formal and points back to something already mentioned in text.

Is it okay to say “Itu pelanggan memilih …” with itu before the noun?

Not in this structure. As a post-nominal determiner, itu comes after the noun (pelanggan itu). Itu can start a clause only when it’s a pronoun meaning “that” (e.g., Itu pelanggan yang… = “That’s the customer who…”), which is a different sentence type.

How would I say “Customers choose cashless payment” (general statement) or “The customers chose …”?

General/habitual: Pelanggan memilih pembayaran tanpa tunai.
Definite plural: Para pelanggan itu memilih pembayaran tanpa tunai. or Para pelanggan memilih … (context shows definiteness)

How do I make a passive version?

Short passive: Pembayaran tanpa tunai dipilih pelanggan itu.
Full passive with agent: Pembayaran tanpa tunai dipilih oleh pelanggan itu. Here dipilih is the passive form of pilih with di-.

Can memilih also mean “to vote”?

Yes. memilih means “to choose/select,” and in electoral contexts it means “to vote”:

Rakyat memilih calon mereka. = The people vote for their candidate(s).

Should I include untuk after memilih before a verb? When?

Use memilih untuk + verb when the choice is an action:

memilih untuk membayar tanpa tunai = choose to pay cashlessly When the object is a noun phrase, no untuk:
memilih pembayaran tanpa tunai = choose a cashless payment (method)

What’s the difference between pelanggan and pembeli?

pelanggan = customer/client (someone who patronizes a business; often ongoing relationship)
pembeli = buyer (the person who buys something in a specific transaction) Both can overlap, but pelanggan is the right default for “customer.”

Are there other ways to say “cashless” like nirtunai or “non-cash”?

Yes, but usage varies:

tanpa tunai = very common in Malaysia
nirtunai = formal/official term (also understood in Indonesia)
tanpa wang tunai = explicit “without cash money” Banks/media may also use nontunai (Indonesia). In Malaysian Malay, stick with tanpa tunai for everyday use.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

Approximate syllables and sounds:

pelanggan: pe-lang-gan (ng as in “sing”)
itu: ee-too
memilih: me-mee-leeh
pembayaran: pem-ba-ya-ran
tanpa: tan-pah
tunai: too-nai (ai like “eye”)