Learn Hardcore Malay: Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja. - He/She is lazy this morning, but he/she still goes to work.

Dia malas pagi ini can mean He is lazy this morning or She is lazy this morning, depending on context.
Context (earlier sentences, names, or situations) usually makes it clear which gender is meant.
For it (for things/animals), people usually either:
- Repeat the noun (e.g. kucing itu – that cat), or
- Use ia in more formal writing, but ia is less common in everyday spoken Malay.

How is tense shown in this sentence? It looks like there is no past, present, or future verb ending.

Malay does not change verb forms for tense like English does. Instead, tense is understood from:

Time expressions: e.g. pagi ini (this morning), semalam (yesterday), esok (tomorrow)
Context and sometimes aspect words like sudah (already), akan (will), sedang (in the middle of doing)

In Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja:

pagi ini (this morning) makes it clear we are talking about this morning.
pergi does not change; it can be used for past, present, or future depending on context.
- Here we understand it as went or goes because of pagi ini and context:
  - He/she is lazy this morning, but he/she still goes/went to work.

Is malas always lazy as in a personality trait, or can it mean not feeling like it / not in the mood?

Malas literally means lazy, but in everyday Malay it is often used more broadly:

Character trait:
- Dia seorang yang malas.
  He/She is a lazy person.
Temporary feeling / reluctance (very common):
- Saya malas keluar hari ini.
  I don’t feel like going out today. / I can’t be bothered to go out today.

In your sentence:

Dia malas pagi ini could mean:
- He/She is being lazy this morning, or
- He/She doesn’t feel like doing anything this morning The context decides whether it sounds like a permanent trait or a temporary mood. Because of pagi ini, it leans towards a temporary state.

What is the function of pagi ini and why is it placed after malas?

Pagi ini means this morning. It is a time expression that tells you when something happens.

Word order:

Malay time expressions are flexible. They can appear at the:
- Beginning: Pagi ini dia malas. – This morning he/she is lazy.
- Middle / end: Dia malas pagi ini. – He/She is lazy this morning.

Both are acceptable and natural. Putting pagi ini at the end often sounds very natural in spoken Malay and keeps the focus first on dia malas (he/she is lazy) and then adds when.

What does tetap mean in this sentence, and how is it different from masih?

In this sentence, tetap means still / nevertheless / in spite of that. It emphasizes that something happens even though there is an obstacle or reason not to do it.

Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
He/She is lazy this morning, but he/she still (nevertheless) goes/went to work.

Difference from masih:

masih = still in the sense of continuing from before:
- Dia masih bekerja. – He/She is still working (has not stopped).
tetap = still / nonetheless, with a sense of determination or in spite of:
- Dia penat, tetapi dia tetap bekerja.
  He/She is tired, but he/she still works (keeps working anyway).

So tetap in your sentence shows contrast and persistence.

Why is dia repeated in the second clause? Could you just say Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi tetap pergi kerja?

Both forms are possible:

With repetition (your sentence):
- Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
- This is clear and natural. Repeating dia is very common in spoken Malay.
Without repetition:
- Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi tetap pergi kerja.
- Still understandable; tetap pergi kerja is clearly referring to the same dia.
- This style is a bit more compact and can sound slightly more written or formal, but it can also occur in speech.

Repeating the subject is very normal in Malay and is a simple way to keep each clause clearly structured.

What does pergi kerja literally mean, and why is it not pergi ke kerja or bekerja?

Literally:

pergi = go
kerja = work / job

So pergi kerja literally is go (to) work.

Comparisons:

pergi kerja
- Common everyday phrase: to go to work.
- Implies going to one’s workplace:
  - Saya pergi kerja pukul 8. – I go to work at 8.
pergi ke kerja
- Grammatically possible (pergi ke = go to), but much less natural in this context.
- People almost always say pergi kerja, not pergi ke kerja.
bekerja
- Means to work (do work), not to go to work:
  - Saya bekerja di bank. – I work at a bank.
  - Dia malas, tetapi dia tetap bekerja. – He/She is lazy, but he/she still works.
- If you say dia tetap bekerja, you are saying he/she actually does the work, not just goes to the workplace.

So pergi kerja focuses on going to the workplace, not on the act of working.

Why is there no linking verb like is before malas? In English we say He is lazy, not He lazy.

Malay does not use a separate verb like is/are/am when linking a pronoun to an adjective.

Structure:

Pronoun / noun + adjective gives “X is Y” in English.
- Dia malas. – He/She is lazy.
- Makanan itu sedap. – The food is delicious.

So:

Dia malas pagi ini is literally closer to He/She lazy this morning, but the correct English equivalent is He/She is lazy this morning.
No extra word like is is needed in Malay.

Could pagi ini be pagi tadi instead? What is the difference?

Yes, you could say pagi tadi, but the meaning changes slightly.

pagi ini = this morning
- Refers to the morning of today, often when it is still today (often still the same day when you speak).
- Neutral about whether it’s already over; it just belongs to today.
pagi tadi = earlier this morning / this morning (already past)
- Implies the morning is already over or that you are viewing it as earlier in the day.
- Adds a sense of earlier, before now.

So:

Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
Sounds like describing today’s morning situation in a general way.
Dia malas pagi tadi, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
Emphasizes that earlier this morning he/she was lazy, but still went to work.
Often said later in the day when the morning has clearly passed.

What does tetapi mean, and can I replace it with tapi?

Tetapi means but and is a coordinating conjunction used to show contrast.

Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
He/She is lazy this morning, but he/she still goes/went to work.

You can replace it with tapi:

tapi is more informal / colloquial.
tetapi is more standard / formal, common in writing or careful speech.

So in everyday conversation you would often hear:

Dia malas pagi ini, tapi dia tetap pergi kerja.

Could this sentence also mean He/She is lazy every morning, but he/she still goes to work?

Not naturally. Pagi ini is specific: this morning (today’s morning), not every morning.

To say every morning, you would use:

setiap pagi – every morning
Dia malas setiap pagi, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja.
He/She is lazy every morning, but he/she still goes to work.

So, with pagi ini, the sentence is about today’s morning, not a habitual action over many days.

Is the English translation better as goes to work (present) or went to work (past)?

Both are possible, depending on context, because Malay verbs do not change form for tense:

He/She is lazy this morning, but he/she still goes to work.
- Sounds like a general description of what is happening or normally happens today.
He/She was lazy this morning, but he/she still went to work.
- Sounds like you are talking about something that already happened earlier today.

Malay Dia malas pagi ini, tetapi dia tetap pergi kerja can cover both ideas; you choose the most natural English tense based on when you are saying it and what you want to emphasize.