Learn Hardcore Malay: Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? - Are you sure you want coffee or tea?

Common in informal Malaysian Malay, especially among friends, peers, and sometimes couples.
Generally friendly and neutral, not rude, not especially formal.

Comparison:

awak – informal but polite/friendly; very common in Malaysia.
kamu – also “you”, but in Malaysia it can sound a bit distant, bookish, or even slightly rude in some contexts if used to someone you’re close to (usage varies by region and age).
anda – formal and respectful, used in writing, customer-facing language, advertisements, instructions, etc.; not really used in casual speech between friends.

So “Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh?” is something you’d say to someone you’re on fairly casual terms with, not in a formal setting or to a superior.

Why is nak used here instead of mahu or hendak?

Nak is the colloquial (spoken, informal) form of mahu or hendak, all meaning roughly “to want”.

mahu – standard, neutral (“want”).
hendak – also standard; sometimes feels slightly more formal or literary; also used in fixed phrases.
nak – very common in everyday speech in Malaysia; sounds friendly and informal.

So:

Awak nak kopi atau teh? – informal, everyday speech.
Awak mahu kopi atau teh? – neutral, more standard.
Awak hendak kopi atau teh? – also correct; may sound a bit more formal or old-fashioned in some contexts.

Because the whole sentence is informal (using awak and natural spoken rhythm), nak fits that tone.

Can nak be used before a noun like kopi and teh, or only before verbs?

Yes, nak can be used before either:

a noun:
- Saya nak kopi. – I want coffee.
- Dia nak baju baru. – He/She wants new clothes.
a verb:
- Saya nak makan. – I want to eat.
- Dia nak tidur. – He/She wants to sleep.

So “Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh?” (you want coffee or tea) is perfectly normal: nak + [noun phrase].

What exactly does pasti add to the meaning? Is it like “sure” or “definitely”?

Pasti means “sure / certain / definitely”.

Without pasti:

Awak nak kopi atau teh? – Do you want coffee or tea?

With pasti:

Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? – more like Are you sure you want coffee or tea?
– or You’re sure you want coffee or tea? (checking/confirming).

So pasti adds a nuance of certainty / confirmation, not just asking what the person wants, but checking that they are sure about their choice.

Could pasti go in a different position, like after awak or after nak?

In this sentence, the natural position is exactly as used:

✅ Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh?

Other possibilities:

Awak nak kopi atau teh, pasti? – Grammatically understandable, but sounds less natural as a direct question; more like a casual “You definitely want coffee or tea, huh?” and depends heavily on tone.
Pasti awak nak kopi atau teh? – Sounds more like a comment: “So you’re definitely wanting coffee or tea?”; it emphasizes the certainty, sometimes with a hint of surprise.

The most straightforward, conversational pattern for “Are you sure you want …?” is:

Awak pasti nak …?

How do we know this is a question if there’s no question word like kah or adakah?

In Malay, yes/no questions and choice questions often look exactly like a statement, and the difference is mainly:

intonation in speech (rising at the end), and
question mark in writing.

So:

Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh. – statement (in speech, flat/falling intonation).
Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? – question (in speech, rising intonation).

You don’t need a special question particle to make this into a question.

You can add elements like:

Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh ke? – more explicitly questioning, but a bit different nuance (see below).
Adakah awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? – very formal or literary; not how people usually talk casually.

What’s the difference between atau and ke for “coffee or tea” here?

Both can introduce a choice, but they’re used differently.

In your sentence:

Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? – atau is the standard word for “or” in Malay, used in writing and speech, between words/phrases.

If you use ke:

Awak pasti nak kopi ke teh?

Here ke is a question particle meaning roughly “or (which one?)”.
Nuance:

kopi atau teh – neutral “coffee or tea”.
kopi ke teh – more spoken, casual, often feels like “coffee, or tea?” as an explicit choice question.

Both are acceptable in conversation, but “kopi atau teh” is more neutral/standard; “kopi ke teh” feels more colloquial.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it be okay to say to a boss or a stranger?

The sentence is informal:

awak – informal “you”
nak – colloquial “want”

To a friend / family / peer, it’s fine and natural.

To a boss, older stranger, or in a formal setting, you would usually speak more politely/formally, e.g.:

Encik / Puan nak kopi atau teh? – Using a title instead of “awak”.
Tuan / Puan mahu kopi atau teh? – More formal “mahu” instead of “nak”.
Tuan pasti mahu kopi atau teh? – More formal version with pasti.

So the given sentence is best for casual contexts.

Do I need to say something like secawan (“a cup of”) before kopi or teh?

You don’t have to in casual conversation when the context is clear.

Awak nak kopi atau teh? – “Do you want coffee or tea?” (implicitly a cup/glass).
Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh? – same, just confirming.

If you want to be more specific, you can add classifiers:

Awak nak secawan kopi atau secawan teh? – “Do you want a cup of coffee or a cup of tea?”
Awak nak segelas teh ais? – “Do you want a glass of iced tea?”

But in everyday speech, people often drop the classifier when it’s obvious you’re talking about one drink.

Could I drop awak and just say Pasti nak kopi atau teh??

Yes, in conversation you can often omit the pronoun when it’s clear who you’re talking to.

Pasti nak kopi atau teh? – “(Are you) sure you want coffee or tea?”

This is natural when:

you are face-to-face with the person, and
it’s obvious that you are referring to them.

Malay often uses context and intonation instead of repeating pronouns when they’re obvious.

How would I answer this question naturally in Malay?

You can answer in a short or full way, depending on how complete you want to sound.

Short answers (very common):

Kopi. – Coffee.
Teh. – Tea.
Kopi, pasti. – Coffee, for sure.
Teh je. – Just tea.

Slightly more complete:

Saya nak kopi. – I want coffee.
Saya nak teh. – I want tea.
Ya, saya pasti nak kopi. – Yes, I’m sure I want coffee.

All of these are natural in casual speech. The shortest answers (just kopi or teh) are very common when the question is clear.

Could this sentence ever sound rude?

By itself, “Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh?” does not sound rude. It’s:

Casual, because of awak and nak.
Slightly probing, because pasti suggests you’re double-checking.

It might sound a bit blunt if:

you use an impatient or annoyed tone, or
you say it in a context where a more formal phrase is expected (e.g., to an elderly stranger).

But with a normal, friendly tone, it’s simply a casual confirmation question:
“Are you sure you want coffee or tea?”

Is this sentence more Malaysian or Indonesian?

This sentence is very clearly Malaysian Malay:

awak – common in Malaysia; not used in standard Indonesian.
nak – very common colloquial in Malaysia; Indonesian usually uses mau or ingin instead.

In Indonesian, a similar idea might be:

Kamu mau kopi atau teh? – You want coffee or tea?
Kamu yakin mau kopi atau teh? – Are you sure you want coffee or tea?

So if you hear “Awak pasti nak kopi atau teh?”, you can safely assume it’s Malaysian usage.