Breakdown of Kelmarin, saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
saya
I
kepada
to
kakak
the older sister
mesej
the message
Questions & Answers about Kelmarin, saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
What does kelmarin mean, and is it the same as semalam?
Kelmarin means yesterday.
In practice in Malaysia:
- kelmarin – “yesterday” (the whole previous day), slightly more formal/standard.
- semalam – literally “last night”, but in everyday speech people often use it to mean “yesterday” in general.
So:
- Kelmarin, saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
- Semalam, saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
Both will normally be understood as “Yesterday, I sent a message to my older sister.”
In some regional speech, kelmarin can be used for “the day before yesterday”, but that is not standard, so as a learner it’s safe to treat kelmarin = yesterday.
Why is there a comma after Kelmarin? Is it necessary?
The comma marks Kelmarin as an introductory time phrase:
- Kelmarin, saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
= “Yesterday, I sent a message to my older sister.”
In writing, the comma is recommended but not absolutely required. You will also see:
- Kelmarin saya kirim mesej kepada kakak.
Both are acceptable. The natural speech pause usually comes after kelmarin, which is why the comma is common.
How do we know this sentence is in the past? There is no past tense ending on kirim.