Learn Hardcore Malay: Beberapa teman mahu ikut, tetapi saya tak pasti bila mereka sampai. - Several friends want to come along, but I’m not sure when they will arrive.

beberapa = several / a few (small, unspecified number)
- beberapa teman = several friends (maybe 3–7, roughly)
banyak = many / a lot
- banyak teman = many friends

So beberapa teman implies a relatively small group, not a large crowd.

Is teman the usual word for “friend” in Malay, or should I use kawan?

In Malaysian Malay:

kawan is the most common everyday word for friend.
teman is also understood, but it:
- sounds a bit more formal or literary, or
- is felt to be more Indonesian in flavour in casual speech.

In Indonesian:

teman is the default everyday word for friend.

So in Malaysia you’ll hear kawan a lot:
> Beberapa kawan mahu ikut...

In Indonesia you’ll very commonly hear teman.

What exactly does mahu mean, and how does it work with tense?

mahu = to want (to do something).

It does not itself show tense. Malay usually doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Instead, you infer time from context or use extra words like sudah (already), akan (will).

In this sentence:

Beberapa teman mahu ikut...

mahu implies a desire about something not yet done, so in English we naturally translate it as:

Several friends want to come along (now / in the near future).

You could add akan to emphasize future, but it’s not necessary here:

Beberapa teman mahu ikut, tetapi saya tak pasti bila mereka akan sampai.
Several friends want to come along, but I’m not sure when they will arrive.

What’s the difference between mahu, hendak, and nak?

All can mean want (to), but they differ in formality and region.

mahu
- Common and neutral; widely used in Malaysia.
- Acceptable in both speech and writing.
hendak
- More formal / traditional.
- Common in writing, announcements, older style texts.
- In some contexts also means intend to.
nak
- Colloquial, very common in spoken Malaysian Malay.
- Informal, not usually used in formal writing.
- Often considered a shortened form of hendak.

Examples (all roughly “I want to go”):

Saya mahu pergi. (neutral)
Saya hendak pergi. (formal / standard)
Saya nak pergi. (informal spoken)

What does ikut literally mean, and why is it used here?

Literally, ikut means to follow.

Common meanings in context:

to follow (behind someone)
- Ikut saya. = Follow me.
to go along / to join (someone’s plan or trip)
- Saya mahu ikut. = I want to go along / I want to join.

In this sentence:

Beberapa teman mahu ikut...

mahu ikut means want to come along / want to join (us / you).
The person / group they’re joining (e.g. us) is understood from context and not stated explicitly.

Why is tetapi used here? Can I use tapi instead?

tetapi and tapi both mean but / however.

tetapi
- More formal.
- Common in writing, speeches, and standard Malay.
tapi
- Informal, very common in everyday speech.
- Similar to English but in casual conversation.

So your sentence could also be:

Beberapa teman mahu ikut, tapi saya tak pasti bila mereka sampai.

That would sound more conversational.

Why is saya used instead of aku for “I”?

Malay has several first-person pronouns. The main two:

saya
- Polite, neutral.
- Used with people you don’t know well, in formal situations, in writing, with superiors.
aku
- Informal, intimate.
- Used with close friends, family, or in songs/poetry.
- Can sound rude if used with strangers or in formal contexts.

So:

saya tak pasti = I’m not sure (polite/neutral)
aku tak pasti = I’m not sure (casual/intimate)

The sentence is using a neutral, polite tone with saya.

What does tak mean, and how is it different from tidak?

tak is the colloquial shortened form of tidak, and both mean not / no (for verbs and adjectives).

tidak
- Standard, formal.
- Used in writing and careful speech.
tak
- Informal spoken Malay.
- Extremely common in everyday conversation.

So:

saya tidak pasti (standard)
saya tak pasti (informal / conversational)

They mean the same thing: I’m not sure. Only the register changes.

Could I say bukan pasti instead of tak pasti?

No. bukan and tidak / tak are used differently:

tidak / tak negates verbs and adjectives:
- tak pasti = not sure
- tak tahu = don’t know
- tak cantik = not beautiful
bukan negates nouns and noun phrases, or emphasizes contrast:
- bukan doktor = not a doctor
- Ini bukan buku saya. = This is not my book.

Since pasti (“sure/certain”) is used like an adjective here, you need tidak / tak, not bukan:

✅ saya tak pasti
❌ saya bukan pasti

How is bila used here, and what’s the difference between bila and apabila?

In this sentence:

... saya tak pasti bila mereka sampai.

bila means when and introduces an indirect question:

Bila mereka sampai? = When will they arrive?
Saya tak pasti bila mereka sampai. = I’m not sure when they will arrive.

bila is used both in direct and indirect questions.

apabila is usually used as “when” in the sense of “when(ever)” as a conjunction in more formal writing:

Apabila dia sampai, beritahu saya.
= When he arrives, tell me.

In colloquial speech, bila often covers both roles, but apabila sounds more formal and is typical of written Malay.

What’s the difference between sampai and datang? Why use sampai here?

Both can relate to “coming / arriving”, but with different nuances:

sampai = to reach a destination, to arrive (focus on the endpoint)
- bila mereka sampai = when they arrive (at the place)
datang = to come (movement towards the speaker / a point)
- bila mereka datang = when they come

In many contexts, both are possible, but:

sampai highlights the moment of arrival at the destination.
datang can be a bit broader (the act of coming).

In bila mereka sampai, the emphasis is on the time at which they will have reached the place – so sampai is very natural.

How do we know this means “when they will arrive” and not “when they arrive” or “when they arrived”?

Malay verbs usually don’t show tense explicitly. You infer it from context and time words.

Here:

mahu ikut (want to join) suggests a plan for the future.
bila mereka sampai is about the time related to that future plan.

So in natural English, we interpret it as:

I’m not sure when they will arrive.

You could add akan to make the future explicit:

... saya tak pasti bila mereka akan sampai.
... I’m not sure when they will arrive.

But akan is optional; Malay often doesn’t bother marking future if the context is clear.

Is the word order bila mereka sampai fixed, or can I say bila sampai mereka?

The natural word order is:

bila + subject + verb
bila mereka sampai = when they arrive

Putting the subject after the verb (bila sampai mereka) is not normal in modern standard Malay and sounds wrong or at best very poetic/archaic.

So stick with:

bila mereka sampai
bila dia datang
bila kita mula

Could I drop mereka and just say bila sampai?

Yes, in casual speech you might hear:

Saya tak pasti bila sampai.

This would be understood as I’m not sure when (they/you) will arrive, with the subject guessed from context.

However:

With mereka present, the sentence is clearer and more complete.
In written or careful Malay, it’s better to keep mereka.