Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas. - I didn’t bring anything at all except a pen and paper.

tak = informal/colloquial, very common in speech and informal writing
- Saya tak bawa…
tidak = standard/formal, preferred in writing, news, speeches
- Saya tidak membawa…

So a more formal version of the sentence would be:
Saya tidak membawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas.

Both are correct; the choice is mostly about formality and style.

Why is it bawa and not membawa?

bawa and membawa both mean “to bring.”

membawa is the full root + prefix form, slightly more formal/standard.
bawa is the base verb; in everyday speech, people often drop the prefix meN-.

Examples:

Informal: Saya tak bawa apa-apa.
More formal: Saya tidak membawa apa-apa.

In most casual contexts, bawa sounds completely natural and is very common.

What does apa-apa pun mean, and why do we need both apa-apa and pun?

Literally:

apa = what
apa-apa = anything
pun here adds emphasis, often with a negative, like “at all / whatsoever.”

So tak bawa apa-apa pun is stronger than just tak bawa apa-apa:

Saya tak bawa apa-apa.
= I didn’t bring anything.
Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun.
= I didn’t bring anything at all / absolutely nothing.

The pun intensifies the nothingness in the context of the negation.

Is pun always used like this? What else can pun mean?

No, pun has several uses. In this sentence it’s an emphasizer with a negative (tak + apa-apa + pun).

Other common uses:

Even
- Dia tak datang pun.
  = He didn’t even come.
“Also / too / even if” in some fixed expressions
- Walaupun hujan, kami pergi juga.
  = Even though it rained, we still went.
“Also / too” in more literary styles
- Saya pun pergi.
  = I went too / I also went.

So its meaning depends on context. In apa-apa pun with tak, it strengthens the negative: anything at all.

Could I say the sentence without pun? Would it sound wrong?

You can say it without pun, and it is still grammatically correct:

Saya tak bawa apa-apa kecuali pena dan kertas.

The difference is nuance:

Without pun: neutral “I didn’t bring anything except a pen and paper.”
With pun: slightly stronger, “I didn’t bring anything at all except a pen and paper.”

So pun is not required, but it makes the “nothing besides that” feel more emphatic.

What does kecuali mean, and how is it used?

kecuali means “except / except for / other than.”

In this sentence:

… apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas.
= … anything at all except a pen and paper.

Usage:

It usually comes before the thing that’s excluded:
- Semua orang datang kecuali Ali.
  = Everyone came except Ali.
Often used after a statement:
- Saya suka semua buah kecuali durian.
  = I like all fruits except durian.

A more formal synonym is melainkan, but kecuali is very common and natural.

How do I know this means “I didn’t bring” and not “I don’t bring”?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. bawa can be bring / brought, depending on context.

The tense is understood from:

Context (e.g. you’re talking about a past event).
Time words like tadi (earlier) or semalam (last night), if used.

So:

Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas.
can mean “I don’t bring…” or “I didn’t bring…”, but in a typical real-life situation (like arriving somewhere and explaining what you brought), English naturally uses the past: “I didn’t bring anything at all except a pen and paper.”

Is pena singular or plural? How would I say “pens and papers”?

Malay nouns usually don’t change form for singular vs plural. pena can mean “pen” or “pens,” depending on context. Same for kertas (paper/papers).

pena dan kertas
= pen and paper / pens and paper / pen and papers / pens and papers (context decides).

If you really need to show plural, you can:

Use a number + classifier:
- tiga batang pena = three pens
- lima helai kertas = five sheets of paper
Repeat the noun (more colloquial, not always needed):
- pena-pena = pens (sounds more like “various pens”)

But in everyday usage, pena dan kertas is enough; the listener infers number from context.

Do I need measure words (classifiers) like sebatang or sehelai here?

You don’t need them in the given sentence; it’s fine as is.

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

sebatang pena = one (stick-shaped) pen
sehelai kertas = one (sheet) of paper

A very natural, slightly more detailed version would be:
Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali sebatang pena dan beberapa helai kertas.
= I didn’t bring anything at all except a pen and a few sheets of paper.

Classifiers are common in Malay, especially when you mention a specific quantity.

Can I drop Saya and just say Tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas?

Yes. In conversation, it’s very common to omit the subject pronoun when it’s clear from context.

Tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas.
= Didn’t bring anything at all except a pen and paper.

Listeners will usually assume I if it fits the situation, just like English sometimes drops “I” in casual speech (“Didn’t bring anything except a pen and paper.”).

What would the sentence look like in very standard/formal Malay?

A formal, written-style version might be:

Saya tidak membawa apa-apa kecuali sebatang pena dan sehelai kertas.

Changes:

tak → tidak (formal negation)
bawa → membawa (full verb form)
Optional addition of classifiers: sebatang, sehelai for precision.

The original Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun kecuali pena dan kertas. is more colloquial/natural for everyday conversation.

How would I say “I didn’t bring anything at all” with no exceptions?

You can simply drop the kecuali part:

Saya tak bawa apa-apa pun.
= I didn’t bring anything at all.

Or, more formal:

Saya tidak membawa apa-apa.
= I did not bring anything.

Including pun in the informal version makes it sound stronger and more emphatic.