Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya tunggu awak di pintu keluar.

tunggu: base form, common in everyday speech; perfectly fine in conversation and informal writing.
menunggu: the meN- verb form, more formal/standard and common in writing. Both are correct in this sentence: Saya tunggu/menunggu awak di pintu keluar.

Is this present or future? How does Malay show tense?

Malay doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Saya tunggu awak di pintu keluar can mean present (“I am waiting…”) or future (“I’ll wait…”). Add time/aspect words if needed:

In progress: Saya sedang menunggu awak…
Future: Saya akan menunggu awak… / Nanti saya tunggu awak…
Past: Tadi saya menunggu awak…

Is awak polite? When should I use awak, kamu, or anda?

awak: neutral–informal in Malaysia; fine with peers/friends. Can sound affectionate in some contexts.
kamu: varies by region; in Malaysia can sound a bit blunt; in Indonesia it’s the common informal “you.”
anda: polite/formal, often used in customer-facing language and writing, less in casual speech. Note: In parts of Indonesia, awak can mean “I/me” in local dialects, so prefer kamu/Anda there.

Could I drop awak and just say Saya tunggu di pintu keluar?

Yes. That means “I’m waiting at the exit,” with no explicit person you’re waiting for. It’s fine if the context already makes it clear who you mean.

How do I make this sound more formal/polite?

Use menunggu and anda (or a name/title):

Saya akan menunggu anda di pintu keluar.
Saya menunggu Encik/Encik Ali di pintu keluar.

What’s the difference between di and ke? Why is it di pintu keluar?

di = “at/in/on” (location). Hence di pintu keluar = “at the exit.”
ke = “to/towards” (movement). Example: Saya pergi ke pintu keluar = “I’m going to the exit.”

Does di pintu keluar mean “at the exit” or “in front of the exit”? Should I use di depan?

di pintu keluar: at the exit area/doorway (the exit point itself).
di depan pintu keluar: in front of the exit (emphasizes being in front, not necessarily right at the doorway). Choose based on the nuance you want.

What’s the difference between di pintu keluar and di luar pintu?

di pintu keluar: at the exit (where people exit).
di luar pintu: outside the door (outside of the door/room), not necessarily the designated exit. Use di luar pintu when you mean “outside the door,” not specifically the exit door.

What exactly does pintu keluar mean?

It’s a compound noun: pintu (door) + keluar (exit/go out) → “exit (door).” Related:

pintu masuk = entrance
laluan keluar = exit route
pintu keluar kecemasan = emergency exit

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Saya: SAH-yah (both vowels like “a” in “father” and “ya”).
tunggu: TOON-goo; ng is a velar nasal /ŋ/ before “g.”
awak: a-WAK (final “k” is unreleased/glottal stop-like in many accents).
di: “dee.”
pintu: PEEN-too.
keluar: kə-LOO-ar (the e is a schwa). Malay stress is light and often final-syllable-biased, but not strongly stressed like English.

Why is di written separately here? I’ve seen di- attached to verbs too.

Two different things:

di (separate) = preposition “at/in/on,” e.g., di pintu keluar.
di- (attached) = passive prefix, e.g., dimakan (“is/was eaten”). Don’t write di as a prefix before nouns: ❌ dipintu; correct is ✅ di pintu.

How do I negate this? How to say “I’m not waiting for you at the exit”?

Standard: Saya tidak menunggu awak di pintu keluar.
Colloquial (Malaysia): Saya tak tunggu awak di pintu keluar. Both are natural; using menunggu sounds a bit more formal/neutral in standard Malay.

What are common colloquial Malaysian variants of this sentence?

Aku tunggu kau kat pintu keluar. (very casual)
Saya tunggu you kat pintu keluar. (code-mixed English “you”)
Kat = colloquial for di/dekat. Use with care in formal contexts.

How do I say “you all / you guys”?

Neutral: kamu semua / anda semua (formal).
Very colloquial (Malaysia): korang. Example: Saya tunggu korang di pintu keluar.

Can I change the word order for emphasis?

Yes. You can front the place phrase for emphasis:

Di pintu keluar, saya tunggu awak. This highlights the location. The default neutral order is the original sentence.

How do I add a time like “at 5 o’clock” or “later”?

Neutral: Saya tunggu awak di pintu keluar pukul lima.
More formal: Saya akan menunggu awak di pintu keluar pada pukul lima.
“Later”: Nanti saya tunggu awak di pintu keluar.

Is awak gendered or romantic?

awak is gender-neutral. It can feel affectionate between partners (and is often used that way), but among peers it’s generally just informal/neutral. If you want to avoid any affectionate tone, use the person’s name or a title (e.g., Encik, Cik, Puan) or anda in formal settings.

Are there synonyms for tunggu/menunggu I should know?

menanti: “to await,” more formal/poetic.
menantikan: “to await/expect (something specific).” In most everyday cases, tunggu/menunggu is the safest choice.