Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya lapar, tapi gerai itu sukar dicari. - I am hungry, but that stall is hard to find.

So Saya lapar literally is “I hungry”, and that is a complete, correct sentence.
Malay simply links the subject (Saya) directly with the adjective (lapar) without adding a separate verb.

Can I say Aku lapar instead of Saya lapar? What’s the difference between saya and aku?

Yes, grammatically you can say Aku lapar, but the choice depends on formality and who you’re talking to.

Saya: polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (formal and semi‑formal).
Aku: informal, used with close friends, family, or people of the same age/social level. It can sound rude or too casual in formal situations or with people you should respect.

So:

Talking to your boss / teacher: Saya lapar
Talking to close friends: Aku lapar is fine.

What’s the difference between tapi and tetapi? Which one is better here?

Both mean “but” and are very similar.

Tetapi: more formal, common in writing, speeches, and careful speech.
Tapi: more informal/colloquial, common in everyday conversation.

In Saya lapar, tapi gerai itu sukar dicari, tapi fits natural spoken Malay.
In a formal essay, you might use: Saya lapar, tetapi gerai itu sukar dicari.

What does gerai mean exactly? How is it different from kedai?

Gerai = a stall / booth / stand, often small, sometimes temporary (e.g. a food stall at a hawker center or market).
Kedai = a shop / store, usually more permanent, with a physical space or building (e.g. a grocery shop, clothing shop).

So gerai itu suggests something like “that stall” rather than a full shop.

Does itu in gerai itu mean “that” or “the”?

Itu literally means “that”, but it often functions like “that/the” depending on context.

gerai itu = that stall (a specific stall, probably already known in the situation)
In many contexts, Malay doesn’t distinguish sharply between “the stall” and “that stall”; gerai itu just means that specific stall you have in mind.

So in English it can be translated both as “that stall” or “the stall”, depending on how you phrase the sentence.

Why is it gerai itu, not itu gerai? Is itu gerai ever correct?

When itu means “that” (a demonstrative), it normally comes after the noun:

gerai itu = that stall
orang itu = that person
buku itu = that book

Itu gerai sounds odd in standard Malay if you mean “that stall”.

However, itu can also be used at the beginning of a sentence with a different function, like pointing or topic-marking:

Itu gerai yang saya maksudkan. = That is the stall I meant.

Here Itu is more like “That (one)”, not attached directly as “that stall”.

What does sukar mean, and how is it different from susah or payah?

All three can mean “difficult”, but they differ in tone and usage.

sukar:
- means difficult / hard
- slightly more formal or neutral
- common in written Malay or polite speech
susah:
- also difficult / troublesome
- very common in everyday spoken Malay
- can also mean “having a hard time” (life difficulty)
payah:
- can mean difficult / laborious
- sometimes has a feel of “burdensome” or “troublesome”

In casual speech, people might say:

... gerai itu susah dicari. or
... susah nak cari gerai tu.

In the original sentence, sukar sounds a bit more neutral/formal.

What does dicari mean? How is it formed from cari?

cari = to look for / search for (base verb)
di- is a prefix that usually marks passive voice.

So:

dicari = to be looked for / to be searched for / be found (by being searched)

In gerai itu sukar dicari:

literally: “that stall is difficult to be looked for”
natural English: “that stall is difficult to find.”

Why does sukar dicari mean “difficult to find” and not something like “difficult is searched”?

Malay uses a passive construction where the thing affected comes first and the verb has di-:

gerai itu dicari = that stall is (being) looked for

When you add an adjective:

gerai itu sukar dicari

You get:

subject: gerai itu (that stall)
adjective: sukar (difficult)
passive verb: dicari (to be searched for / found)

The natural interpretation in English is “that stall is difficult to find”, not “difficult is searched”.
Malay doesn’t need an explicit “to” (like “to find”); the passive verb already carries that sense.

Could I say Saya lapar, tapi sukar mencari gerai itu? What’s the difference from sukar dicari?

Yes, Saya lapar, tapi sukar mencari gerai itu is grammatically correct.

Difference:

sukar dicari
- passive
- focus is on the stall: “that stall is difficult to find.”
- no explicit subject doing the searching; it’s general.
sukar mencari gerai itu
- mencari is active (with meN- prefix)
- literally: “it is difficult (for someone) to look for that stall.”
- implies an understood subject: it is difficult (for me/us/people) to look for that stall.

Both can translate as “but that stall is hard to find”, but the structure and focus are slightly different.

Can I change the word order to Gerai itu dicari sukar?

No, Gerai itu dicari sukar is not natural in standard Malay.

Typical, natural orders are:

Gerai itu sukar dicari. ✅
Gerai itu susah dicari. ✅ (more colloquial)

Putting sukar at the end sounds wrong because adjectives that describe the subject usually come immediately after the subject or before the verb phrase, not after the verb in this way.

How would this sentence sound in more casual, everyday Malay?

A common casual version could be:

Saya lapar, tapi gerai tu susah nak cari.
- tu = colloquial form of itu
- susah instead of sukar
- nak = colloquial for hendak (“to / want to”), used here like “to find”

Meaning: I’m hungry, but that stall is hard to find.

Even more informal among friends:

Aku lapar, tapi gerai tu susah nak cari.