Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

I am waiting for you at the coffee stall.

Breakdown of Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

• saya: I
• awak: you
• itu: that
• di: at
• tunggu: to wait
• gerai kopi: the coffee stall

Questions & Answers about Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

Why does tunggu awak look like “wait you” instead of “wait for you”?

In Malay, tunggu already includes the meaning “wait for”, so you don’t add a separate word for “for”.

• Saya tunggu awak = I wait for you / I’ll wait for you
• Literally: I wait you, but in Malay this is the normal and correct structure.

You only add untuk (for) with nouns or longer phrases, e.g. tunggu untuk mesyuarat (wait for the meeting), but not with a pronoun like awak.

Can I also say Saya akan tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say Saya akan tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

• Saya tunggu awak...
  – Often used in context to mean I’m waiting / I’ll wait for you.
  – Tense is inferred from context, not grammar.

• Saya akan tunggu awak...
  – More explicitly future: I will wait for you.
  – Slightly more deliberate or planned-sounding.

Both are correct; akan is optional but adds clear future meaning.

What is the difference between tunggu and menunggu?

Both mean “to wait” and are very close in meaning.

• tunggu

  • Base verb.
  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Slightly more casual.

• menunggu

  • The meN- verb form of tunggu.
  • Often sounds a bit more formal, careful, or “complete.”
  • Common in writing or polite speech.

You could also say:

• Saya menunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

It means the same thing; compared to Saya tunggu awak..., it just feels a little more formal or “proper.”

Is awak the standard word for “you”? When should I use awak instead of kamu or anda?

Awak is a common informal “you”, but it’s not always the best choice.

Very simplified:

• awak

  • Informal, friendly.
  • Common between friends, peers, partners.
  • In some regions it can feel a bit intimate or “sweet.”

• kamu

  • Also informal.
  • Often used to talk to children, younger people, close friends.
  • In some areas, using kamu with an adult stranger can sound too direct or rude.

• anda

  • Polite, neutral, “customer-service you.”
  • Used in signs, advertisements, formal writing.
  • In real conversation, it can sound distant or slightly stiff.

With someone you don’t know well, especially older or higher status, Malays often avoid awak/kamu/anda and instead use titles:

• Saya tunggu encik di gerai kopi itu. – I’ll wait for you (male, polite).
• Saya tunggu puan di gerai kopi itu. – I’ll wait for you (married woman, polite).
• Saya tunggu cik di gerai kopi itu. – I’ll wait for you (unmarried woman / neutral, polite).

Why is itu at the end: gerai kopi itu? Can I say itu gerai kopi like “that coffee stall”?

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

• gerai kopi itu = that coffee stall
• gerai kopi ini = this coffee stall

Putting itu before the noun (itu gerai kopi) is possible, but the meaning is slightly different:

• itu gerai kopi
  
  • More like “that is a coffee stall” or
  • “that coffee stall (over there)” as a separate topic, often with a pause after itu.

For describing a specific stall in a sentence like yours, the normal form is gerai kopi itu.

What is the difference between gerai kopi, kedai kopi, and kafe?

All relate to places where you get drinks/coffee, but with different nuances:

• gerai kopi

  • Stall / small booth.
  • Often open-air, in a food court, by the roadside, in a market.
  • Simple, casual, sometimes semi-temporary structure.

• kedai kopi

  • Coffee shop / small café.
  • A more established shop, often with simple food.
  • Traditional local coffee shops are called kedai kopi.

• kafe

  • Borrowed from “café”.
  • Often suggests a modern-style or Western-style café.

So gerai kopi itu specifically makes you imagine a stall, not a full shop.

Could the sentence also be Saya tunggu di gerai kopi itu without awak? Is it still correct?

Yes, it is correct.

• Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.
  – I’m waiting / I’ll wait for you at that coffee stall.

• Saya tunggu di gerai kopi itu.
  – I’m waiting / I’ll wait at that coffee stall.
  – The person being waited for is not mentioned but can be understood from context.

Dropping obvious information is common in Malay, especially when context makes it clear.

Do I always need di before a place like gerai kopi?

When you are saying “at / in / on” a place, you normally use di:

• di gerai kopi – at the coffee stall
• di rumah – at home
• di sekolah – at school

So in your sentence, di gerai kopi itu is the normal, correct form.

You will see di dropped in things like:

• Fixed place names (e.g. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, London) where di is optional depending on the structure.
• Some headlines or very informal speech, but that’s not the standard.

For learners, it’s safest to always include di before location nouns.

Does this sentence show whether it is present or future, like “I am waiting” vs “I will wait”?

No, the tense is not marked in the verb. Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense.

Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu can mean:

• I am waiting for you at that coffee stall (right now), or
• I will wait for you at that coffee stall (future plan).

The exact meaning comes from context, or from extra time words:

• Sekarang saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu. – I’m waiting for you there now.
• Nanti saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu. – Later I’ll wait for you there.
• Esok saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu. – Tomorrow I’ll wait for you there.

Can I change the word order, like Saya di gerai kopi itu tunggu awak?

The most natural word order is the one you have:

• Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.

Some variations are possible, but not all are equally natural:

• Saya tunggu di gerai kopi itu awak. – Sounds odd; awak normally stays right after tunggu if it’s the object.
• Di gerai kopi itu, saya tunggu awak. – Possible and natural if you want to emphasize the place.

A good rule: keep the structure:

Subject – Verb – Object – Place
Saya – tunggu – awak – di gerai kopi itu.

And only move the place phrase to the front when you really want to emphasize location.

How would I say this more formally or politely, for example to someone older or to a customer?

You would typically:

1. Use menunggu instead of tunggu.
2. Use a title instead of awak.
3. Optionally add akan to make the future clear.

Examples:

• Saya akan menunggu encik di gerai kopi itu.
• Saya akan menunggu puan di gerai kopi itu.
• Saya akan menunggu cik di gerai kopi itu.

This sounds polite and respectful, suitable for older people, customers, or in formal messages.

Can I drop Saya and just say Tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu?

Yes, that is possible in casual conversation or messages, especially when it is obvious who the subject is.

• Tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu.
  – Literally “(I’ll) wait for you at that coffee stall.”
  – Often used in texts or speech where context makes “I” obvious.

But:

• In more formal situations, keep Saya: Saya tunggu awak...
• If there is any chance of confusion, include Saya.

Could this sentence be understood as an instruction, like “Wait for you at that coffee stall”?

As written, Saya tunggu awak di gerai kopi itu is a statement: “I (will) wait for you at that coffee stall.”

To make it a clear instruction (imperative), you would normally address the other person directly, without Saya:

• Awak tunggu saya di gerai kopi itu. – You wait for me at that coffee stall.
• Or just Tunggu saya di gerai kopi itu. – Wait for me at that coffee stall.

So the presence of Saya as subject makes it a statement about what I am doing, not a command.