Learn Hardcore Malay: Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting supaya lebih tenang. - He/She always prays before an important exam so that he/she is calmer.

If the wider context has already established that the person is male or female, you interpret dia accordingly. If not, you can translate it more neutrally as they (singular) in English, or just pick he/she depending on the situation.

Where can selalu go in the sentence? Can I say Dia berdoa selalu sebelum peperiksaan penting?

Selalu means always and is an adverb of frequency. Its most natural position is before the verb:

Dia selalu berdoa... (He/She always prays…) ✅ (most natural)

Other positions:

Dia berdoa selalu sebelum peperiksaan penting.
This is understandable, but sounds a bit less natural in standard Malay. It can sound like you're emphasizing the praying rather than the habit.
Selalu, dia berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.
This is also acceptable, but feels a bit more formal or written, like in narratives or essays.

General rule of thumb:

Put selalu immediately before the main verb for the most natural everyday Malay:
Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.

What is the difference between berdoa and doa? What does the prefix ber- do here?

Doa (noun) = a prayer
Berdoa (verb) = to pray

The prefix ber- often turns a noun into a verb meaning “to do / to have / to use that noun.” Here:

doa (prayer) → berdoa (to pray, to say a prayer)

Other common examples:

baju (shirt) → berbaju (to be wearing a shirt)
lari (run, already a verb) → berlari (to run; adds a more “in-progress / continuous” feel in some contexts)

In this sentence:

Dia selalu berdoa… = He/She always prays…
Not “He/She always prayer…” because berdoa is the verb form.

Can sebelum be used only before nouns like peperiksaan, or can it also be used before verbs/clauses?

Sebelum means before and can be used:

Before a noun phrase (like in your sentence):
- sebelum peperiksaan penting = before the important exam(s)
Before a verb phrase / clause:
- sebelum tidur = before sleeping
- sebelum saya pergi = before I go
- sebelum dia menjawab soalan = before he/she answers the question

So you can say, for example:

Dia selalu berdoa sebelum tidur.
He/She always prays before sleeping.
Dia selalu berdoa sebelum dia masuk dewan peperiksaan.
He/She always prays before he/she enters the exam hall.

It’s quite flexible: sebelum + noun or sebelum + clause are both common and natural.

Why is it peperiksaan penting and not penting peperiksaan? Where do adjectives go in Malay?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun.

peperiksaan = exam
penting = important

So:

peperiksaan penting = an important exam / important exams ✅
penting peperiksaan ❌ (incorrect in standard Malay)

More examples:

buku baru = new book
kereta besar = big car
orang tua = old person

If you want to say “the important exam” very specifically, you might add yang for emphasis or clarity in certain contexts:

peperiksaan yang penting = the exam that is important / the important exam

But in many cases, peperiksaan penting alone is perfectly natural and clear.

What’s the difference between peperiksaan, periksa, and exam? Which one should I use?

All are related to tests/exams, but they differ in formality and usage.

Peperiksaan
- More formal, standard word for exam.
- Common in schools, official documents, news, etc.
- Example: peperiksaan akhir tahun (end-of-year exam)
Periksa
- This can be:
  - A verb: memeriksa = to check/inspect
  - In spoken Malay, periksa is often used as a shorter, casual form for exam.
- Example (spoken): Esok saya ada periksa. = I have an exam tomorrow.
Exam (loanword from English)
- Common in informal speech, especially among younger speakers.
- Often mixed into Malay sentences:
  - Esok ada exam. = There’s an exam tomorrow.

In your sentence, peperiksaan is the most appropriate choice because the sentence feels neutral/standard:

Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting... ✅ (natural, standard)

What does supaya do in this sentence? How is it different from untuk or kerana?

Supaya means roughly so that / in order that, and it introduces a result or purpose clause that usually has its own (often implied) subject.

In your sentence:

supaya lebih tenang = so that (he/she is) more calm

Comparison:

supaya = so that / in order that
- Focuses on the desired result (often mental/physical state, situation, outcome).
- Example: Dia belajar kuat supaya lulus peperiksaan.
  He studies hard so that he passes the exam.
untuk = for / in order to
- Usually followed by a verb (to do something) or a noun.
- Example: Dia belajar untuk lulus peperiksaan.
  He studies to pass the exam.
kerana = because
- Gives the reason, not the desired result.
- Example: Dia berdoa kerana dia takut.
  He prays because he is afraid.

In your sentence, supaya is natural because praying is done with a desired outcome in mind: being calmer.

In supaya lebih tenang, where is the subject? Why don’t we repeat dia?

The full idea in English is:

Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting supaya dia lebih tenang.
He/She always prays before important exams so that he/she is calmer.

In Malay, if the subject in the second clause is the same as the first clause, it is often dropped because it’s understood from context.

So:

supaya dia lebih tenang → shortened to → supaya lebih tenang

This is very typical and natural. Native speakers infer that lebih tenang (more calm) refers to dia from the first part of the sentence.

What does lebih add to tenang? Could I just say supaya tenang? Would that change the meaning?

tenang = calm
lebih tenang = more calm / calmer

Lebih is used for comparatives (more + adjective):

lebih besar = bigger / more big
lebih cepat = faster / more fast
lebih tenang = calmer / more calm

In your sentence:

supaya tenang = so that (he/she is) calm
→ Just calm, no sense of “more than before”.
supaya lebih tenang = so that (he/she is) more calm / calmer
→ Suggests a change from a less calm state to a calmer state (e.g., from nervous to calmer).

Both are grammatically correct; lebih tenang emphasizes improvement in calmness, which fits well with praying before an exam.

What tense is this sentence in? How do we know it’s a habitual action like “He/She always prays”?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense, so berdoa by itself doesn’t show past/present/future.

We infer the time/aspect from:

Context
Time words/adverbs in the sentence

Here, selalu (= always) indicates habitual/repeated action. So:

Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting...
= He/She always prays before important exams.
(habit, routine)

Without selalu, the sentence could be interpreted more flexibly, depending on added time expressions:

Dia berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting tadi.
He/She prayed before the important exam just now. (past)
Dia akan berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.
He/She will pray before the important exam. (future, using akan)

In your original sentence, selalu clearly suggests an ongoing habit.

Can I change the word order, like Sebelum peperiksaan penting, dia selalu berdoa? Is that still correct?

Yes, you can change the word order slightly for emphasis or flow.

Original:

Dia selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting supaya lebih tenang. ✅

Fronting the time phrase:

Sebelum peperiksaan penting, dia selalu berdoa supaya lebih tenang. ✅
This is also correct and natural. It puts a bit more emphasis on “Before important exams” as the setting.

Another common variation:

Dia selalu berdoa supaya lebih tenang sebelum peperiksaan penting. ✅
Here, the purpose (supaya lebih tenang) comes directly after berdoa, and the time phrase is at the end. Still natural and understandable.

But some orders sound odd or wrong:

Dia berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting selalu supaya lebih tenang. ❌
Selalu is in an unnatural position here.

General guideline:

Keep selalu close to the verb: Dia selalu berdoa...
You can move time expressions (sebelum peperiksaan penting) to the front or end for style/emphasis.

How would I say “He never prays” or “He doesn’t always pray” using this sentence as a base?

To negate in Malay, you usually use tidak (or tak, more informal) before verbs and adjectives.

He never prays before important exams.

Use tidak pernah = never:

Dia tidak pernah berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.
He/She never prays before important exams.

He doesn’t always pray before important exams.

You can negate selalu:

Dia tidak selalu berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.
He/She doesn’t always pray before important exams.
(Sometimes yes, sometimes no.)

He rarely prays before important exams.

For extra nuance, you can use jarang (rarely):

Dia jarang berdoa sebelum peperiksaan penting.

These patterns all build directly on the structure of your original sentence.