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Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising.

Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising.
The first requirement of this job is that you must be able to focus in a noisy situation.
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Questions & Answers about Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising.

Why does the sentence use ialah here, and could we use adalah or leave it out?

In this sentence, ialah is a linking word (a copula), similar to is in English:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah ...
    The first requirement of this job is ...

Some points:

  • Traditional grammar says:

    • ialah is used before a noun phrase.
      • Dia ialah guru. – He/She is a teacher.
    • adalah is used before adjectives or verbal nouns.
      • Dia adalah seorang yang rajin. – He/She is a diligent person.

  • In modern usage, Malaysians often use adalah and ialah more flexibly, and in speech they are often dropped entirely.

In your sentence:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising.

You have several possibilities:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising. ✔ (formal, standard)
  • Syarat pertama kerja ini adalah anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising. ✔ (also heard, especially in Malaysia)
  • Syarat pertama kerja ini, anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising. ✔ (more spoken, comma pause)
  • Syarat pertama kerja ini: anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising. ✔ (very natural in writing, lists, ads)

So: yes, adalah is possible in practice, and in speech ialah/adalah are often omitted.

What exactly does syarat mean, and how is it different from peraturan, kriteria, or keperluan?

Syarat means condition / requirement, usually something that must be fulfilled in order to get or do something.

  • syarat kerja – job requirements / conditions for the job
  • syarat permohonan – application requirements

Commonly confused words:

  • peraturan – rules, regulations

    • Focuses on rules you have to follow, not entry requirements.
    • peraturan tempat kerja – workplace rules.

  • kriteria – criteria

    • More like evaluation criteria, selection criteria.
    • kriteria pemilihan calon – candidate selection criteria.

  • keperluan – needs / requirements (in a more general sense)

    • keperluan hidup – life necessities
    • keperluan kerja – what the job requires (equipment, skills, etc.)

In this sentence, we’re talking about what you must have/be able to do to qualify for the job, so syarat is the most natural word.

Why is it syarat pertama kerja ini and not syarat pertama untuk kerja ini? Is something being left out?

Both are possible, but they differ in style:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ...
    Literally: The first requirement of this job.
    Here, kerja ini functions almost like a noun phrase modifying syarat pertama (like job requirement).

  • Syarat pertama untuk kerja ini ...
    Literally: The first requirement for this job.
    The preposition untuk explicitly shows the relationship: requirement for the job.

Malay often allows a bare noun–noun relationship without a preposition, especially in concise or slightly formal language:

  • syarat permohonan – application requirements
  • jadual kerja – work schedule

So syarat pertama kerja ini is natural and slightly tighter/shorter.
Syarat pertama untuk kerja ini is also correct and maybe a bit clearer for learners.

Why is anda used here? How is it different from awak, kamu, or saudara?

All of these can be translated as you, but they differ in formality and region.

  • anda

    • Neutral, polite, somewhat formal or impersonal.
    • Common in advertisements, written notices, public announcements, and polite general statements.
    • Fits well in a sentence about job requirements.

  • awak

    • Familiar, informal.
    • In many areas (especially in peninsular Malaysia), often used with friends, peers, sometimes between couples.
    • Awak in a job ad or formal requirement sentence would sound too casual.

  • kamu

    • In Indonesia, kamu is everyday you (informal).
    • In Malaysia, kamu can sound slightly distant or teacher-to-student depending on context.
    • Not usually used in formal job requirement statements.

  • saudara / saudari

    • Very formal, often in speeches, letters, or official settings, especially addressing one person in the audience.
    • Saudara mesti boleh fokus... would sound like a formal speech or official address.

So anda is chosen because it is the standard polite neutral “you” in written/job-related contexts.

Why do we need both mesti and boleh? Can we just say mesti fokus or boleh fokus?
  • mesti = must / have to (obligation, necessity)
  • boleh = can / be able to (ability, possibility)

Together:

  • mesti boleh fokus ≈ must be able to focus

If you change or drop one:

  1. mesti fokus

    • Means must focus (you are required to focus), more about what you must do, not about your ability.
    • Example: Semasa mesyuarat, anda mesti fokus. – During the meeting, you must focus.

  2. boleh fokus

    • Means simply can focus / able to focus, without saying it’s required.
    • Example: Di rumah, saya lebih boleh fokus. – At home, I can focus better.

In the context of a job requirement, the company is saying:

You are required to have the ability to focus in noisy conditions.

So mesti boleh together expresses required ability, which matches the English must be able to.

Is fokus a verb or a noun here, and are there more “native” Malay alternatives?

In modern Malay, fokus can act as both:

  • Verb: Saya perlu fokus. – I need to focus.
  • Noun: Fokus utama projek ini... – The main focus of this project...

In your sentence:

  • anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising
    fokus functions as a verb: you must be able to focus.

More “native” or traditional Malay expressions with a similar meaning:

  • menumpukan perhatian – to concentrate, to focus (literally “concentrate attention”)
    • anda mesti boleh menumpukan perhatian dalam keadaan bising
  • memberi tumpuan – give focus/attention
  • tumpu (informal shortening of tumpukan / menumpukan)

fokus is very common and fully accepted, especially in modern and business contexts, so the sentence sounds natural and contemporary.

What does dalam keadaan bising literally mean, and are there other common ways to say this?

Literally:

  • dalam – in / inside
  • keadaan – condition, state
  • bising – noisy

So dalam keadaan bising literally = in a noisy condition/state → in noisy conditions.

Very common alternative phrasings:

  • dalam suasana bising – in a noisy atmosphere/environment
  • ketika suasana bising – when the environment is noisy
  • walaupun bising – even though it’s noisy

Nuance:

  • keadaan is more neutral: “state/condition” (can be physical, mental, situational).
  • suasana is more like “atmosphere/ambience”.

All of these are acceptable. dalam keadaan bising is slightly more neutral/formal and fits a job requirement sentence well.

Why is bising placed after keadaan? Can it ever come before?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

  • keadaan bising – noisy condition
  • kerja berat – heavy work
  • orang kaya – rich person

Putting the adjective before the noun is almost never correct in standard Malay.

So bising keadaan would be wrong.

This is a key difference from English:

  • English: noisy condition → adjective + noun
  • Malay: keadaan bising → noun + adjective
What is the difference between kerja and pekerjaan in this type of sentence?

Both relate to work / job, but with slightly different flavors:

  • kerja

    • Very common, everyday word for work / job.
    • Can mean:
      • The act of working: Saya ada banyak kerja. – I have a lot of work.
      • A job/position: Saya dapat kerja baru. – I got a new job.

  • pekerjaan

    • More formal, often used in official contexts, documents, or when talking about occupation.
    • pekerjaan tetap – permanent job
    • pekerjaan sampingan – side job

In your sentence:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah ... – very natural, slightly less formal.
  • Syarat pertama pekerjaan ini ialah ... – more formal, could appear in official documents or formal job descriptions.

Both are grammatically correct; kerja ini sounds more like what you’d hear in everyday speech and many job ads.

In English we say “The first requirement of this job is that you must be able to focus...”. Why is there no “that” in Malay?

Malay often does not need a word equivalent to English “that” to link clauses.

English:

  • The first requirement is that you must be able to focus...

Malay:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah anda mesti boleh fokus...

There is no direct that here. The structure is:

  • [Noun phrase] ialah [full clause]

You could insert something like bahawa:

  • Syarat pertama kerja ini ialah bahawa anda mesti boleh fokus...

But:

  • bahawa is quite formal and is not needed here.
  • Native speakers would normally omit it in this sentence.

So, Malay simply places the clause anda mesti boleh fokus dalam keadaan bising directly after ialah, without a linking “that”.