Learn Hardcore Malay: Pada akhir hari, saya rasa sangat letih. - At the end of the day, I feel very tired.

Pada akhir hari ≈ At the end of the day.
You can often drop pada in casual speech and just say akhir hari, but pada sounds more complete and natural in standard Malay.

So:

Formal / standard: Pada akhir hari, saya rasa sangat letih.
More casual: Akhir hari, saya rasa sangat letih. (still understandable)

Is there any difference between pada akhir hari and di akhir hari?

Both are used and both are understood as at the end of the day.

Pada akhir hari – more typical with time expressions; quite standard.
Di akhir hari – also possible; di is more often for physical locations, but in practice people use di with abstract “locations” too.

In everyday usage, the difference is small; pada akhir hari is a bit more textbook‑like.

Can I move the time phrase to the end: Saya rasa sangat letih pada akhir hari?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

Pada akhir hari, saya rasa sangat letih.
Saya rasa sangat letih pada akhir hari.

Malay allows time expressions at the beginning or end of the sentence.
Putting pada akhir hari at the beginning slightly emphasizes when more; at the end, it feels more neutral.

Why is rasa used here for feel? What about berasa, merasa, or terasa?

In this sentence, rasa = to feel (emotion/physical state):

Saya rasa sangat letih. = I feel very tired.

Common related forms:

rasa – very common in speech; can mean feel (emotion/state) or taste (flavour).
berasa – slightly more formal; same meaning as feel.
- Saya berasa sangat letih. (more formal / written style)
merasa – usually to taste or to experience:
- Saya merasa makanan itu. = I taste that food.
- Saya merasa kesusahan hidup. = I experience the hardship of life.
terasa – suddenly feel / happen to feel; sometimes also to feel hurt (emotionally).
- Saya terasa letih. = I (suddenly/noticeably) feel tired.

In everyday speech, rasa for feel is perfectly natural.

Does rasa here mean the same as rasa in food, like rasa sedap?

It’s the same base word rasa, but with two related meanings:

taste / flavour
- Rasa makanan ini sedap. = The taste of this food is delicious.
feeling / to feel
- Saya rasa sangat letih. = I feel very tired.

So context decides whether it’s about tasting something or feeling something.

Why is there no word like am (as in “I am very tired”) in Malay?

Malay doesn’t need a separate verb like am / is / are before adjectives.
Adjectives can function directly as predicates:

Saya letih. = I am tired.
Dia lapar. = He/She is hungry.
Mereka gembira. = They are happy.

If you want to emphasize the state as a verb phrase, you can use berasa or rasa:

Saya rasa sangat letih. = I feel very tired.

But grammatically, Saya letih. is already a complete sentence.

Is sangat always placed before the adjective? Can I say Saya letih sangat?

The neutral, standard order is:

sangat
- adjective:
  - Saya sangat letih. = I am very tired.

You can say Saya letih sangat, but:

letih sangat sounds more informal/colloquial and can feel more emotional or emphatic, like I’m really tired or so tired.

So:

Standard: sangat letih
Colloquial/emphatic: letih sangat

What is the difference between letih, penat, and lelah?

All three relate to being tired, but with slight nuances and usage patterns:

letih – tired / fatigued; quite common and neutral.
penat – very common in everyday speech; also tired, often after physical effort.
- Saya penat lepas kerja. = I’m tired after work.
lelah – used in Malay, but more associated with Indonesian or literary/poetic Malay; sounds a bit more formal or expressive.

In daily Malaysian conversation, penat is probably the most frequent, followed by letih.
In your sentence, sangat letih is natural and correct.

Is saya formal? Could I say aku instead?

Yes, saya is the neutral and polite I / me in Malay. It’s suitable almost everywhere: work, school, talking to strangers, etc.

aku is more informal and intimate:

Used with close friends, siblings, or in some dialects more widely.
Can sound rude or too casual if used with someone you don’t know well, or someone older / higher status, unless it’s a very informal context.

So:

Safe and polite: Pada akhir hari, saya rasa sangat letih.
Informal with close friends: Pada akhir hari, aku rasa sangat letih.

Why is there no word for the in akhir hari?

Malay generally does not use articles like the or a/an. Context tells you whether it means a day or the day.

akhir hari can be understood as the end of the day from context.
If you really need to specify, you might add more detail:
- akhir hari itu = the end of that day
- akhir hari kerja = the end of the workday

But in a general statement like this, akhir hari is enough.

Could I just say Pada akhir hari, saya sangat letih without rasa?

Yes, and it is perfectly correct:

Pada akhir hari, saya sangat letih. = At the end of the day, I am very tired.

Here letih functions directly as the predicate (like am tired).
Adding rasa shifts the focus slightly to the subjective feeling:

Saya sangat letih. – I am very tired (a simple statement of state).
Saya rasa sangat letih. – I feel very tired (puts emphasis on your perception/experience of that state).

Both are natural.

How would I say really/so tired instead of just very tired?

You have several options, with slightly different tones:

sangat letih – very tired (neutral, standard).
amat letih – very tired (a bit more formal/literary).
terlalu letih – too tired.
begitu letih – so tired / that tired (more expressive).
letih sangat – really/so tired (informal, conversational).

Examples:

Pada akhir hari, saya terlalu letih untuk keluar.
At the end of the day, I’m too tired to go out.
Pada akhir hari, saya letih sangat.
At the end of the day, I’m really/so tired.