Learn Hardcore Malay: Gerai kopi itu terletak dekat dengan stesen kereta api. - That coffee stall is located near the train station.

Gerai means a small stall, booth, or stand, often semi‑permanent or in a food court / hawker area. It suggests something simpler than a full shop.

Gerai: stall/booth (e.g. gerai kopi, gerai makan).
Kedai: shop/store in general; kedai kopi is often a local coffee shop or small eatery.
Kafe: café (a more modern or Western‑style establishment, often written kafe or café).

So gerai kopi is closer to a “coffee stall” than to a sit‑down Western café.

Why is it gerai kopi and not kopi gerai, when English says coffee stall?

Malay normally puts the main noun first, then the word that describes or specifies it.

gerai = stall (head noun)
kopi = coffee (what kind of stall?)

So gerai kopi literally feels like stall (for) coffee.

This pattern is very common:

stesen kereta api – train station (literally: station (for) train)
kedai buku – bookshop (shop (for) books)
bot laju – speedboat (boat (that is) fast)

Putting kopi gerai would be ungrammatical in Malay.

What exactly does itu do here? Does it mean that or the?

Itu is a demonstrative that usually means that, but it is also used like the when both speaker and listener know which thing is being referred to.

Gerai kopi itu: the / that coffee stall (a specific one, assumed to be known).

Compare:

Gerai kopi itu terletak dekat… – The/that coffee stall is located near…
Ada gerai kopi dekat… – There is a coffee stall near… (not specific).

If you used ini instead (gerai kopi ini), it would mean this coffee stall, usually something physically close to you.

What does terletak mean, and when would I use it instead of ada?

Terletak means is located or is situated. It’s more formal and specifically about position on a map or in space.

Gerai kopi itu terletak dekat… – The coffee stall is located near…

Ada means there is / there are or to have. For location, ada focuses on existence rather than formal “sited-ness”:

Gerai kopi itu ada dekat stesen kereta api.
The coffee stall is (there) near the train station.
(colloquial, more about it being present)

You often use terletak in descriptions, signs, brochures, and writing about where buildings, towns, or places are situated. Ada is more everyday and general.

Why do we say dekat dengan? Can I just say dekat stesen kereta api?

In the standard pattern, dekat is followed by dengan when linking to a noun:

dekat dengan stesen kereta api – near (to) the train station

So dekat dengan works like near to in English.

In informal speech, people very often drop dengan:

Gerai kopi itu dekat stesen kereta api.

This is widely used in conversation and is understood, but dekat dengan is the more careful/standard form, especially in writing.

Is dekat an adjective or a preposition in this sentence?

Grammatically, dekat originates as an adjective meaning near / close, but it behaves like a preposition when followed by a noun (especially with dengan).

In this sentence:

terletak – verb (is located)
dekat dengan stesen kereta api – a phrase describing where

You can think of dekat here as functioning like near in English, which can also act both like an adjective (the house is near) and a preposition (near the station).

Can the word order of the sentence be changed?

Yes, Malay word order is somewhat flexible, but the given order is the most natural:

Gerai kopi itu terletak dekat dengan stesen kereta api.
Subject – Verb – Place phrase.

You might see more literary/marked orders like:

Dekat dengan stesen kereta api terletak gerai kopi itu.
(Near the train station is located that coffee stall.)

That sounds formal or poetic. For everyday usage, keep the original order.

What does kereta api literally mean, and why does it mean train?

Literally:

kereta – vehicle, carriage (in modern Malay: mostly “car”)
api – fire

Historically, kereta api referred to steam trains (fire‑powered engines). The phrase has stuck and is now the standard word for train in Malay.

So stesen kereta api is literally station (for) trains.

Can I say stesen tren instead of stesen kereta api?

Tren is a modern loanword meaning train. In practice:

stesen kereta api – traditional/standard term for a train station.
stesen tren – also heard, especially in more modern/urban contexts and in signage referring to specific rail services (LRT, MRT, KTM Komuter, etc.).

Both are generally understandable. If you want to be safe and standard for general use, stesen kereta api is a good default.

How would this sentence sound in casual spoken Malay?

A typical casual version might be:

Gerai kopi tu dekat dengan stesen kereta api.

Common informal features:

itu → tu (clipped, very common in speech).
Often terletak is dropped and replaced with a simple dekat.
You might also hear dekat without dengan:
Gerai kopi tu dekat stesen kereta api.

All of these are natural in everyday conversation.

How do I say There is a coffee stall near the train station, instead of The coffee stall is located near the train station?

To express existence (there is...), you can use ada or terdapat:

Ada gerai kopi dekat dengan stesen kereta api.
There is a coffee stall near the train station.

Optionally, you can add a classifier sebuah:

Ada sebuah gerai kopi dekat dengan stesen kereta api.
There is a coffee stall near the train station.
(emphasises “one” stall, a bit more explicit.)

Terdapat is a bit more formal:

Terdapat sebuah gerai kopi dekat dengan stesen kereta api.

All of these focus on existence rather than on the specific known stall.