Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya rasa orang sekarang banyak bercakap tentang sayang dan mencintai sesiapa yang mereka mahu. - I feel people nowadays often talk about loving whoever they want.

rasa literally = to feel (physically or emotionally), to sense
saya rasa is very commonly used in everyday speech to mean:
- I think… / I have the impression that…
- I feel (emotionally) that…

saya fikir is more “cognitive” and a bit more formal or neutral:

saya fikir = I think / I reason that… (more about logical thinking)
saya rasa = I feel / I get the sense that… (can sound more subjective or intuitive)

In conversation, saya rasa is more common at the start of opinions (like English “I think…” in casual speech), even when it’s not about emotions.

Why does orang sekarang mean “people nowadays”? Why use orang (person) + sekarang (now)?

Malay often uses orang (person/people) in a general sense:

orang can be singular (person) or plural (people), depending on context.
sekarang = now / nowadays / these days.

So orang sekarang literally is “people now” → understood as people nowadays / people these days.

You could also say:

orang-orang sekarang – explicitly plural, but feels a bit heavier or more emphatic, sometimes slightly negative or critical in tone.
manusia sekarang – also “people nowadays”, but can sound a bit stronger or more judgmental.

In neutral speech, orang sekarang is very natural and common.

How does banyak bercakap work grammatically? Is it “many talk” or “talk a lot”?

banyak bercakap here means talk a lot / talk a great deal.

banyak = many / much / a lot (can modify nouns or verbs)
bercakap = to talk / to speak

When banyak comes before a verb, it often has an adverbial meaning:

Dia banyak membaca. = He/She reads a lot.
Mereka banyak merungut. = They complain a lot.

So orang sekarang banyak bercakap = people nowadays talk a lot (not “many people talk” – that would more likely be ramai orang bercakap).

Word order change:

banyak bercakap (common) → emphasizes the amount of talking.
bercakap banyak also exists, but can sound more like “talks too much / is talkative (sometimes with a negative shade)” depending on context.

What is the role of tentang in bercakap tentang sayang dan mencintai…? Can I replace it with other words?

tentang is a preposition meaning about / regarding / concerning.

bercakap tentang X = to talk about X

Yes, you can often replace it with other near‑synonyms, with small nuance differences:

mengenai – about, regarding (a bit more formal)
perihal – about, concerning (formal/literary)
pasal – about (very informal/colloquial)

So:

banyak bercakap tentang sayang dan mencintai… (neutral)
banyak bercakap mengenai sayang dan mencintai… (slightly more formal)
banyak cakap pasal sayang dan cinta… (informal, spoken)

Why is sayang put together with mencintai after tentang? One looks like a noun/adjective and the other is a verb.

You are right about the word types:

sayang can be:
- noun: affection, love
- adjective: dear, beloved
- verb: to love / to cherish (esp. in some contexts)
mencintai = to love (verb, from cinta)

In bercakap tentang sayang dan mencintai…, the idea is:

talk a lot about love (as a concept/feeling) and about loving (the act of loving) whoever they want.

So it is pairing:

sayang = the feeling / concept of affection or love,
mencintai = the action of loving.

Grammatically, Malay is quite flexible about mixing a noun-like word and a verb in a list after a preposition, as long as the meaning is clear. Another clearer but slightly different phrasing could be:

…banyak bercakap tentang kasih sayang dan cinta…
…banyak bercakap tentang perasaan sayang dan perbuatan mencintai… (more explicit, but heavier)

What is the difference between sayang, cinta, mencintai, and menyayangi?

Roughly:

sayang
- noun: affection, tender love
- verb: to love, to care for (often family, close friends, pets)
- can sound warm and caring.
- also used as a term of endearment: Sayang, sini kejap. (Darling, come here a moment.)
cinta
- noun: (deep, usually romantic) love
- often used in the context of romantic relationships or high, idealized love.
- cinta pertama = first love
mencintai (verb from cinta)
- to love (deeply), often romantic or very intense.
- Dia mencintai isterinya. = He loves his wife.
menyayangi (verb from sayang)
- to love, to cherish, to care about
- often used for family, friends, pets, or gentle, protective love.
- Ibu sangat menyayangi anak-anaknya. = The mother really loves her children.

In your sentence, sayang + mencintai covers a broad range of love: affection in general and the act of loving (often strongly, maybe romantically).

What does sesiapa mean, and how is it different from siapa or siapa saja / sesiapa saja?

siapa = who
- Siapa dia? = Who is he/she?
sesiapa = anyone / whoever (indefinite, no specific person)
- Sesiapa boleh datang. = Anyone can come.
siapa saja / siapa sahaja / sesiapa saja / sesiapa sahaja
- all mean roughly whoever / absolutely anyone (adds emphasis “any at all”).
- Mereka boleh pilih siapa saja yang mereka mahu. = They can choose whoever they want.

In your sentence, mencintai sesiapa yang mereka mahu means to love anyone they want. Adding sahaja/saja would strengthen the “anyone at all” nuance:

mencintai sesiapa sahaja yang mereka mahu = to love absolutely anyone they want (slightly more emphatic).

How does sesiapa yang mereka mahu work grammatically? What does yang do here?

sesiapa yang mereka mahu is a noun phrase with a relative clause:

sesiapa = anyone
yang = relative pronoun, like who / that / whom in English
mereka mahu = they want

Structure:

sesiapa [yang mereka mahu]
= anyone [that they want]

So yang introduces a clause (mereka mahu) that describes/limits sesiapa.

Compare:

sesiapa = anyone (very general)
sesiapa yang mereka mahu = anyone that they want (more specific group: the “anyone” is restricted by their choice)

Why is mereka used instead of dia in sesiapa yang mereka mahu?

Because the earlier subject is orang sekarang = people nowadays (plural idea). So:

orang sekarang → understood as they (people nowadays)
therefore, we refer back with mereka = they.

If the subject were singular, you would usually use dia:

Seorang lelaki moden berfikir dia boleh mencintai sesiapa yang dia mahu.
= A modern man thinks he can love anyone he wants.

In many casual spoken contexts, you might also hear:

diorang / depa / dorang (regional colloquial forms of “they”), but mereka is the standard written form.

Could the sentence be mencintai sesiapa sahaja yang mereka mahu? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

…mencintai sesiapa sahaja yang mereka mahu.

This is natural and grammatical. The difference:

sesiapa yang mereka mahu = anyone that they want
sesiapa sahaja yang mereka mahu = absolutely anyone that they want / whoever at all they want

So sahaja (or saja) adds emphasis to the idea of “no restriction, any at all”. The basic meaning is the same; nuance is slightly stronger.

Is it okay to say saya fikir instead of saya rasa at the beginning? Would it sound different?

You can say:

Saya fikir orang sekarang banyak bercakap…

It is grammatical and understandable. The nuance:

saya rasa – very common in speech, sounds a bit softer, more like you’re sharing an impression or feeling.
saya fikir – sounds a bit more deliberate or logical, and slightly more formal or written-like.

In everyday conversation, saya rasa is more natural for casual opinions. In essays or formal writing, pada pendapat saya (in my opinion) or pada saya are also common.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How might it sound in more casual spoken Malay?

The original sentence is fairly neutral and suitable for:

essays,
articles,
thoughtful conversation.

A more casual, colloquial spoken version might be:

Saya rasa orang sekarang banyak cakap pasal sayang dan cinta sesiapa saja yang diorang nak.

Changes:

bercakap → cakap (colloquial)
tentang → pasal (informal “about”)
mencintai → cinta (verb-like use of cinta in speech)
sesiapa → sesiapa saja (or sesiapa je) for emphasis
mereka → diorang (colloquial “they”)
mahu → nak (very common spoken “want”)

Your original version is good as a standard, neutral sentence.