Learn Hardcore Malay: Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin. - That movie is about an old love; they live in two different cities but still want to get married.

Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.

That movie is about an old love; they live in two different cities but still want to get married.

Breakdown of Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.

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Questions & Answers about Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.

Why is itu placed after filem instead of before it, like in English "that film"?

In Malay, demonstratives like itu (that/the) and ini (this) usually come after the noun:

filem itu = that film / the film
rumah itu = that house / the house
budak ini = this child

So filem itu is literally “film that”, but it is translated as “that film” or “the film” in English.

Here, itu makes filem specific, much like “the” or “that” in English. Without it:

filem itu = that film / the film
filem = a film / films (non‑specific, depending on context)

You could drop itu and just say Filem tentang cinta lama…, but then it sounds more like “A film about an old love…”, not one specific film already known to speaker and listener.

What exactly does tentang mean, and could I replace it with another word?

Tentang means “about / regarding / on the topic of”. It links the subject (filem itu) to what it is about (cinta lama):

Filem itu tentang cinta lama = That film is about an old love.

Common alternatives:

mengenai – also “about / regarding”
- Filem itu mengenai cinta lama.
berkaitan dengan – “related to / having to do with”
- Filem itu berkaitan dengan cinta lama.

In this sentence, tentang and mengenai are almost interchangeable. Tentang feels slightly more colloquial and very common in speech; mengenai can sound a bit more formal, especially in writing.

Does cinta lama literally mean “old love”? Is it idiomatic, like “an ex” or “first love”?

Literally, cinta = love, lama = old / long‑standing / from a long time ago.

So cinta lama means a love from long ago, and it often has a romantic, slightly nostalgic feel. Depending on context, it can imply things like:

an old flame / former lover
a past relationship
a long‑standing love that began long ago

It does not automatically mean “ex‑boyfriend/ex‑girlfriend” (which would usually be bekas kekasih, bekas teman lelaki, bekas teman wanita, etc.), but in a story/film context, cinta lama very often refers to a past romantic relationship that still matters emotionally.

Could I say cinta yang lama instead of cinta lama? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say cinta yang lama, but it sounds a bit more literal and is less idiomatic in this context.

cinta lama – smooth, standard way to say “old love / love from long ago”.
cinta yang lama – more like “the love that is old”; grammatically fine, but slightly heavier/marked, and usually only used if you want to stress “that particular love which is old (not new)”.

For natural, fluent Malay describing the theme of a film, cinta lama is the best choice.

Why is there a semicolon ; in Malay here? Would a comma or a full stop also be correct?

The semicolon in:

Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.

is used much like in English: to connect two closely related independent clauses.

All of these are grammatically possible:

Filem itu tentang cinta lama. Mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.
– Two separate sentences (very common, and probably the most natural in everyday writing).
Filem itu tentang cinta lama, mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.
– This comma splice appears in informal writing, but is not ideal in careful/standard prose.
Filem itu tentang cinta lama; mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.
– Correct in formal writing; stylistic choice to show tight connection between the ideas.

So yes, a full stop instead of the semicolon is perfectly acceptable and common.

Who does mereka refer to? Is it like “they” in English, and is there any gender?

Mereka means “they / them” and is:

third‑person plural,
gender‑neutral,
used for people (not things).

Malay pronouns do not mark gender, so mereka could be:

they (two lovers: a man and a woman)
they (two women)
they (two men)
they (a group)

Context tells you who mereka are. In this sentence, it refers to the couple in the film.

Spoken/informal Malay very often uses other forms, e.g.:

mereka (more formal/standard)
dia orang / diorang / dorang (colloquial “they/them”)

But in a textbook‑style sentence like this, mereka is the correct standard form.

What does tinggal mean here? Is it “to stay” or “to live (reside)”?

In this context, tinggal means “to live / to reside”:

mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza = they live in two different cities.

Other common meanings of tinggal:

to live/reside somewhere
- Saya tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. = I live in Kuala Lumpur.
to stay/remain
- Tinggal di sini sekejap. = Stay here for a while.

Malay also has duduk, which literally means “to sit” but in some varieties (especially in Malaysia) can also mean “to live (somewhere)” in everyday speech:

Saya duduk di Penang. (spoken) = I live in Penang.

In careful/neutral usage describing residence, tinggal di… is the clearest.

How does di dua bandar berbeza work? Why is the adjective berbeza at the end?

Malay adjective order is typically:

noun + adjective

So:

bandar berbeza = different cities
(bandar = city, berbeza = different)

The full phrase:

tinggal di dua bandar berbeza
literally: live in two cities different

is equivalent to English “live in two different cities”.

Some points:

di = in/at, the usual locative preposition.
dua = two.
bandar stays in singular form; Malay usually does not change the noun shape for plural. Dua and context tell you it is plural.
berbeza is an adjective meaning different/distinct.

You might also see dua bandar yang berbeza (“two cities that are different”), which is a bit more explicit but not necessary here. Dua bandar berbeza is natural and concise.

What exactly does tetap mean, and how is it different from masih (“still”)?

Both tetap and masih can be related to the English idea of “still,” but they are not the same:

masih = still (continue to be/do something; situation not yet changed)
- Mereka masih tinggal di bandar itu. = They still live in that city.
tetap = still / nevertheless / regardless / firmly / persistently
It emphasises stubborn continuity despite obstacles or expectations.

In the sentence:

…tetapi tetap mahu berkahwin.
= “…but (they) still want to get married anyway / nevertheless want to get married.”

Here tetap carries the nuance: even though they live in two different cities, that does not change their desire; they remain firm in wanting to marry.

You could (less strongly) say:

…tetapi masih mahu berkahwin.

That would mean they still want to get married (the desire has not disappeared), but it’s slightly less emphatic about overcoming obstacles than tetap.

Why is it mahu berkahwin and not mahu untuk berkahwin?

In Malay, when mahu (want) is followed by a verb, you normally do not insert untuk (“to/for”) between them:

mahu makan = want to eat
mahu tidur = want to sleep
mahu berkahwin = want to get married

So:

mereka tetap mahu berkahwin = they still want to get married.

Adding untuk:

mereka mahu untuk berkahwin

is possible in some contexts, but it often sounds:

more formal, or
slightly awkward/unnecessary in everyday language.

The natural pattern with mahu + verb is without untuk.

What is the nuance between mahu, ingin, and nak for “want to”?

All three can express “want (to)”, but they differ in tone and formality:

mahu
- neutral and common
- used in both spoken and written Malay
- in some areas may sound slightly more formal than nak, but still very natural in conversation
ingin
- feels more formal, polite or literary
- used in writing, official speech, or when you want to sound refined
- Saya ingin berkahwin. = I would like to get married.
nak (from hendak)
- very common in informal spoken Malay
- usually avoided in formal writing
- Mereka nak kahwin. (spoken) = They want to get married.

In this sentence, mahu berkahwin is a good, standard choice that fits most contexts.

Why is it berkahwin and not just kahwin? What does the prefix ber‑ do here?

The base form kahwin means “to marry / to get married”, and berkahwin is its standard intransitive form: “to be married / to get married (state/event),” often used when no object is mentioned.

mereka mahu berkahwin = they want to get married (to each other).

Some key points:

ber‑ is a common verb prefix that often:
- turns a root into an intransitive verb, or
- gives the sense of having/being in a state/doing something.
In many everyday contexts, kahwin and berkahwin can be used almost interchangeably, especially in speech:
- Mereka mahu kahwin. (more casual)
- Mereka mahu berkahwin. (standard/neutral)
To explicitly mention the person being married, Malay often uses other structures, e.g.:
- Dia berkahwin dengan Ana. = He/She is married to Ana / got married to Ana.
- Dia mengahwini Ana. = He married Ana. (more formal; mengahwini is transitive)

In this sentence, there is no explicit object; it’s just “want to get married (to each other)”, so berkahwin is natural and standard.

How is tense expressed here? The English translation might look past or present—how do we know in Malay?

Malay verbs generally do not change form for tense. Tinggal, mahu, berkahwin all stay the same whether the action is past, present, or future. Tense and aspect are shown by:

time expressions: semalam (yesterday), akan datang (in the future)
aspect markers: sudah / telah (already), sedang (in the process of), akan (will)

For example:

Mereka tinggal di dua bandar berbeza.
– They live / lived in two different cities. (tense comes from context)
Mereka sudah tinggal di dua bandar berbeza.
– They have already lived in two different cities.
Mereka akan tinggal di dua bandar berbeza.
– They will live in two different cities.

In your sentence, without extra markers, it is time‑neutral. In a film summary, it’s usually understood as describing the situation in the story, often rendered in English as simple present or past, depending on style:

“The film is about an old love; they live in two different cities but still want to get married.”
or: “The film was about an old love; they lived in two different cities but still wanted to get married.”

Malay itself doesn’t force you to choose; context and translation decide.