Breakdown of Pemain itu terpaksa berehat kerana kakinya sakit.
Questions & Answers about Pemain itu terpaksa berehat kerana kakinya sakit.
Itu literally means “that”, but in many contexts it works like “the” in English.
- pemain itu ≈ “that player” or “the player” (a specific player the speaker and listener both know about)
- Without itu (pemain terpaksa…), it sounds more like “a player” or “players (in general)”, depending on context.
So here itu is mainly marking that we are talking about a particular, known player.
Terpaksa means “to be forced / to have no choice but to…”. There is a sense of unwillingness or lack of choice.
- terpaksa berehat = “has/had to rest (because there was no choice)”
Compare:
- mesti = must (strong obligation, rules, necessity)
- Dia mesti berehat. = He must rest. (maybe doctor’s order, rule)
- harus / perlu = should / need to
- Dia perlu berehat. = He needs to rest.
Terpaksa suggests the player didn’t really want to rest but was compelled by circumstances (the pain).
Malay usually does not mark tense on the verb. Words like berehat, sakit, makan don’t change form for past, present, or future.
Time is understood from:
- Context (earlier narration is in the past, match report, etc.)
- Optional time adverbs: tadi (just now), semalam (yesterday), akan (will), esok (tomorrow), etc.
So Pemain itu terpaksa berehat… can be translated as:
- “The player has to rest…” (present) or
- “The player had to rest…” (past)
depending on the wider context. English adds tense; Malay often leaves it implicit.
Rehat by itself is mainly a noun: “rest, break”.
Ber- is a verbal prefix that often turns nouns into intransitive verbs (actions you do, without a direct object).
- rehat = rest (noun)
- berehat = to rest / to take a rest (verb)
So:
- Dia ambil rehat. = He takes a rest. (noun)
- Dia berehat. = He rests. / He is resting. (verb)
In this sentence berehat must be a verb: the player rested / had to rest.
You can say Pemain itu mesti berehat, but the nuance is slightly different:
- terpaksa berehat = had no choice but to rest (forced by circumstances, e.g. pain, injury, rules)
- mesti berehat = must rest (strong obligation, recommendation, or rule, but not necessarily the feeling of “no choice”)
In many practical situations (like a coach or doctor talking) they might overlap, but terpaksa emphasizes being compelled, sometimes against one’s wishes.
Kerana is a conjunction meaning “because”.
- Pemain itu terpaksa berehat kerana kakinya sakit.
= The player had to rest because his leg hurt.
Other options:
- sebab = also “because”, very common, slightly more informal
- pasal = colloquial “because” in many dialects, quite informal
You could also say:
- Pemain itu terpaksa berehat sebab kakinya sakit. (informal but very common)
In standard written Malay, kerana (or sebab) is preferred; pasal is more casual speech.
Kakinya is:
- kaki = leg / foot
- -nya = his / her / its (3rd person possessive ending), or sometimes “the” (for definiteness/emphasis)
So kakinya usually means:
- “his leg”, “her leg”, or “the leg” (of someone already known in context).
In this sentence, because we know we are talking about the player, kakinya is naturally understood as “his leg” (if the player is male) or “her leg” if context says it’s a woman.
Yes, you can say kaki dia sakit, and it is very natural.
Differences:
kakinya sakit
- Slightly more compact and often a bit more written / neutral.
- Common in both speech and writing.
kaki dia sakit
- Very common in everyday spoken Malay.
- A bit more clearly segmented: kaki (leg) + dia (he/she).
Meaning-wise, in most everyday contexts there is no real difference: both are understood as “his/her leg hurts”. Style and rhythm are the main distinctions.
The normal order for “X is Y” statements in Malay is:
- Subject + Predicate
- kakinya (subject: his/her leg)
- sakit (predicate: is painful / hurts)
So kakinya sakit = literally “his leg (is) painful”.
Sakit kakinya is also possible, but:
- It often sounds like “the one that’s painful is his leg”, with extra emphasis or contrast.
- It may feel slightly more marked or poetic in some contexts.
For a neutral statement “his leg hurts”, kakinya sakit or kaki dia sakit are the most straightforward choices.
In Malay, kaki covers both:
- leg
- foot
Malay doesn’t always separate the two as strictly as English does. Context usually makes it clear:
- kaki patah = broken leg (or broken foot, depending on where the break is)
- basuh kaki = wash (your) feet
In sports-injury context, kakinya sakit could be understood as “his leg hurts” or “his foot hurts”, depending on where the injury actually is.
The sentence is neutral and natural. It works well:
- In spoken Malay (sports commentary, conversation)
- In written Malay (articles, reports, essays)
Only kerana vs sebab might slightly shift the register:
- kerana = a bit more formal/standard
- sebab = more informal, conversation-like
Otherwise, all the words (pemain, terpaksa, berehat, kakinya, sakit) are very common and neutral.
Yes. Pemain literally means “player” and can be used in many contexts:
- pemain bola sepak = football/soccer player
- pemain piano = piano player (pianist)
- pemain drama = drama actor
- pemain biola = violin player (violinist)
- pemain judi = gambler
Colloquially, pemain perempuan can mean a guy who “plays around with women” (womanizer).
In this sentence, with no extra context, pemain is usually understood as a sports player, especially in something like a match report.
Yes, grammatically you can say:
- Pemain terpaksa berehat kerana kakinya sakit.
Nuance:
- Pemain itu… = that/the specific player
- Pemain… (without itu) could sound more like:
- “a player” (non-specific), or
- “players in general”, if the rest of the text supports a general statement.
So if you’re talking about one known player in a specific situation, pemain itu is more natural. If you’re making a more general statement, dropping itu can make sense.