Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya tidak marah jika awak lambat sedikit; lagipun saya juga selalu lewat. - I am not angry if you are a bit late; besides, I am also often late.

Saya is a neutral, polite word for “I” used in almost all situations (formal and informal).
Awak is a friendly, informal “you”, common in everyday speech, especially between people of similar age/status, or in casual contexts.

Alternatives to awak:

kamu – informal “you”, often in writing or general speech.
anda – polite/formal “you”, e.g. in customer service, public signs.
engkau / kau – very informal or literary; can feel intimate or rough depending on tone.

So the sentence sounds friendly and casual, not very formal and not rude.

Why is tidak used here, and not bukan?

Malay has two main “no/not” words: tidak and bukan.

Use tidak to negate:

verbs: marah (angry), makan (eat), pergi (go)
adjectives: besar (big), letih (tired)

Use bukan to negate:

nouns: Dia bukan doktor. (He is not a doctor.)
pronouns: Itu bukan saya. (That’s not me.)
whole statements (for emphasis/contrast).

In Saya tidak marah:

marah is an adjective/verb “angry / to be angry”,
so tidak is correct: Saya tidak marah = “I am not angry / I’m not mad.”

Saya bukan marah would sound like “It’s not that I’m angry (it’s something else),” which has a different nuance.

What is the difference between lambat and lewat here? They both look like “late”.

Both can mean “late”, but they’re used a bit differently:

lambat
- core idea: slow, late
- can mean moving slowly or being late
- can be about speed or about time
- example:
  - Dia berjalan lambat. = He walks slowly.
  - Dia datang lambat. = He came late/slowly.
lewat
- core idea: late (in terms of time)
- usually about time only, not speed
- example:
  - Dia sampai lewat. = He arrived late (in time).

In this sentence:

lambat sedikit – “a bit late / a bit slow to arrive”
selalu lewat – “always late (in terms of time)”.

So the speaker first softens it with lambat sedikit (just a little late), then admits selalu lewat (habitually / properly late).

Can I say sedikit lambat instead of lambat sedikit?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

lambat sedikit
- more natural in speech
- literally “late a bit”
- very commonly used to soften: lambat sikit, lambat sedikit
sedikit lambat
- sounds a bit more formal or descriptive
- literally “a little late / slightly late”, like describing a condition.

In everyday conversation for “a bit late”, lambat sedikit (or even more common: lambat sikit) is what you will hear most.

What does lagipun mean, and how is it used?

Lagipun is a connector roughly meaning:

“besides,”
“anyway,”
“after all,”
“in any case.”

Function:

It introduces an additional reason, explanation, or justification.
It often softens what you say, making it sound more friendly and reasonable.

In the sentence:

Lagipun saya juga selalu lewat.
= “Besides, I’m also always late myself.”
(So: it’s extra justification for not being angry.)

Other examples:

Saya tak nak keluar. Lagipun saya penat.
= I don’t want to go out. Besides, I’m tired.
Mahal sangat. Lagipun kita jarang guna.
= It’s too expensive. Besides, we rarely use it.

Position:

Usually at the beginning of a sentence or clause.

What is the role of juga here? How is it different from pun?

In saya juga selalu lewat:

juga = “also / too / as well”.
- Emphasizes that what is true about “you” is also true about “me”.

So:

Saya juga selalu lewat.
= “I also am always late.” / “I’m always late too.”

Juga vs pun (both can mean “also,” but with nuances):

juga
- neutral “also / too / as well”
- can add simple addition or emphasis
- flexible position (often after the subject):
  - Saya juga suka kopi.
  - Dia juga datang.
pun
- can mean “also/even”, often more literary or emphatic,
- common in set phrases: walaupun (even though), meskipun, apapun, siapa pun.
- as “also”, tends to be more stylistic or contrastive, and often comes right after the word it modifies.

You could say Saya pun selalu lewat, which sounds like:

“I’m always late as well (same as you),” with a stronger feeling of “me too, in the same boat.”
But juga is the more straightforward, neutral choice.

Why is there no word for “will” or “would” in Saya tidak marah jika awak lambat sedikit?

Malay does not usually change the verb form for tense or for “will/would” like English. Context and time words do most of the work.

The sentence can cover meanings like:

“I’m not angry if you’re a bit late.”
“I won’t be angry if you’re a bit late.”
“I wouldn’t be angry if you’re a bit late.” (depending on context and tone)

If you want to be very explicit about future, you can add akan (“will”):

Saya tidak akan marah jika awak lambat sedikit.
= “I will not be angry if you’re a bit late.”

But in natural conversation, Malay speakers often just say it like in your sentence, without akan. The listener infers the time.

Can I use kalau instead of jika? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can:

Jika – “if”, more formal, common in writing, formal speech, instructions.
Kalau – “if”, more informal, conversational, very common in everyday speech.

So:

Saya tidak marah jika awak lambat sedikit. (slightly formal/neutral)
Saya tidak marah kalau awak lambat sikit. (very natural spoken Malay)

Meaning is basically the same; the main difference is register (formal vs informal) and the word sedikit vs sikit.

Why is a semicolon (;) used, and how would this sound in spoken Malay?

The semicolon in:

Saya tidak marah jika awak lambat sedikit; lagipun saya juga selalu lewat.

…is just a writing choice. It links two closely related sentences:

“I am not angry if you are a bit late;”
“Besides, I am also always late.”

In spoken Malay, you would just have a slight pause:

Saya tak marah kalau awak lambat sikit… (short pause) lagipun saya pun selalu lewat.

You could also write it as two separate sentences:

Saya tidak marah jika awak lambat sedikit. Lagipun saya juga selalu lewat.

All three versions (semicolon, full stop, spoken pause) are natural.

Could I drop saya in the second clause and just say Lagipun juga selalu lewat?

No, you shouldn’t drop saya in this particular sentence.

Lagipun saya juga selalu lewat.
= “Besides, I am also always late.”

If you say:

Lagipun juga selalu lewat.

…it sounds incomplete and ungrammatical because there is no subject. Malay can drop pronouns if they are very obvious from context, but here you need at least some subject:

Lagipun saya pun selalu lewat.
Lagipun aku pun selalu lewat. (very informal)

So: keep saya in this sentence.

Is marah here an adjective (“angry”) or a verb (“to be angry”)?

In Malay, marah works like both an adjective and a stative verb, depending on how you think about it. There is no separate “to be” verb in this structure.

Saya marah.
- Literally: “I angry.”
- Meaning: “I am angry / I’m mad.”
Saya tidak marah.
- Literally: “I not angry.”
- Meaning: “I am not angry / I’m not mad.”

So you can think of it as:

marah = “angry / to be angry”.
Malay doesn’t need “am/is/are” here. The structure is simply:
[subject] + (tidak) + adjective/stative verb.

Is there a more colloquial way to say this sentence in casual conversation?

Yes, in very natural, relaxed speech you might hear something like:

Aku tak marah kalau kau lambat sikit; lagipun aku pun selalu lewat.

Changes:

Saya → aku (more intimate/informal “I”)
Awak → kau (very informal “you”)
Tidak → tak (spoken contraction of “tidak”)
Sedikit → sikit (colloquial form)
Added pun after aku for a stronger “me too” feeling.

Depending on relationship and politeness, you can mix levels, for example:

Saya tak marah kalau awak lambat sikit; lagipun saya pun selalu lewat.
= Very natural, friendly, still polite.