Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza. - I support my friend even though other people’s decisions are different.

Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.

I support my friend even though other people’s decisions are different.

Breakdown of Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.

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Questions & Answers about Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.

In teman saya, why does saya come after teman, instead of before like in English (my friend)?

In Malay, possessive pronouns usually come after the noun they modify:

teman saya = my friend
buku saya = my book
rumah saya = my house

So the pattern is:

[noun] + [possessive pronoun]

Putting saya before the noun (saya teman) is not grammatical in Malay for this meaning.

What is the difference between saya sokong and saya menyokong? Is one more correct?

Both are correct and mean “I support”, but there is a nuance:

saya sokong teman saya – uses the base verb sokong
saya menyokong teman saya – uses the prefixed verb menyokong

In everyday speech, especially informal or neutral Malay, people very often use the base verb:

Saya sokong awak. = I support you.

The meN- prefix (menyokong) can sound slightly more formal or careful, and you’ll see it more often in writing, speeches, news, etc. But in this sentence, saya sokong teman saya is natural and correct.

How do we know the tense? Does Saya sokong teman saya mean I support, I supported or I will support?

Malay verbs are not marked for tense. Sokong stays the same regardless of time. The tense is understood from context or from time words:

Saya sokong teman saya.
– can mean I support / I supported / I will support my friend depending on context.
Tadi saya sokong teman saya. = Earlier I supported my friend.
Esok saya akan sokong teman saya. = Tomorrow I will support my friend.

In isolation, learners usually translate this sentence as present simple: “I support my friend…”.

What does walaupun mean here, and is it like “although” or “even though”?

Walaupun is a conjunction that means “although / even though”. It introduces a contrasting clause, just like in English:

Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.
= I support my friend even though other people’s decisions are different.

You can think of it as very close to English “even though”, although “although” is also a good translation.

Can we move walaupun to the beginning of the sentence, like in English?

Yes. Both orders are natural:

Saya sokong teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.
Walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza, saya sokong teman saya.

Sentence 2 usually has a comma, just like English:

Although other people’s decisions are different, I support my friend.

Meaning is the same; it’s just a stylistic choice.

What exactly does keputusan orang lain mean? Is keputusan singular or plural here?

keputusan = decision / decisions
orang lain = other people

Malay normally does not mark singular vs plural on the noun, so:

keputusan orang lain can be “another person’s decision”
or “other people’s decisions”
depending on context.

Because orang lain suggests more than one person, a natural English translation here is:

“other people’s decisions are different”

But grammatically it can cover both singular and plural.

Why is there no word like “are” or “is” before berbeza? Why not *keputusan orang lain adalah berbeza?

In Malay, you usually don’t need a separate verb like “to be” (is / are) before adjectives.

keputusan orang lain berbeza
literally: other people’s decisions different
= other people’s decisions are different.

You would not normally say *keputusan orang lain adalah berbeza in this kind of simple descriptive sentence.

Adalah has more specific uses (e.g., linking a subject to a noun phrase, or in very formal writing), but not typically before an adjective like berbeza in everyday sentences.

Is berbeza an adjective or a verb? How should I think of it?

Berbeza comes from the root beza (difference) and the prefix ber-. It behaves like a stative verb / adjective meaning:

to be different / different

In Malay grammar terms, it’s often treated as a verb, but functionally for English learners it is easiest to think of it as an adjective:

keputusan itu berbeza = that decision is different
pendapat mereka berbeza = their opinions are different

So in your sentence:

keputusan orang lain berbeza
= other people’s decisions are different.

Why is it orang lain, not lain orang? What’s the rule with lain?

Lain means “other / different”, and when it modifies orang (“person/people”) in this sense, the usual order is:

orang lain = other person / other people

So:

orang lain = other people
tempat lain = another place / a different place
hari lain = another day

Lain orang would be unusual or need a special context and is not the normal way to say “other people.”

What’s the difference between teman, kawan, and rakan for “friend”? Why does this sentence use teman?

All three can translate as “friend”, but with different typical flavours:

teman
- Slightly more literary or emotive in some contexts.
- Can feel a bit closer or more “companion-like”.
kawan
- Very common in everyday, informal Malay: kawan saya = my friend.
rakan
- More formal/neutral; common in official speech: rakan sekerja = colleague.

Using teman saya here suggests “my friend / my companion” in a neutral-to-slightly-warm tone. You could also say:

Saya sokong kawan saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.

and it would still be correct and natural.

Could I say “my friends” with this structure? How would I make teman saya clearly plural?

Malay often leaves number implicit, so teman saya can mean:

my friend (one)
my friends (more than one)

If you really want to emphasise plural, you have a few options:

teman-teman saya = my friends (reduplication to show plural)
kawan-kawan saya = my friends
semua teman saya = all my friends
semua kawan saya = all my friends

Example:

Saya sokong semua teman saya walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.
I support all my friends even though other people’s decisions are different.

Is the sentence overall formal, informal, or neutral? And is saya the polite choice?

The sentence is neutral and polite:

saya is the standard polite “I / me” in Malay.
The vocabulary (sokong, teman, walaupun, keputusan, orang lain, berbeza) is neutral and suitable in most settings.

If you switched saya to aku, it would be more informal/intimate:

Aku sokong kawan aku walaupun keputusan orang lain berbeza.

But as written, the sentence is appropriate in polite conversation, writing, or general use.