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Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.

Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.
That soccer player is jogging in the park.
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Questions & Answers about Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.

What does pemain bola literally mean, and how is this phrase formed?

Pemain bola is made of:

  • pemain = player

    • from the root main (to play)
    • pe-…-an is a common pattern that turns a verb into a noun meaning “person who does X”
    • so pemain = “one who plays” → “player”

  • bola = ball

So pemain bola literally means “ball player”, and in context it usually means a football/soccer player in Malaysia/Indonesia, because bola on its own often refers to football.

What exactly does itu mean here? Is it “that” or “the”? Why is it at the end?

Itu is a demonstrative that basically means “that”. In many contexts, it also works like “the” when you’re talking about a specific thing.

  • pemain bola itu = “that football player” / “the football player”

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

  • buku itu = that/the book
  • kereta ini = this car

So the order pemain bola itu is normal: [noun + descriptor(s) + itu/ini].

What is the function of sedang? Does Malay need it to say “is jogging”?

Sedang marks an ongoing / in-progress action, similar to the English “-ing” form with “is/are”:

  • berjoging = jog
  • sedang berjoging = is/are jogging (right now / currently)

So:

  • Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.
    = “The football player is (currently) jogging in the park.”

Is it required?

  • If you want to emphasize that the action is happening right now, sedang is the natural choice.
  • Without sedang, the sentence is more neutral and can mean “jogs” (habitually) or “is jogging”, depending on context.
Why is there no separate word for “is” in this sentence?

Malay usually does not use a separate verb like English “to be” before verbs:

  • English: He is jogging.
  • Malay: Dia berjoging. (literally: “He jogs / He jogging.”)

In your sentence:

  • sedang handles the progressive aspect (ongoing action).
  • berjoging is the verb “jog”.

Malay doesn’t need a separate “is”. The information is carried by sedang + berjoging together.

What does the ber- prefix in berjoging do? Why not just use joging?

Ber- is a very common verb prefix. In this case, it:

  • turns the borrowed noun/verb joging into a normal intransitive verb (no direct object)
  • gives the sense “to do X / to be engaged in X”

So:

  • joging (loan from “jogging”)
  • berjoging ≈ “to go jogging / to be jogging”

Many activity verbs in Malay use ber-:

  • berlari = to run (from lari = run)
  • berjalan = to walk (from jalan = road/walk)
  • berenang = to swim (from renang = swim)

For many speakers, berjoging sounds more standard and grammatically complete than plain joging in a sentence like this.

Can I say “Pemain bola itu joging di taman” without ber-? Is it still correct?

You will hear:

  • Pemain bola itu joging di taman.

especially in casual speech.

However:

  • In standard / formal Malay, berjoging is preferred.
  • Without ber-, joging can feel more like an English loan just dropped into the sentence.

So:

  • Everyday conversation: joging is widely understood and often used.
  • Writing, exams, or formal contexts: use berjoging.
What’s the difference between di taman, ke taman, and dalam taman?

These prepositions show different kinds of relationships:

  1. di taman

    • di = at / in (location)
    • di taman = at/in the park (location, no movement implied)
    • Your sentence: He is jogging in the park.

  2. ke taman

    • ke = to / towards (movement/direction)
    • ke taman = to the park
    • Example: Dia pergi ke taman. = He goes to the park.

  3. dalam taman

    • dalam = inside (inside the interior of something)
    • dalam taman = inside the park (focusing on being inside the area)
    • Often used when contrasting inside vs outside.

In your sentence, di taman is correct because you are talking about where the jogging is happening, not movement toward the park.

Can I change the word order, like “Sedang berjoging pemain bola itu di taman”?

The normal and most natural word order is:

  • Subject – (aspect marker) – Verb – Place
  • Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.

Reordering to “Sedang berjoging pemain bola itu di taman” sounds:

  • unusual,
  • poetic, very stylized, or possibly wrong in everyday speech.

You can move the place phrase for emphasis:

  • Di taman, pemain bola itu sedang berjoging.
    = “In the park, the football player is jogging.” (focus on “in the park”)

But you should generally keep:

  • pemain bola itu (subject) before
  • sedang berjoging (verb phrase).
How do I say “The football players are jogging in the park”? How is plural shown?

Malay often does not mark plural explicitly. Plurality is understood from context.

The simplest natural sentence is actually identical:

  • Pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.
    = “The football player is jogging in the park.”
    OR
    = “The football players are jogging in the park.”
    (context tells you if it’s one or many)

If you want to force a plural meaning, you have options:

  1. pemain-pemain bola (reduplication)

    • Pemain-pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.
      = The football players are jogging in the park.

  2. para pemain bola (“the group of players / the players” – a collective)

    • Para pemain bola itu sedang berjoging di taman.

Both 1 and 2 clearly indicate more than one player.

Does taman always mean “park”? Can it also mean “garden”?

Taman can mean:

  1. Park – a public recreational area

    • taman rekreasi = recreational park

  2. Garden – a landscaped or decorative garden

    • taman bunga = flower garden

  3. Housing area / residential area (in Malaysia especially)

    • Taman Melati, Taman Universiti = names of housing estates / neighborhoods

In your sentence:

  • berjoging di taman is naturally understood as “jogging in the park” (a public outdoor area), not a small home garden.
Does pemain bola mean a player of any ball sport, or specifically a football/soccer player?

Literally, pemain bola is “ball player”, so in theory it could be any ball sport. But in real usage, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia:

  • bola on its own very often implies football (soccer).
  • So pemain bola is usually understood as football/soccer player.

If you want to be more specific:

  • pemain bola sepak = football/soccer player
  • pemain bola keranjang = basketball player
  • pemain bola tampar = volleyball player
How would you say “The football player is jogging in the park every morning” in Malay?

You can say:

  • Pemain bola itu berjoging di taman setiap pagi.

Notes:

  • setiap pagi = every morning
  • Here we usually drop “sedang” because:
    • sedang emphasizes an action right now.
    • every morning describes a habitual action, not one specific moment.

So:

  • Pemain bola itu berjoging di taman setiap pagi.
    = “The football player jogs in the park every morning.” / “The football player is jogging in the park every morning.” (habitual)