Breakdown of Pemain itu duduk di bangku selepas latihan.
Questions & Answers about Pemain itu duduk di bangku selepas latihan.
Itu literally means that, but in many contexts it works like the in English.
- pemain itu can be translated as:
- that player (when contrasting with another player, or pointing)
- the player (when it’s clear from context who you mean)
Malay doesn’t have a dedicated word for the, so itu is often used after a noun to indicate that the noun is specific/known:
- budak itu – that/the kid
- kereta itu – that/the car
So in this sentence, pemain itu naturally becomes the player in English, unless the context strongly suggests that player in contrast to others.
Malay doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Duduk can mean:
- sit
- is sitting
- was sitting / sat
- will sit
The tense is inferred from:
- Time expressions – here, selepas latihan (after training) suggests something that happened after a past activity, so sat or was sitting fit best.
- Context – if the whole story is in the past, we read it as past.
You can add optional markers to make tense/aspect clearer:
- sudah / telah duduk – has sat / sat (completed)
- sedang duduk – is sitting (in progress)
- akan duduk – will sit / is going to sit
But in normal Malay, duduk alone is enough; readers infer from context that it’s sat here.
Di is a preposition showing location, roughly at / in / on depending on the noun and context.
- di bangku – at/on the bench
- di sekolah – at school
- di rumah – at home / in the house
In this sentence, di bangku answers “Where did the player sit?”
Contrast with other common prepositions:
- ke – to (direction): ke bangku – to the bench
- dari – from: dari bangku – from the bench
So duduk di bangku = sit (at/on) the bench.
Literally:
- di bangku – at/on the bench
- di atas bangku – on top of the bench
With things you normally sit on (bench, chair, sofa), Malay usually just uses di without atas, because duduk di bangku already clearly means sit on the bench, not sit inside/under it.
You would use di atas bangku if you wanted to emphasize the physical position more than usual, for example:
- describing someone standing or putting something on top of the bench, not just normally sitting
- contrasting with under or beside the bench
In everyday sentences about sitting, duduk di bangku is the natural choice.
Yes. Malay word order is quite flexible for time expressions.
Both are correct:
- Pemain itu duduk di bangku selepas latihan.
- Selepas latihan, pemain itu duduk di bangku.
Differences:
- Fronting selepas latihan slightly emphasizes the time frame (after training) first.
- In writing, a comma after selepas latihan is common but not mandatory.
Meaning-wise, they are the same.
They all mean after, but differ in formality and style:
selepas
- More formal/standard.
- Common in writing, news, textbooks.
- Used here: selepas latihan – after training.
lepas
- Informal/colloquial.
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Example: Lepas latihan, dia duduk di bangku.
sesudah
- Also means after; feels a bit more formal or literary in many contexts.
- Example: Sesudah latihan, pemain itu berehat.
In most casual speech, selepas and lepas are interchangeable in meaning; choice is mostly about formality and style.
Pemain is used for:
- Sports players: pemain bola sepak (football player)
- Game players: pemain catur (chess player), pemain permainan video (video game player)
- Sometimes for certain performance arts, depending on the expression (e.g., pemain muzik = musician / music player)
But it is not normally used for:
- Actors in films/TV/theatre – that’s pelakon
- Musical instruments as “players” (like CD player); those are usually pemain CD or more often alat pemain CD, or just pemain CD in context, but everyday usage often just uses the device name.
In this sentence, pemain very likely means a sports player or someone who has just done some physical training.
Latihan is a general noun meaning training / practice / exercise. The exact English translation depends on context:
- Sports: latihan bola sepak – football training / practice
- School: latihan matematik – math exercises
- Work/skills: latihan kerja – job training
- Military: latihan ketenteraan – military training
In selepas latihan, if the context is sports, latihan is best translated as training or practice session.
Malay usually doesn’t mark plural on nouns, so pemain itu can be:
- the player
- the players
You find out from:
- Context (earlier sentences might say how many)
- Additional words, if present
To make plurals more explicit, Malay can use:
- para pemain – the players (group, plural)
- beberapa pemain – several players
- dua orang pemain – two players (using orang as a classifier for people)
- Reduplication (in some cases): pemain-pemain – players (more common in formal writing)
In isolation, pemain itu is ambiguous, but often translated as singular unless context says otherwise.
Yes, Dia duduk di bangku selepas latihan is grammatically correct.
Difference:
Pemain itu duduk di bangku…
- Emphasizes the role/identity: the player.
- Useful when introducing or referring to that specific player in a narrative.
Dia duduk di bangku…
- Uses the pronoun dia (he/she).
- More natural if the person has already been clearly identified in previous sentences, and you’re just continuing the story.
You can also combine them when first introducing and then referring back:
- Pemain itu sangat letih. Dia duduk di bangku selepas latihan.
(The player was very tired. He/She sat on the bench after training.)
The order in this sentence is very natural:
- Subject: pemain itu
- Verb: duduk
- Place: di bangku
- Time: selepas latihan
This Subject–Verb–(Place)–(Time) pattern is common and neutral.
However, Malay allows some flexibility, especially for time and place phrases:
- Selepas latihan, pemain itu duduk di bangku. (time fronted)
- Di bangku, pemain itu duduk selepas latihan. (place fronted – possible but sounds more marked/emphatic)
The default, neutral style is exactly what you see in the original sentence.