Learn Hardcore Malay: Sejak kampus baru dibuka, jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti lebih pendek. - Since the new campus opened, my travel distance to the university is shorter.

sejak = since (time), not because.
- You cannot replace sejak with kerana here.
- Kerana means because (reason), not since (time).
- Sejak tells you when something started, not why.
sejak can be followed by:
- A time clause:
  - Sejak kampus baru dibuka, … (Since the new campus was opened, …)
- A time phrase:
  - Sejak tahun lepas, … (Since last year, …)
  - Sejak kecil, … (Since [I was] small / since childhood, …)
In many contexts, sejak ≈ English “ever since” to emphasize continuity:
- Sejak kampus baru dibuka, jarak perjalanan saya…
  = Ever since the new campus was opened, my travel distance…

Can I also say semenjak instead of sejak? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can. Sejak and semenjak are very close in meaning and are often interchangeable.

Sejak kampus baru dibuka, …
Semenjak kampus baru dibuka, …

Both are correct and mean “since the new campus was opened”.

Nuances:

sejak is slightly more common and a bit more concise.
semenjak can feel a bit more emphatic or slightly more literary, depending on context.

For everyday speech and writing, sejak is perfectly natural and perhaps the safer default.

Why is it kampus baru and not baru kampus? Where does baru normally go?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

kampus baru = new campus
- kampus (campus) + baru (new)

Putting baru before the noun (baru kampus) is wrong in standard Malay.

More examples:

kereta baru = new car
rumah besar = big house
baju merah = red shirt

So the pattern is generally: noun + adjective.

Does kampus baru mean “new campus” (a newly built campus) or “my campus is new to me” like English “my new campus” (I just transferred there)?

On its own, kampus baru most typically means “newly built” or “recently established” campus.

In this sentence:

Sejak kampus baru dibuka, …
The focus is on the time it was opened, so the natural reading is:
“Since the newly opened campus was opened …”

If you wanted to emphasize “new for me (I just started going there)”, you would usually phrase it differently, for example:

Sejak saya berpindah ke kampus baru, …
Since I moved to the new campus, …

Context is important, but here the verb dibuka (“was opened”) strongly suggests the campus itself is newly established.

What does dibuka literally mean, and why is the passive dibuka used instead of an active form?

Dibuka is the passive form of buka (to open).

Breakdown:

buka = open (verb or adjective, depending on context)
di- + buka → dibuka = is/was opened (passive)

So:

kampus baru dibuka = the new campus was opened.

Why passive?

Subject not important or obvious
Malay often uses the passive when the doer (agent) is unknown, unimportant, or easily guessed (e.g. “the university”, “the government”).
Natural style
For events like “a building was opened”, the passive is stylistically more natural in Malay, similar to English news style:
- “The new campus was opened last year.”

If you wanted an active version with an explicit subject:

Pihak universiti membuka kampus baru itu tahun lepas.
The university opened the new campus last year.

But in your sentence, the passive keeps the focus on the event rather than on who opened it.

Why isn’t there any word for “was” like “was opened”? How do I know it’s past tense?

Malay typically does not mark tense with verb endings like English does. Time is understood from:

Context:
Talking about a campus being opened naturally implies a completed event.
Time expressions (if present):
- tahun lepas (last year)
- baru-baru ini (recently)
- etc.

In kampus baru dibuka, dibuka simply means “open(ed)” in passive voice. Depending on context, it can be interpreted as:

is opened (if referring to a regularly opened thing, like a shop)
has been opened / was opened (for a one-time event, like a new campus).

Here, the overall meaning (a new campus) makes “was opened / has been opened” the natural interpretation.

You could add sudah or telah for clarity:

Sejak kampus baru sudah dibuka, …
Sejak kampus baru telah dibuka, …

Both add a clearer “has already been opened” feel, but they are not required.

What does jarak perjalanan mean, and why not just say jarak or perjalanan?

jarak = distance
perjalanan = journey / trip / travel

jarak perjalanan literally = “the distance of (my) journey” → travel distance.

Nuance:

jarak alone could mean any distance (not necessarily about your commute).
perjalanan alone emphasizes the journey/trip itself, not specifically the distance.

By saying jarak perjalanan saya, you’re clearly referring to the distance of my commute/travel, not:

the time it takes,
the experience of the journey, etc.

You could also say:

Perjalanan saya ke universiti sekarang lebih singkat.
My journey to the university is now shorter.

Here, perjalanan … lebih singkat focuses more on duration or length of the trip (time) rather than pure physical distance.

Why is it jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti and not jarak perjalanan ke universiti saya?

Malay noun phrases have a particular order of information. In:

jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti

you have:

jarak perjalanan – “distance of the journey” (core noun phrase)
saya – “my” (possessor)
ke universiti – “to the university” (destination / complement of perjalanan)

So, structurally:

[jarak perjalanan] [saya] [ke universiti]

= the travel distance of mine to the university.

If you say jarak perjalanan ke universiti saya:

It can sound like “the travel distance to my university” (emphasis on my university as opposed to some other university).
Also, it’s slightly less natural here; Malay speakers more often attach the possessor saya closer to what is “owned”:
- perjalanan saya ke universiti (my trip to the university)
- rumah saya di kampung (my house in the village)

So the original order is both clear and natural.

Could I drop saya and just say jarak perjalanan ke universiti?

Yes, you can drop saya if it’s already clear from context that you’re talking about your commute.

Sejak kampus baru dibuka, jarak perjalanan ke universiti lebih pendek.

This would be understood as “the travel distance to the university is shorter”, and in many real conversations, people will know it’s about you.

However:

Keeping saya makes it explicitly personal:
- jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti = my travel distance to the university

So both are grammatically correct; the choice depends on how explicit you want to be.

Why is there no “is” like “is shorter”? Where is the verb “to be” in jarak perjalanan saya … lebih pendek?

Malay often does not use a separate “to be” verb (like is/are/am) in simple descriptive sentences.

Structure:

jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti = my travel distance to the university
lebih pendek = shorter

You place them side by side:

jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti lebih pendek
literally:
my travel distance to the university shorter

This is a complete sentence in Malay; the copula (“is”) is understood, not spoken.

You only use forms like ialah / adalah in more specific contexts:

Masalah utama ialah jarak perjalanan.
The main problem is the travel distance.

But with adjectives or comparative phrases, no linking verb is the norm.

How does the comparative lebih pendek work? Is it like “more short”? Can I also say lebih singkat or kurang jauh?

Yes, lebih means “more” and is used for comparatives:

lebih + adjective = more + adjective → often translates as “-er” in English.

So:

pendek = short
lebih pendek = more short → shorter

Other possibilities:

lebih singkat
- singkat = short/brief in time or length of an event.
- Perjalanan saya lebih singkat.
  My journey is shorter (usually implies shorter in duration, not just distance).
lebih dekat
- dekat = near/close.
- Universiti sekarang lebih dekat.
  The university is closer (to me/where I live).
kurang jauh
- kurang = less
- jauh = far
- kurang jauh = “less far” → can mean not as far / less far away.
- Grammatically OK, but sounds a bit more roundabout than lebih dekat or lebih dekat / lebih hampir.

In your sentence, lebih pendek is natural and clearly means the distance is shorter. If you wanted to emphasize time rather than distance, lebih singkat would be a better choice.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would people say it in casual conversation?

The sentence is neutral and fits both standard written Malay and normal spoken Malay.

Sejak kampus baru dibuka, jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti lebih pendek.

More casual versions might be:

Sejak kampus baru buka, jarak perjalanan aku ke universiti lagi pendek.
(dropping di-, using aku, and using lagi in some dialects/speeches)

In many everyday contexts, people might simplify:

Sejak kampus baru buka, jalan ke uni (or: universiti) dah makin dekat.

But for learners and for clear, standard language, your original sentence is excellent and natural.

What’s the difference between kampus and universiti here? In English “campus” and “university” are not the same.

In English:

campus = the physical grounds/buildings of a college/university
university = the institution itself

In Malay:

kampus usually also refers to the physical campus (one location of a university).
universiti is the institution.

In your sentence:

kampus baru dibuka = a new campus site was opened (e.g., a new branch or new location).
jarak perjalanan saya ke universiti = my travel distance to the university (meaning: to where I attend classes; practically, to that campus).

In normal conversation, people may use kampus and universiti somewhat loosely, because often there is just one main campus. But technically, the contrast you expressed in English (new campus vs the university as such) still exists.

Could I say Sejak kampus baru dibuka, perjalanan saya ke universiti lebih pendek without jarak? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say that:

Sejak kampus baru dibuka, perjalanan saya ke universiti lebih pendek.

This is grammatically correct and will be understood. However, there is a slight nuance difference:

jarak perjalanan saya puts the focus on the distance itself.
perjalanan saya is more general—could refer to the overall journey (distance, time, effort, experience).

In practice, most listeners will still understand it as “My trip is shorter (in distance/time) now,” but jarak perjalanan is a bit more precise if you specifically mean distance.