Learn Hardcore Malay: Ibu saya selalu mengeluh sedikit tentang bajet dapur, tetapi dia tetap murah hati. - My mother always complains a bit about the kitchen budget, but she is still generous.

ibu saya – neutral, standard, slightly more formal/polite. Works well in writing and polite speech.
mak saya / emak saya – common and informal/colloquial in many regions (especially in Malaysia). Feels homely and casual.
mama saya – very informal and childlike, or family-style; often used with young children or in some urban families.

In this sentence, ibu saya fits a neutral, standard style. In everyday speech with friends, mak saya selalu mengeluh… is also very natural.

Does selalu mean “always” or “often”?

Literally, selalu is usually translated as “always”, but in real usage (especially in Malaysia), it can also feel like “often / frequently”, depending on context and tone.

Dia selalu lewat. = He’s always/often late.
Saya selalu makan di sini. = I often eat here.

In your sentence:

Ibu saya selalu mengeluh…
⇒ My mother always/keeps/so often complains…

The English equivalent depends on how strong you want it to sound, but “often” or “always” is fine.

What exactly does mengeluh mean, and what is its base form?

Base/root: keluh (complaint)
With the meN- verb prefix → mengeluh (to complain, to grumble, to sigh about something)

Usage:

Dia mengeluh tentang kerjanya. = He complains about his job.
Dia mengeluh kerana penat. = She complains because she is tired.

In your sentence:

mengeluh sedikit = to complain a little / to grumble a bit.
You don’t have to add sedikit; Ibu saya selalu mengeluh tentang bajet dapur is still correct, just sounds stronger (more complaining).

Why is sedikit placed after mengeluh? Could I say sedikit mengeluh instead?

In Malay, adverbs like sedikit (a bit) can move around somewhat, but the most natural here is:

mengeluh sedikit = complain a little

You might see:

Ibu saya sedikit mengeluh tentang bajet dapur. – also correct; the focus is slightly more on she is a bit complaining (her state) rather than the act of complaining a bit.

However, mengeluh sedikit is more common and fluent here. Both are grammatically acceptable, but the original word order sounds more natural in everyday speech.

What’s the difference between tentang, mengenai, and pasal for “about”?

All three can mean “about / regarding”, but style differs:

tentang – neutral and standard. Good in both writing and speech.
- mengeluh tentang bajet dapur = complain about the kitchen budget.
mengenai – slightly more formal, common in writing, reports, news, etc.
- laporan mengenai ekonomi = report about the economy.
pasal – informal/colloquial (especially in Malaysia).
- mengeluh pasal bajet dapur = complain about the kitchen budget (casual speech).

So you could replace tentang with mengenai or pasal, but tentang is the safest neutral choice.

Is bajet just the English word “budget” in Malay spelling? Are there more “pure Malay” words for this?

Yes. bajet is borrowed from English “budget” and adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

Alternatives:

belanjawan – more formal, often used in government/official contexts (e.g. national budget).
perbelanjaan – expenditure/spending, not exactly the same, but related.
belanja dapur – literally kitchen expenses, common in everyday speech.

In a casual family context, bajet dapur or belanja dapur are both very natural.

How does bajet dapur work grammatically? Why no untuk (for)?

Malay often forms noun–noun compounds by simply placing the nouns side by side:

bajet dapur = kitchen budget (literally “budget [of] kitchen”)
baju sekolah = school uniform (clothes [of] school)
kereta syarikat = company car

You could say:

bajet untuk dapur = budget for the kitchen

Both are correct:

bajet dapur – shorter, sounds like a fixed, named category of budget.
bajet untuk dapur – slightly more explicit: budget intended for the kitchen.

In this sentence, bajet dapur is very natural and idiomatic.

What’s the difference between tetapi and tapi for “but”?

Both mean “but / however”:

tetapi – more formal or neutral standard; common in writing and careful speech.
tapi – informal, shortened form; very common in conversation.

Your sentence:

…tentang bajet dapur, tetapi dia tetap murah hati. – neutral/standard.
In casual speech you might hear:
…tentang bajet dapur, tapi dia tetap murah hati.

Grammatically, both work the same; it’s mainly a formality/register difference.

What does tetap add to the sentence? How is it different from masih?

tetap here means “still / nevertheless / remains” and adds the idea of in spite of that, it doesn’t change.

tetap murah hati = (she) is still / remains generous.

Compare:

masih = still (continuing in time)
- Dia masih di rumah. = He is still at home.
- Dia masih murah hati. = She is still generous (has not stopped being generous over time).
tetap = firmly remains / regardless
- Dia tetap murah hati walaupun gajinya kecil.
  = She remains generous even though her salary is small.

In your sentence, tetap emphasizes contrast with the complaining: despite complaining about the budget, she is nevertheless generous.

Literally, murah hati looks like “cheap heart”. How does that mean “generous”?

Yes, literally:

murah = cheap, inexpensive
hati = heart

But murah hati is an idiom meaning kind-hearted, generous. The idea is that the person’s heart is “easy to give”, not “stingy”.

Common related forms:

pemurah – a one-word adjective: generous.
- Dia seorang yang pemurah. = She is a generous person.
baik hati – kind-hearted.
- Dia sangat baik hati.

In your sentence, murah hati = generous with money/time/help, which fits perfectly.

Does dia mean specifically “she” here? Are there gendered pronouns in Malay?

dia is gender-neutral:

It can mean he or she, depending on context.

Malay does not change the pronoun form for gender:

dia = he / she
mereka = they (no gender)

More formal alternative:

beliau – respectful form for he/she, often for elders, officials, or respected people.

In your sentence, we know dia refers to ibu saya so we translate it as “she” in English, but the Malay word itself has no gender.

If the meaning can be present or past in English (“always complains” vs “always complained”), how is tense shown here in Malay?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Mengeluh can be:

present: (she) complains
past: (she) complained
habitual: (she) always complains/used to complain

Time is understood from context or added words:

dulu – in the past
tadi – just now
akan – will (future marker)
selalu – habit/frequency

Your sentence is tenseless by form. In English it could be:

My mother always complains a bit about the kitchen budget… (present habit)
My mother always complained a bit about the kitchen budget… (past habit)

Context outside this single sentence would tell us which one is intended.