Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.

I like the law class at the campus.

Breakdown of Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.

• saya: I
• suka: to like
• di: at
• kelas: the class
• kampus: the campus
• undang-undang: law

Questions & Answers about Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before kelas or kampus?

Malay generally doesn’t use articles like English “a / an / the”.

• Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.
  can mean:
  • I like *the law class on campus.*
  • I like *a law class on campus.*
  • I like *law classes on campus.* (depending on context)

If you really need to be specific, you add other words, not articles, for example:

• kelas undang-undang itu – that law class / the law class
• satu kelas undang-undang – one law class / a law class
• semua kelas undang-undang – all the law classes

What does saya mean here, and can I use aku instead?

Saya is the standard, neutral word for “I / me”. It’s polite and safe in almost all situations (classroom, talking to teachers, strangers, etc.).

Aku also means “I / me”, but:

• it’s informal and usually used:
  • with close friends
  • with family
  • in casual settings
• using aku with someone older/higher status can sound rude if you don’t know them well.

Your sentence with aku:

• Aku suka kelas undang-undang di kampus. – grammatically correct, but more casual.

Where does the verb suka go in the sentence? Could I move it somewhere else?

Malay basic order is Subject – Verb – Object – (Place / Time), like English.

• Saya (subject)
• suka (verb)
• kelas undang-undang (object)
• di kampus (place)

So Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus. is in the normal order.

You cannot move suka around freely like:

• ✗ Saya kelas undang-undang suka di kampus. (wrong)
• ✗ Suka saya kelas undang-undang di kampus. (only possible in very marked, poetic, or special emphasis structures)

For normal speech, keep suka right after the subject.

What exactly does suka mean here? Is it “like” or “love”?

Suka usually means “to like / to enjoy”.

• Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.
  = I like / enjoy the law class on campus.

If you want to sound a bit stronger or a bit more formal:

• Saya gemar kelas undang-undang di kampus. – I am fond of / I enjoy / I am keen on the law class on campus. (more formal / less common in casual speech)

For “love” in a stronger emotional sense you might use:

• sangat suka – really like
• cinta – for romantic love, not for classes
• minat – to be interested in: Saya minat undang-undang. – I’m interested in law.

What does undang-undang literally mean, and why is it written with a hyphen?

Undang-undang means “law” (as a field or as legislation).

• The base word undang by itself is not commonly used with this meaning today.
• undang-undang is a reduplicated form (the word is repeated with a hyphen).

In Malay, reduplication (repeating a word) can:

• form plurals (e.g. buku-buku = books)
• change or specify meaning (as with undang-undang where the repeated form has its own lexical meaning: “law/legislation”).

So undang-undang is treated as a single noun meaning “law”, not as “laws” in a simple plural sense.

Is kelas undang-undang literally “law class”? Could I omit kelas and just say Saya suka undang-undang di kampus?

Yes, kelas undang-undang is a noun+noun phrase meaning “law class”:

• kelas = class
• undang-undang = law

Together: kelas undang-undang = law class / legal studies class.

If you say just:

• Saya suka undang-undang di kampus.

this is more like:

• I like *law at the campus.* (more general, liking the subject or field there, not specifically “the class” as a course you attend)

So if you want to talk specifically about a course / class, keep kelas.

How would I say “I like my law class on campus”? Where do I put saya for “my”?

In Malay, possession is usually shown by putting the possessor after the noun:

• kelas undang-undang saya – my law class

So you could say:

• Saya suka kelas undang-undang saya di kampus. – I like my law class on campus.

Word order inside the noun phrase is:

• [noun] + [descriptor / possessor]
  
  • kelas (noun)
  • undang-undang (what kind of class)
  • saya (whose class)

You don’t need to repeat saya twice if the context is already clear; often people still just say:

• Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.

and the listener understands it’s your own class.

How would I say “I like law classes on campus” (plural)? Is the original sentence singular or plural?

Malay nouns usually don’t change form for plural:

• kelas can mean “class” or “classes”.
• So kelas undang-undang can be:
  • law class
  • law classes

Context normally shows which one you mean.

If you really want to emphasise plural, you can:

1. Reduplicate the noun:

   • kelas-kelas undang-undang di kampus – law classes on campus (more “classes” than just one)

2. Add a word like banyak (many) or semua (all):

   • banyak kelas undang-undang di kampus – many law classes on campus
   • semua kelas undang-undang di kampus – all the law classes on campus

So your original sentence can be understood as either singular or plural, depending on context.

What does di kampus mean exactly, and when do I use di instead of ke?

Di is a preposition meaning “at / in / on” (location).

• di kampus = at campus / on campus

Use di for a static place:

• Saya di kampus. – I am at campus.
• Saya belajar di kampus. – I study at campus.

Ke means “to” (movement, direction):

• Saya pergi ke kampus. – I go to campus.
• Dia berjalan ke kampus. – He/She walks to campus.

So in your sentence, you’re talking about where the class is (its location), so di is correct.

Is kampus just the English word “campus” borrowed into Malay? Is it common?

Yes, kampus is a loanword from English “campus”, adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

It’s very commonly used in Malay to mean:

• the physical campus area
• sometimes by extension, university life/space

Other related words:

• universiti – university (also a loanword)
• kolej – college

Your phrase di kampus is perfectly natural and widely used.

Can I drop saya and just say Suka kelas undang-undang di kampus?

You normally shouldn’t drop saya in this kind of sentence.

Malay can drop pronouns when they’re very obvious from context, especially in spoken language, but:

• Suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.
  sounds incomplete or like a fragment, unless:
  • you’re answering a question very briefly:
    
    • Apa yang kamu suka? – What do you like?
    • (Saya) suka kelas undang-undang di kampus. – (I) like the law class on campus.

In a full, stand‑alone sentence, it’s better to keep Saya:

• Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.

Where would I put a time expression like “in the morning” in this sentence?

Time expressions can go at the beginning or at the end, similar to English. Both are common.

Examples:

1. Time at the end:

   • Saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus pada waktu pagi.
     – I like the law class on campus in the morning.

2. Time at the beginning (slight emphasis on the time):

   • Pada waktu pagi, saya suka kelas undang-undang di kampus.
     – In the morning, I like the law class on campus.

General pattern:

• [Time] + [Subject] + [Verb] + [Object] + [Place]
  or
• [Subject] + [Verb] + [Object] + [Place] + [Time]

How do I pronounce undang-undang and kampus?

In standard Malay pronunciation (rough guide using English-like spelling):

• undang-undang:

  • u like “oo” in food (but shorter)
  • dan(g) like “dung” but without a strong final “g”; more like “dun” with nasal ng
  • So: oon-dung oon-dung, with both parts pronounced fully:
    
    • /un.daŋ.un.daŋ/

• kampus:

  • kam like “kum” in come (short “a”)
  • pus like “poos” with short “u”, not long “oo”
  • So: kum-poos
    
    • /kam.pus/

Malay stress is generally fairly even; don’t stress any one syllable too strongly like in English.