Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain walaupun saya tidak setuju. - I try to respect other people’s feelings even though I do not agree.

The root verb (here: hormat) can be used after certain “helping” verbs like cuba, boleh, mau/mahu, hendak, perlu, etc.
- e.g. Saya mahu pergi, Dia boleh baca, Saya cuba hormat.
The meN- form (menghormati) is more formal and often a bit heavier in style.

Nuance:

cuba hormat = natural, quite conversational, still acceptable in semi-formal writing.
cuba menghormati = sounds a bit more formal or careful.

So the sentence is correct as it is; using menghormati would not change the basic meaning, only the style/register slightly.

Can I say Saya cuba untuk hormat… or Saya cuba untuk menghormati…? Is untuk needed?

You can, but it’s optional, and it changes the style a bit.

All of these are grammatically possible:

Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain…
Saya cuba menghormati perasaan orang lain…
Saya cuba untuk hormat perasaan orang lain…
Saya cuba untuk menghormati perasaan orang lain…

Differences:

Without untuk (1, 2) = simpler, more direct, more common in everyday use.
With untuk (3, 4) = slightly more formal / “careful” style, common in written or planned speech.

In casual speech, (1) is very natural. In essays or formal writing, many people prefer (2) or (4).

Why is it perasaan orang lain and not something like orang-orang lain or perasaan-perasaan orang lain?

Malay does not need to mark plural every time:

perasaan can mean feeling or feelings depending on context.
orang lain already suggests other people (plural in meaning).

So:

perasaan orang lain = other people’s feelings / the feelings of other people.
If you say perasaan-perasaan orang lain, it sounds very emphatic or stylistic (not wrong, but unusual in everyday speech).
orang-orang lain is also possible, but it often sounds a bit more literary or emphasised; orang lain is enough in normal use.

Malay relies heavily on context to show singular vs plural, so the shorter perasaan orang lain is the most natural here.

Can I drop the second saya and say …walaupun tidak setuju?

Yes, that is commonly done in speech:

Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain walaupun tidak setuju.

Meaning is still clear: tidak setuju refers back to saya.

Nuance:

With saya repeated (walaupun saya tidak setuju) = a bit clearer and slightly more formal or written.
Without saya (walaupun tidak setuju) = more casual, fluent-sounding conversation.

Both are correct; in writing aimed at learners, repeating saya is often preferred for clarity.

Why is tidak used and not bukan in saya tidak setuju?

In Malay, tidak and bukan are different:

tidak negates verbs and adjectives:
- Saya tidak setuju. (I do not agree.) – setuju is a verb/adjective-like word.
- Dia tidak marah. (He is not angry.)
bukan negates nouns or pronouns (or gives a contrastive “no, not X”):
- Dia bukan doktor. (He is not a doctor.)
- Itu bukan saya. (That’s not me.)

Because setuju acts as a verb/adjective (“to agree” / “agreeing”), you must use tidak:

✔ Saya tidak setuju.
✘ Saya bukan setuju. (wrong in this context)

What is the function of walaupun here? Is it the same as walau or meskipun?

Walaupun introduces a contrast clause, like even though / although in English:

…walaupun saya tidak setuju.
= …even though I don’t agree.

Related forms:

walau – shorter, often slightly more informal or poetic, usually followed by something else:
- Walau saya tidak setuju, saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain.
meskipun – similar meaning, a bit more formal/standard:
- Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain meskipun saya tidak setuju.

In everyday Standard Malay:

walaupun and meskipun are both common.
walau alone is a bit less common in very neutral prose, but you will see it, especially when the clause comes first (Walau saya tidak setuju, …).

All three forms are good to know; walaupun is a safe, neutral choice.

Can I move the walaupun clause to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Both orders are natural in Malay:

Original:
Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain walaupun saya tidak setuju.
Alternative:
Walaupun saya tidak setuju, saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain.

Both mean the same. Differences:

Clause-first (Walaupun saya tidak setuju, …) puts more emphasis on the contrast (“Even though I don’t agree, …”).
Clause-last (original) is slightly more neutral in flow.

Punctuation: when walaupun clause comes first, a comma is usually written before the main clause.

Is cuba here more like “try once” or “make an effort (habitually)”? How should I feel its meaning?

In this sentence, cuba expresses making an effort / attempting, not just a one-time experiment. Context suggests a general attitude:

Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain…
= I make an effort / I try (in general) to respect other people’s feelings.

If you wanted a one-off, test-like sense (“try it out”), you would usually see a more concrete context, e.g.:

Cuba rasa makanan ini. (Try this food.)

Here, because it’s about values/attitude, cuba suggests an ongoing, repeated effort.

Could I use aku instead of saya here? What’s the difference?

Yes, grammatically you could say:

Aku cuba hormat perasaan orang lain walaupun aku tidak setuju.

Difference:

saya – polite, neutral, used with strangers, in formal settings, writing, etc.
aku – informal, intimate; used with close friends, siblings, sometimes online, or in casual fiction/dialogue.

With hormat perasaan orang lain (which is quite a “polite” idea), saya matches the tone better in a general statement. Aku would be fine if you’re talking to friends or writing informal text.

Why isn’t there kepada or terhadap before perasaan? Should it be hormat kepada perasaan orang lain?

In Malay, many verbs can take a direct object without a preposition:

hormat perasaan orang lain = respect other people’s feelings.

You can find phrases like:

menghormati perasaan orang lain (no preposition)
menghormati hak-hak orang lain (respect other people’s rights)

Using kepada or terhadap is not needed here and would usually sound unnatural:

✘ Saya cuba hormat kepada perasaan orang lain.
✘ Saya cuba hormat terhadap perasaan orang lain.

So, for this verb + object combination, the bare object is the usual structure.

Is there a difference between Saya cuba hormat… and Saya tetap hormat…?

Yes, they express different ideas:

Saya cuba hormat perasaan orang lain…
= I try to respect other people’s feelings (I make an effort; I may not always succeed).
Saya tetap hormat perasaan orang lain…
= I still / nevertheless respect other people’s feelings (I do respect them, despite something).

So:

cuba focuses on the effort.
tetap focuses on the fact that the respect continues in spite of some difficulty.

In your sentence, cuba fits well because it highlights personal effort despite disagreement.