Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

Last night, I only drank coffee once.

Breakdown of Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

• saya: I
• minum: to drink
• kopi: the coffee
• malam tadi: last night
• hanya: only
• sekali: once

Questions & Answers about Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

What does malam tadi literally mean, and how is it different from semalam?

Malam tadi literally means “last night”:

• malam = night
• tadi = earlier / a short while ago / just now (in the past), but when combined with malam, it specifically gives the idea of “last night”

Semalam also means “yesterday” or “last night”, and in many everyday contexts it overlaps with malam tadi.

Rough guideline:

• malam tadi = specifically last night
• semalam = can mean “yesterday” in general, and often includes “last night” depending on context

In this sentence, Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali = Last night, I only drank coffee once.
You could very naturally also say:

• Semalam, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

Is the comma after malam tadi necessary?

The comma is not strictly required, but it is common and helpful.

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
• Malam tadi saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

Both are correct. The comma simply reflects a natural pause when you move the time expression (malam tadi) to the front of the sentence. It improves readability but isn’t a grammar rule.

Why is there no past tense marker like “-ed”? How do we know it means “drank” and not “drink”?

Malay verbs do not change form for past, present, or future. Minum can mean drink, drank, or will drink, depending on context.

In this sentence, the time expression malam tadi (“last night”) tells us the action is in the past, so:

• saya minum = I drink / I drank / I will drink
• malam tadi, saya minum = I drank (last night)

Malay usually relies on:

• time words: malam tadi, esok (tomorrow), sekarang (now)
• sometimes aspect words: sudah / dah (already), sedang (in the middle of)

rather than changing the verb form.

What exactly does hanya mean here, and what is it limiting?

Hanya means “only”.

In this sentence:

• saya hanya minum kopi sekali

hanya is placed before the verb phrase minum kopi sekali, so it limits the entire action (“drinking coffee once”), and the natural English translation is:

• I only drank coffee once.

Depending on the position of hanya, you can change what is being limited:

• Saya hanya minum kopi.
  I only drink coffee (and no other drink).

• Saya minum hanya kopi.
  I drink only coffee (similar meaning, but sounds a bit more formal/emphatic).

• Saya minum kopi hanya sekali.
  I drank coffee only once (emphasis on “once”).

The original sentence is natural and clear, but other word orders are possible with slightly different emphasis.

Could I also say Malam tadi, saya minum kopi hanya sekali? Is that correct?

Yes, Malam tadi, saya minum kopi hanya sekali is grammatically correct and natural.

The difference is nuance:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
  More neutral; hanya limits the whole action of drinking coffee once.

• Malam tadi, saya minum kopi hanya sekali.
  The hanya is now right before sekali, so it more strongly emphasizes “only once”.

In everyday conversation, both are fine; the meaning is essentially the same, with a slight shift in what feels emphasized.

What does sekali mean in this sentence, and can it mean anything else?

Here, sekali means “once / one time”.

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
  Last night, I only drank coffee once.

Other common uses:

1. Frequency / number of times

   • dua kali = twice
   • tiga kali = three times
   • sekali-sekala = once in a while

2. As an intensifier (more common in Indonesian, but understood in Malay):

   • cantik sekali = very beautiful
     In standard Malay, you’re more likely to hear sangat cantik or cantik sangat.

In this sentence, only the “one time” meaning is intended.

Do I need a word like “cup” in Malay, like a cup of coffee? Should it be secawan kopi?

You can specify it, but you don’t have to.

The sentence:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.

is perfectly natural and means “I only drank coffee once last night.” It focuses on how many times you drank coffee.

If you want to be specific about the container/portion:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum secawan kopi.
  Last night, I only drank a cup of coffee.

You can also combine them:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum secawan kopi sekali.
  This is grammatical, but sounds a bit redundant or awkward for many speakers; usually context will choose either how many cups or how many times, not both, unless you have a special reason.

What is the function of saya here, and are there more informal pronouns I might hear?

Saya means “I / me” and is polite, neutral, and suitable for almost all situations (formal and informal).

Other common first-person pronouns in Malay:

• aku – informal, used with close friends, peers, or in casual speech.
  Example: Malam tadi, aku hanya minum kopi sekali.

• kami – we (excluding the person you are talking to)
• kita – we (including the person you are talking to)

In everyday speech among friends, you might hear aku instead of saya, but saya is always safe and polite, especially for learners.

Why is it minum and not something like meminum? What’s the difference?

Minum is the basic verb “to drink”.

Malay has a system where a base word can be given prefixes/suffixes, e.g. meN-, to form related verbs:

• minum = to drink
• meminum = a more formal/derived form, often used in structures where the verb is followed by a more explicit object or in formal writing

In everyday spoken Malay, minum is almost always used:

• Saya minum kopi. = I drink coffee.

Meminum is far less common in casual speech and often sounds formal or literary in modern usage. For your purposes as a learner, minum is the normal choice.

Can I change the word order to Saya hanya sekali minum kopi malam tadi? Does that sound natural?

Saya hanya sekali minum kopi malam tadi is grammatically understandable, but it sounds a bit awkward or overly “rearranged” to many native speakers.

More natural options:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
• Semalam, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
• Saya hanya minum kopi sekali malam tadi.

Malay usually prefers a relatively straightforward Subject–Verb–Object–extra information word order. Moving sekali right after hanya is possible, but it starts to feel less natural outside of special emphasis or poetic/literary styles.

Is there any difference between malam tadi and tadi malam like in Indonesian?

In standard Malay, the natural phrase is malam tadi, not tadi malam.

• Malay: malam tadi = last night
• Indonesian: tadi malam = last night

Malay speakers will usually understand tadi malam (because of Indonesian influence), but it sounds Indonesian rather than native Malay.

So as a learner of Malay, prefer:

• malam tadi (Malay)
  rather than
• tadi malam (Indonesian)

If I wanted to say “I have only ever drunk coffee once in my life,” would I still use sekali like this?

You would normally add pernah to express “ever (in my life)”:

• Saya hanya pernah minum kopi sekali.
  I have only ever drunk coffee once.

Difference:

• Malam tadi, saya hanya minum kopi sekali.
  Last night, I only drank coffee once (we’re talking about that specific night).

• Saya hanya pernah minum kopi sekali.
  I have only ever drunk coffee once (in my whole life / up to now).

So sekali = once, and pernah gives the “ever in my experience” nuance.