Learn Hardcore Malay: Pasangan suami isteri itu tinggal di rumah kecil tetapi bahagia. - That married couple lives in a small house but is happy.

Pasangan means pair / couple / partner.
Suami isteri literally means husband (and) wife and is often used as a fixed pair meaning “a married couple”.

So:

suami isteri = husband and wife / married couple
pasangan suami isteri = a (married) couple; literally “a couple of husband and wife”

It sounds natural in Malay and is not considered redundant the way “couple husband and wife” would be in English.

Why is there no dan between suami and isteri? Shouldn’t it be suami dan isteri?

You can say suami dan isteri, but suami isteri (without dan) is a very common fixed expression in Malay meaning “husband and wife” as a unit.

suami isteri = a standard collocation, understood as “husband and wife / married couple”
suami dan isteri = also correct, just slightly more explicit

In this sentence, pasangan suami isteri is perfectly natural and idiomatic.

What does itu do in pasangan suami isteri itu and why is it at the end?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning that or the (when referring to something specific/known).

In Malay, itu usually comes after the noun phrase:

pasangan suami isteri itu ≈ “that married couple / the married couple”
rumah itu = that house / the house

If you say itu pasangan suami isteri, it sounds more like “that (one is) a married couple” and is a different structure (often used in explanations), not just a noun phrase.

Why is tinggal used here? Does it mean “live” or “stay”, and how is it different from duduk or hidup?

In this sentence, tinggal means to live / reside (as in where someone lives).

Common distinctions:

tinggal = to live / reside / stay somewhere
- Saya tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. = I live in Kuala Lumpur.
duduk = literally “sit”, but in many dialects and in informal Malay it can also mean “live (somewhere)”
- Saya duduk di Kuala Lumpur. (informal)
hidup = to live in the sense of “to be alive” (opposite of “dead”), not “to live in a place”.

So tinggal di rumah kecil is “live in a small house.”

What is the function of di in tinggal di rumah kecil?

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

tinggal di rumah kecil = live in a small house
di sekolah = at school
di bandar = in the city

You use di to mark the place where something is or happens. It’s not interchangeable with ke, which means “to (a place)” and indicates movement.

Why is it rumah kecil and not kecil rumah? What is the rule for word order with adjectives?

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

rumah kecil = small house
orang kaya = rich person
baju baru = new shirt

So rumah kecil is correct. kecil rumah is wrong in standard Malay for “small house”; it would be understood as something like “small, the house” and is not normal syntax.

In tetapi bahagia, there’s no word for “is” or “are”. Is something missing?

Nothing is missing; Malay usually does not use a separate verb for “to be” when linking a subject to an adjective.

Mereka bahagia. = “They are happy.” (literally: “They happy.”)
Rumah itu besar. = “The house is big.”

In tetapi bahagia, the subject (“the couple”) is understood from the earlier part of the sentence, so it’s like saying “but (they are) happy” without needing adalah or any equivalent of “are”.

Does bahagia describe the house or the couple? How do we know?

Bahagia describes the couple, not the house.

The structure is:

Pasangan suami isteri itu (subject)
tinggal di rumah kecil (they live in a small house)
tetapi bahagia (but [they are] happy)

After tetapi, Malay assumes the same subject continues unless you clearly change it. So it’s understood as “that married couple lives in a small house, but (they are) happy.” If you wanted to make it extra explicit, you could say tetapi mereka bahagia.

What nuance does bahagia have? How is it different from gembira or seronok?

Bahagia is more like deeply happy / content / blessed, often used for long-term happiness, especially in family or marriage contexts.

Some rough comparisons:

bahagia: deep, lasting happiness (e.g. in marriage, family life)
- Mereka hidup bahagia. = They live happily (in a fulfilled way).
gembira: glad, cheerful, pleased (often more momentary)
- Saya sangat gembira hari ini. = I’m very happy today.
seronok: having fun / enjoying oneself
- Saya seronok bercuti. = I’m having fun on vacation.

In this sentence, bahagia is very appropriate for a happy married life despite modest conditions.

The subject is a couple (two people). Shouldn’t the verb be plural? Why is it just tinggal?

Malay verbs do not change form for singular vs plural subjects.

Saya tinggal di sini. = I live here.
Kami tinggal di sini. = We live here.
Pasangan suami isteri itu tinggal di sini. = That couple lives here.

So tinggal stays the same regardless of whether the subject is one person, a couple, or many people.