Mereka sudah berkahwin.

They are already married.

Breakdown of Mereka sudah berkahwin.

• mereka: they
• sudah: already
• berkahwin: to be married

Questions & Answers about Mereka sudah berkahwin.

What does each word in Mereka sudah berkahwin mean, and how is the sentence structured?

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Mereka = they (3rd person plural pronoun, usually for people)
• sudah = already / has/have done (something), indicating that an action is completed
• berkahwin = to be married / to get married (verb; literally “be-married”)

Word order is: Subject (mereka) + Aspect marker (sudah) + Verb (berkahwin).
Natural translation: They are already married or They have already married.

Does Mereka sudah berkahwin mean “They are already married” or “They have already married”? Is there a tense difference in Malay?

It can mean both:

• They are already married (focusing on their current marital status)
• They have already married (focusing on the completed action of getting married)

Malay does not mark tense with verb endings like English does. The verb berkahwin itself has no tense.
The word sudah indicates that the action/state is already completed or in effect, and the exact English tense (present perfect, simple present, etc.) depends on context.

What exactly does sudah do? Is it a past tense marker?

Sudah is not a past tense marker in the strict grammatical sense. It marks completion / “already-ness”, not time.

• It often corresponds to already, has/have (done), or did (already) in English.
• The time reference (past, very recent, long ago) is supplied by context, not by sudah itself.

Examples:

• Dia sudah makan. = He/She has already eaten. / He/She already ate.
• Mereka sudah berkahwin. = They are already married. / They have already married.

So think of sudah as an aspect marker (completed) rather than a tense marker (past).

What is the role of the ber- prefix in berkahwin? Why not just kahwin?

In Malay, ber- is a very common verb prefix. With kahwin (marriage), you get:

• kahwin (root) = marriage / to marry (often casual/colloquial as a verb)
• berkahwin = to be married / to get married (more standard/neutral as a verb)

In everyday speech, many people say:

• Mereka sudah kahwin. (colloquial, very common)
• Mereka sudah berkahwin. (standard, slightly more formal)

So ber- here makes the root kahwin into a more standard intransitive verb meaning “to be/get married”.

Can I say Mereka berkahwin sudah instead of Mereka sudah berkahwin?

In standard Malay, you should say:

• Mereka sudah berkahwin.

Putting sudah after the verb (Mereka berkahwin sudah) sounds dialectal or non-standard in most contexts. Some regional varieties or informal speech may move sudah around, but for learners and for standard usage, place sudah before the verb:

• Subject + sudah + Verb

How would I say “They are not married yet” in Malay? How do I negate sudah?

To express “not yet”, use belum, not tidak.

• Mereka belum berkahwin. = They are not married yet. / They have not married yet.

Notes:

• belum = not yet (implies it may happen in the future)
• tidak = not / no (plain negation, no “yet” meaning)

So:

• Mereka belum berkahwin. (They’re not married yet, but maybe later.)
• Mereka tidak berkahwin. (They do not marry / They are not married – more general, no “yet” idea; often sounds less natural for marital status unless in a specific context.)

How would I say “They are no longer married” (they used to be married but aren’t now)?

For “no longer”, you can use tidak lagi or tidak… lagi.

Possible ways:

• Mereka tidak berkahwin lagi.
  = They are no longer married. (literally: They do not be-married anymore.)

You can also talk about divorce explicitly:

• Mereka sudah bercerai.
  = They are already divorced. / They have divorced.

So:

• Mereka sudah berkahwin, tetapi sekarang mereka sudah bercerai.
  = They were/are already married, but now they are divorced.

What’s the difference between sudah and telah? Could I say Mereka telah berkahwin?

Yes, you can say:

• Mereka telah berkahwin.

Differences:

• sudah: very common in everyday speech and writing, neutral and natural.
• telah: more formal, often seen in news, official documents, and formal writing.

In many contexts, sudah and telah overlap in meaning (completed action). For everyday conversation, sudah is usually the better choice:

• Conversation: Mereka sudah berkahwin.
• Formal written report: Mereka telah berkahwin.

What exactly does mereka mean? Is it only for people? Is it gendered?

Mereka means they / them and is:

• Plural (for more than one person)
• Not gendered (no distinction like “he” vs “she”; Malay pronouns are gender-neutral)
• Usually used for people, not objects.

For objects or animals, speakers often avoid pronouns or use other strategies (like repeating the noun or using itu “that”). But in many casual contexts, especially for animals treated like people (pets), mereka can also appear.

If berkahwin means “to be/get married”, how do I say “to marry someone” (with an object)?

To express “to marry someone” with an explicit object, Malay usually uses:

• berkahwin dengan… = to marry … / to get married to …

Examples:

• Dia berkahwin dengan Amir. = She/He married Amir. / She/He is married to Amir.
• Mereka sudah berkahwin dengan pasangan masing-masing.
  = They have already married their respective partners.

So:

• berkahwin alone = to get married / to be married (no object stated)
• berkahwin dengan X = to marry X / to be married to X