Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.

That young woman works at the office.

Breakdown of Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.

• itu: that
• di: at
• kerja: to work
• pejabat: the office
• muda: young
• wanita: the woman

Questions & Answers about Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.

Why does itu come after wanita muda instead of before it, like that young woman in English?

In Malay, the demonstrative itu (that/the) usually comes after the noun phrase it modifies:

• wanita muda itu = that/the young woman
• rumah besar itu = that/the big house

So the pattern is:

Noun + Adjective + itu

Putting itu before the noun (itu wanita muda) is possible but sounds more like you are pointing something out very explicitly, as in:

• Itu wanita muda yang kerja di pejabat.
  = That (one), the young woman who works in the office.

For a simple noun phrase (the young woman), wanita muda itu is the normal structure.

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Does itu mean the or that here?

Itu can mean both the and that, depending on context.

• As that: when you’re distinguishing it from other things, or gesturing/pointing.
• As the: when speaker and listener both know which specific person/thing is meant.

In Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat, without a visual context, you can understand itu as:

• that young woman (some specific woman you’ve been talking about), or
• the young woman (the specific one known to both people).

Malay doesn’t have separate words for the and that; itu covers both.

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Why is the adjective muda (young) after wanita (woman)? Why not muda wanita?

In Malay, descriptive adjectives usually come after the noun:

• wanita muda = young woman
• kereta merah = red car
• baju baru = new shirt

So the basic pattern is:

Noun + Adjective

Saying muda wanita would sound wrong, just like saying young the woman in English.
You almost always put the descriptive word after the thing it describes.

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What’s the difference between wanita and perempuan? Could I say Perempuan muda itu kerja di pejabat?

Both wanita and perempuan mean woman, but their usage feels different:

• wanita

  • More formal, polite, often used in writing, media, official contexts.
  • Common in phrases like hak wanita (women’s rights), majlis wanita (women’s council).

• perempuan

  • More colloquial and neutral in speech.
  • Can sound a bit less formal; in some tones/contexts it can even sound slightly rude or dismissive, depending on how it’s said.

You can say:

• Perempuan muda itu kerja di pejabat.

Grammatically fine, but in a textbook or formal sentence, wanita sounds more standard and respectful.

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Is kerja here a noun (work / job) or a verb (to work)? How can it be both?

Kerja can be both:

• As a noun:

  • Saya ada banyak kerja. = I have a lot of work.
  • Dia cari kerja. = She is looking for a job.

• As a verb (especially in spoken Malaysian Malay):

  • Saya kerja di Kuala Lumpur. = I work in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Dia kerja malam. = He/she works nights.

In Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat, kerja is used as a verb:
→ The young woman works in an office.

In more formal/standard Malay, you would often see:

• Wanita muda itu bekerja di pejabat.

Here bekerja is clearly a verb meaning to work.

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What’s the difference between kerja and bekerja in this sentence? Which is more correct?

Both can be correct, but they differ in style/register:

• kerja (as verb)

  • Very common in everyday spoken Malaysian Malay.
  • Feels informal/colloquial.
  • Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat. (natural in speech)

• bekerja

  • More formal and standard in writing and careful speech.
  • Clear verb meaning to work.
  • Wanita muda itu bekerja di pejabat. (good for writing, exams, news, etc.)

If you’re writing an essay or exam answer, bekerja is usually safer.
If you’re chatting with friends, kerja is perfectly natural.

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How do we know the tense? Could it mean worked or will work, not just works?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Kerja/bekerja stays the same for past, present, and future.
The tense is understood from context or from time words like:

• sudah / telah – already (past)
• tadi – earlier
• akan – will (future)
• nanti – later
• sekarang – now

So:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.
  Could be:
  • The young woman works in an office. (habitual / general fact)
  • The young woman worked in an office. (if the context is past)
  • The young woman will work in an office. (if we clearly talk about the future)

To be explicit:

• Wanita muda itu sudah bekerja di pejabat. = has already worked / has started working.
• Wanita muda itu akan bekerja di pejabat. = will work in an office.

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Why is di used before pejabat? Could I use pada instead?

Di is the basic preposition for in / at / on when talking about locations:

• di pejabat = at/in the office
• di sekolah = at school
• di rumah = at home

Pada is more for time and some abstract locations:

• pada hari Isnin = on Monday
• pada masa itu = at that time
• pada pendapat saya = in my opinion

So:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat. ✅ (correct, natural)
• Wanita muda itu kerja pada pejabat. ❌ (wrong in this sense)

Also note: when di is a preposition (like here), it is always written separately:

• di pejabat (two words), not dipejabat.

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Could this sentence also mean The young women work in an office (plural)? There’s no -s.

Yes, Malay does not mark plural with -s like English.
So wanita muda could be:

• a young woman / the young woman
• young women / the young women

You know singular vs plural from context or extra words:

• seorang wanita muda = one young woman
• dua orang wanita muda = two young women
• para wanita muda = (a group of) young women
• wanita-wanita muda = young women (plural form, more formal/emphatic)

So:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.
  Usually understood as one specific young woman, because itu feels singular.
  But technically, Malay allows plural meaning if context supports it.

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Why is there no word like is (the verb “to be”) in this sentence?

Malay usually does not use a verb like is / am / are between the subject and:

• a verb
• an adjective
• a noun

You just put them directly together:

• Dia kerja di pejabat. = He/She works in an office.
• Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
• Dia doktor. = He/She is a doctor.

In your sentence:

• Wanita muda itu (subject)
• kerja (verb)
• di pejabat (prepositional phrase)

You don’t say Wanita muda itu adalah kerja di pejabat. – that would be wrong.
Adalah is only used in certain formal, specific structures (linking to nouns/phrases), not before normal verbs like kerja.

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Is pejabat the only word for office? I’ve also seen ofis.

Both exist, but they’re used differently:

• pejabat

  • Standard Malay word.
  • Used in writing, formal speech, signage.
  • pejabat pos = post office
  • pejabat kerajaan = government office

• ofis

  • Borrowed from English office.
  • Common in casual speech in Malaysia:
    
    • Saya kerja ofis. = I work in an office.
  • Less common in formal writing.

In this textbook-style sentence, pejabat is the more standard choice:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat. ✅
  In casual talk, you might also hear:

• Perempuan muda tu kerja kat ofis. (very colloquial)

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Could I move di pejabat to the front, like Di pejabat, wanita muda itu kerja? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can move the location phrase to the front:

• Di pejabat, wanita muda itu kerja.

This is still grammatical. The meaning is basically the same, but the focus changes a bit:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat.
  → Focus on who works and where (neutral word order).

• Di pejabat, wanita muda itu kerja.
  → Emphasizes the place first: At the office, that young woman works (maybe contrasting with other places or other people).

In everyday speech, the original order (Subject + Verb + Place) is more common and neutral.

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Can I replace the whole noun phrase with a pronoun, like Dia kerja di pejabat? Is that natural?

Yes. Malay often uses pronouns like dia (he/she) instead of repeating the full noun phrase:

• Dia kerja di pejabat. = He/She works in an office.

This is very natural in conversation, especially when the person is already known from context.

You might use wanita muda itu when:

• you first introduce her, or
• you want to be specific about which person (the young woman, not someone else).

Then, after that, you can just say dia:

• Wanita muda itu kerja di pejabat. Dia suka kerjanya.
  = That young woman works in an office. She likes her job.