Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.

I find it hard to understand that history question.

Breakdown of Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.

• saya: I
• itu: that
• soalan: the question
• sejarah: history

Questions & Answers about Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.

What does sukar mean here, and how is it different from susah or payah?

Sukar means difficult / hard in a fairly neutral, slightly formal way.

• sukar – standard, a bit formal; common in writing, speeches, exams.

  • Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
    = I find it difficult to understand that history question.

• susah – very common in everyday speech; more colloquial.

  • Saya susah nak faham soalan sejarah tu.

• payah – also means difficult, but often feels a bit stronger or more emotional, like “such a hassle / such a struggle”.

In this sentence, sukar sounds like standard written Malay (e.g. in textbooks, essays, formal spoken Malay). In casual conversation, a lot of people would naturally say susah instead.

Why is it Saya sukar memahami... and not Saya adalah sukar memahami...? Where is the verb “to be”?

Malay does not usually use a verb like “to be” before adjectives.

The pattern is simply:

• Subject + adjective

So:

• Saya sukar = I am (finding it) difficult
• Dia lapar = He/She is hungry
• Mereka gembira = They are happy

If you add adalah before an adjective in a normal sentence, it usually sounds wrong or at least very stiff.

So Saya adalah sukar memahami… is not natural. You just say:

• Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.

What is the structure of memahami? How is it related to ?