Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu. - I find it hard to understand that history question.

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 faham?

The base word is faham (to understand).

Malay often uses the prefix meN- to form an active verb:

faham → memahami

The change f → mem is a normal sound change in this prefix pattern:

meN- + faham → memahami

Usage:

faham – can be used as a verb or adjective:
- Saya tak faham. = I don’t understand.
- Senang faham. = Easy to understand.
memahami – always a verb, more formal, often used with an object:
- Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
- Mereka sedang memahami konsep ini.

In everyday speech, many people would say:

Saya susah nak faham soalan sejarah tu,
rather than using memahami.

Could I say Saya sukar untuk memahami soalan sejarah itu? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Saya sukar untuk memahami soalan sejarah itu.

Both are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same thing.

Differences in feel:

sukar memahami – a bit more compact and formal; very standard written Malay.
sukar untuk memahami – adds untuk (to/for) and sounds slightly more explanatory, but still standard.

In many contexts, they’re interchangeable. If you want very concise, formal Malay (e.g. exams, essays), sukar memahami is perfectly good.

Why is it soalan sejarah itu and not itu soalan sejarah?

Malay noun phrases usually follow this order:

Head noun + modifiers

In this phrase:

soalan = question (head noun)
sejarah = history (modifier; telling you what kind of question)
itu = that / the (demonstrative, goes at the end)

So:

soalan sejarah itu = that history question / the history question

If you say itu soalan sejarah, it is also grammatically possible, but it works more like:

That is a history question (whole sentence)
- Itu soalan sejarah. = That is a history question.

So for “I find it hard to understand that history question”, you need:

Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.

What exactly does itu mean here: “that” or “the”?

Itu literally means that, pointing to something specific.

But in real usage, itu often functions like the English the when you are talking about a particular known item.

So:

soalan sejarah itu can be:
- that history question (e.g. that one on the paper)
- or the history question (the specific one you both know about)

Malay doesn’t have a separate word for the, so itu often covers that role when specificity is needed.

What is the function of sejarah in soalan sejarah? Is it an adjective?

Grammatically, sejarah is a noun meaning history.

In soalan sejarah:

soalan = question
sejarah = history

Malay often uses noun + noun to express relationships like:

buku sejarah = history book
guru matematik = math teacher
soalan sejarah = history question

English often uses an adjective or a “noun as adjective”, but in Malay it’s just a straightforward noun–noun compound. You don’t change sejarah into an adjective; you just place it after soalan.

Could I say Saya sukar faham soalan sejarah itu instead of Saya sukar memahami…?

Yes, in everyday conversation this is very common:

Saya sukar faham soalan sejarah itu.
Saya susah nak faham soalan sejarah tu. (even more colloquial)

Differences:

memahami – more formal, textbook/standard; often used in writing, exams, formal speech.
faham (after sukar/susah) – very natural in spoken Malay; still correct in writing, but slightly less formal.

So:

Formal/standard: Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Natural spoken: Saya susah nak faham soalan sejarah tu.

How do I show past or future tense in this sentence? It looks present only.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. You add time words to show when something happened.

Base sentence:

Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu. = I find it hard / I found it hard / I will find it hard, depending on context.

To make the time clear:

Past:

Tadi saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Earlier I found it hard to understand that history question.
Semalam saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Yesterday I found it hard to understand that history question.

Future:

Esok saya mungkin sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Tomorrow I might find it hard to understand that history question.

Present (explicit):

Sekarang saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu.
Now I find it hard to understand that history question.

The verb memahami itself does not change.

Is this sentence formal or informal? How would a more casual version look?

Saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu. is neutral to formal. It sounds like something you’d say in:

exams
presentations
polite conversation
written texts / essays

A more casual spoken version might be:

Saya susah nak faham soalan sejarah tu.
- susah instead of sukar
- nak instead of hendak/untuk
- tu (colloquial form of itu)

Both are correct; you just choose based on the level of formality and who you’re talking to.

Why is there no word like “the” or “a” before soalan?

Malay does not have separate words for “a/an” and “the” like English does.

soalan sejarah itu covers:
- that history question
- the history question

If you wanted to talk about a history question in a general sense, you could drop itu:

saya sukar memahami soalan sejarah
= I find it hard to understand history questions / a history question (general)

But normally you rely on context and on words like:

itu (that / the, specific)
ini (this)
beberapa (some)
banyak (many)
satu (one / a single)

instead of articles like “a” and “the”.

How would I turn this into a negative sentence: “I don’t find it hard to understand that history question”?

You use tidak in front of the adjective or verb that you want to negate.

Starting from:

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

Negative:

Saya tidak sukar memahami soalan sejarah itu. = I do not find it difficult to understand that history question.

In more natural English, we might say:

I don’t have trouble understanding that history question. But in Malay, Saya tidak sukar memahami… is a direct and clear negative form.