Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju. - I respect your view even though I do not agree.

hormat – base form, often used in everyday spoken Malay as a verb
menghormati – meN- verb form, more formal and very common in writing or polite speech

Both are correct:

Saya hormat pandangan awak. – natural, informal–neutral
Saya menghormati pandangan anda. – more formal, polite, slightly “heavier”

So the sentence uses the simpler, conversational style. It does not mean “I am respectful opinion your”; it really works as “I respect your opinion.”

What’s the nuance of pandangan here? How is it different from pendapat?

Pandangan literally means “view” or “perspective”, but it can also mean “opinion” in contexts like this.

Common near-synonyms:

pandangan – view, perspective, opinion (slightly more “how you look at something”)
pendapat – opinion (very common, neutral)
fikiran – thought(s), idea(s), way of thinking

You could say:

Saya hormat pendapat awak...
Saya hormat pandangan awak...

Both are natural. Pandangan can sound a bit like “the way you see things,” while pendapat is more like “your stated opinion,” but often they’re interchangeable.

Why is it awak? What’s the difference between awak, kamu, and anda?

All three mean “you”, but they differ in politeness and region.

awak
- Very common in Malaysia
- Neutral to informal
- Often used between friends, peers, or to address someone not much older
kamu
- Used, but can sometimes sound a bit distant or even slightly rude, depending on tone and region
- Common in some regions and in certain Christian / religious contexts (Bible, etc.)
anda
- Polite, formal, and somewhat impersonal
- Often used in advertisements, official writing, and customer-facing language

So:

Neutral informal: Saya hormat pandangan awak...
More formal / polite: Saya menghormati pandangan anda...
Very casual/close: Aku hormat pendapat kau...

In walaupun saya tidak setuju, why is there no object? Shouldn’t it be setuju dengan sesuatu?

Setuju means “to agree” and is often followed by dengan:

Saya setuju dengan awak. – I agree with you.
Saya tidak setuju dengan pandangan awak. – I don’t agree with your opinion.

In the original sentence, the object is understood from context:

Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.

Because pandangan awak was just mentioned, “I don’t agree (with it)” is clear. Malay often omits things that are obvious from context, especially in speech.

If you want to be explicit, you can say:

Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju dengan pandangan awak.

This is grammatically fine, just more repetitive.

Is tidak setuju the normal way to say “disagree”? Is there a single word for “disagree”?

Yes, tidak setuju is the standard everyday way to say “disagree”.

There is a related form:

bersetuju – to agree
tidak bersetuju – to disagree (a bit more formal or written)

So you have:

saya tidak setuju – I don’t agree / I disagree (neutral, common)
saya tidak bersetuju – I disagree (slightly more formal)

For softening tone, people often say:

saya kurang setuju – I don’t quite agree / I’m not fully on board

Do I have to repeat saya in the second clause, or can I say Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun tidak setuju?

You don’t have to repeat saya. Both are acceptable:

Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.
Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun tidak setuju.

Omitting saya in the second part is very natural in speech and informal writing. The subject is understood to be the same person as in the first clause.

However, repeating saya:

sounds a bit clearer and slightly more careful/explicit
can add a tiny bit of emphasis: even though *I don’t agree*

Can I reverse the clause order, like “Even though I don’t agree, I respect your opinion”?

Yes, you can. Both orders are grammatical:

Original order:
- Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.
Reversed order:
- Walaupun saya tidak setuju, saya hormat pandangan awak.

Using walaupun at the start of the sentence is very natural and often sounds slightly more formal or structured, similar to English.

What’s the function of walaupun? Is it the same as meskipun or sedangkan?

Walaupun means roughly “even though / although”. It introduces a contrast: X is true, even though Y.

In this sentence:

X: I respect your opinion
Y: I do not agree

Related words:

meskipun – very close in meaning to walaupun, often interchangeable in this type of sentence.
sedangkan – “whereas / while (on the other hand)” — used more to contrast two situations, not exactly like “even though”.

Here you could also say:

Saya hormat pandangan awak meskipun saya tidak setuju.

but walaupun is probably more common in casual speech.

How formal or polite does this sentence sound? How could I make it more formal or more casual?

The original is neutral–informal, polite enough for everyday conversation:

Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.

To make it more formal/polite:

Saya menghormati pandangan anda walaupun saya tidak bersetuju.

Changes:

hormat → menghormati
awak → anda
tidak setuju → tidak bersetuju

To make it more casual/intimate (with friends):

Aku hormat pendapat kau walaupun aku tak setuju.

Changes:

saya → aku
awak → kau
tidak → tak
pandangan → pendapat (slightly more casual, but still standard)

How do I show past or future tense in this sentence, like “respected” or “will respect”?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. You keep hormat the same and add time words if needed.

Saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.
– I respect / I respected / I will respect (depends on context)

To make the time clearer:

Past:
- Dulu saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.
- Semalam saya hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.
Future:
- Saya akan hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju. – I will respect…
- Pada masa depan, saya akan hormat pandangan awak walaupun saya tidak setuju.

So akan is the usual marker for future, and time adverbs (like dulu, semalam, nanti) signal the time frame.