Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.

The exam question looks complicated at first.

Breakdown of Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.

• itu: that
• soalan: the question
• pada: at
• nya: its
• awal: the beginning
• rumit: complicated
• peperiksaan: exam
• nampak: to look

Questions & Answers about Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.

What do soalan and peperiksaan each mean, and what does the whole phrase soalan peperiksaan literally mean?

• soalan = question
• peperiksaan = examination / exam

So soalan peperiksaan literally means exam question or question of the exam.

Structurally, it’s:

• soalan (head noun) + peperiksaan (noun describing what kind of question)
  Similar to English exam question, not exam’s question (no apostrophe needed in Malay).

Why is itu placed after peperiksaan, and what does itu do in this sentence?

itu is a demonstrative that usually means that. In many contexts, it also works like the to make a noun definite.

In soalan peperiksaan itu:

• soalan peperiksaan = an exam question / exam questions (in general)
• soalan peperiksaan itu = that exam question or the exam questions (the specific ones already known to speaker and listener)

The pattern is:

• Noun phrase + itu → a specific / definite item.
  Example:
• buku itu = that / the book
• pelajar itu = that / the student

What is the subject of the sentence, and what is the predicate?

Sentence: Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.

• Subject (what we’re talking about): Soalan peperiksaan itu (that exam question / those exam questions)
• Predicate (what we say about it): nampak rumit pada awalnya (seems/looks complicated at first)

Malay word order here is very similar to English:

• [Subject] [Verb/Predicate]
• Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya
• That exam question seemed complicated at first

What does nampak mean here? Is it more like “looks” or “seems”?

nampak literally means to see / to be visible, but when used like this it often means:

• looks (visually appears)
• seems (gives the impression)

In this sentence:

• Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit
  
  • That exam question looks complicated
  • That exam question seems complicated

Both translations are usually acceptable. The choice between looks and seems depends on context and your preference in English, not on a big difference in Malay here.

Is nampak a “linking verb” like “to be” in English, or is it more like a normal action verb?

It’s closer to an action verb meaning to appear / to look / to be seen, but it often plays a role similar to a linking verb in sentences like this.

In English:

• The exam question is complicated. (linking verb is)
• The exam question looks complicated. (looks is also a linking verb here.)

In Malay:

• Soalan peperiksaan itu rumit.

  • Literal: That exam question complicated.
  • Meaning: That exam question is complicated.

• Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit.

  • Literal: That exam question appears complicated.
  • Meaning: That exam question looks/seems complicated.

Malay doesn’t need a separate “to be” verb in simple descriptions; adjectives (like rumit) or verbs like nampak can directly follow the subject.

What’s the difference between rumit and susah? Both are often translated as “difficult”.

Both can suggest difficulty, but they have different nuances:

• rumit

  • complicated, complex, intricate
  • Focus on complexity, having many parts, or being hard to understand because of structure.
  • Common for: exam questions, procedures, systems, technical topics.

• susah

  • difficult, hard, troublesome
  • More general “hard to do”, “a hassle”, sometimes emotional difficulty.

In this context, nampak rumit emphasises that the exam question looks complicated in terms of structure or content, not just that it’s “hard” to answer.

What does pada awalnya mean, and why do we need pada and -nya?

pada awalnya roughly means at first or in the beginning.

Breakdown:

• awal = early / beginning
• awalnya = the beginning / at the beginning (the -nya makes it more specific or “the” beginning; it can also add a sense of “its beginning” or “that phase at the start”)
• pada = a preposition meaning at / on / in (for time and certain abstract locations)

So:

• pada awalnya = at the beginning / at first

You could also say:

• pada mulanya (very similar meaning: at first / initially)
• In many contexts, awalnya by itself (without pada) is also heard in speech, but pada awalnya is clear and standard.

Could we move pada awalnya to the front of the sentence, as in English “At first, the exam question looked complicated”?

Yes. Both are correct:

1. Soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.
2. Pada awalnya, soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit.

They mean the same thing.

Notes:

• Malay is flexible with time expressions; they often come at the start or the end.
• If pada awalnya is at the beginning, you can use a comma in writing (Pada awalnya, …) for readability, but in casual writing it’s often omitted.

How is past tense expressed here? Does nampak mean “looked” or “looks”?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. nampak can mean:

• looks (present)
• looked (past)
• will look (future)

The time is understood from context or from extra time words. So this sentence can be translated as:

• The exam question looked complicated at first.
• The exam question looks complicated at first. (e.g. when describing a typical pattern)

If you really want to show past, you can add time markers, for example:

• Tadi, soalan peperiksaan itu nampak rumit pada awalnya.
  
  • Earlier, that exam question looked complicated at first.

But usually pada awalnya plus context is enough.

Is soalan peperiksaan singular or plural? How do I say “exam questions” in the plural?

On its own, soalan peperiksaan is number-neutral. It can mean:

• an exam question
• exam questions

Malay usually relies on context, not plural endings.

To make it clearly plural, you can use:

• soalan-soalan peperiksaan = exam questions (plural via reduplication)
• beberapa soalan peperiksaan = several exam questions
• banyak soalan peperiksaan = many exam questions

In everyday use, people often just say soalan peperiksaan and let the context show whether it’s one or many.

Is soalan peperiksaan a fixed phrase? Can I replace peperiksaan with something else like ujian or an English loanword?

soalan peperiksaan is not a fixed idiom; it follows a general pattern:

• soalan
  • [type of test] → questions of that test

You can say:

• soalan peperiksaan = exam questions
• soalan ujian = test questions
• soalan kuiz = quiz questions

In everyday speech, many Malaysians also use English loanwords informally, such as:

• soalan exam (mixed Malay–English, casual)

For more formal or standard Malay, peperiksaan is preferred.

Are there more formal or alternative words for nampak rumit in this context?

Yes, some common alternatives:

• kelihatan rumit
  
  • Very close to nampak rumit, sometimes sounds a bit more formal.
• tampak rumit
  
  • Similar nuance: appears/looks complicated.
• agak rumit
  
  • Literally: rather / quite complicated (focuses on degree, not the “looks/seems” part).

For example:

• Soalan peperiksaan itu kelihatan rumit pada awalnya.
• Soalan peperiksaan itu tampak rumit pada awalnya.

All are acceptable and would be easily understood.