Saya hormat sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos.

Breakdown of Saya hormat sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos.

saya
I
kepada
to
bos
the boss
bercakap
to speak
yang
who
sesiapa
anyone
hormat
to respect
berani
brave
benar
true
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Questions & Answers about Saya hormat sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos.

What does sesiapa mean, and how is it different from siapa?

Siapa = who (asking about a specific person).

  • Siapa itu? = Who is that?

Sesiapa = anyone / whoever (not a specific person).

  • Saya hormat sesiapa yang… = I respect anyone who…

So in this sentence, sesiapa is an indefinite pronoun: it doesn’t point to one known person, but to anyone who fits the description that follows.


Why do we need yang after sesiapa? What is its function?

Yang introduces a relative clause (a part that describes a noun or pronoun).

  • sesiapa = anyone
  • yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos = who dares to speak the truth to the boss

Together:

  • sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos = anyone who dares to speak the truth to the boss

Without yang, the sentence would be ungrammatical here. After sesiapa, yang is normally needed to connect it to the clause describing that person.


Is sesiapa singular or plural? Does it mean “any person” or “any people”?

Malay doesn’t mark singular/plural the same way English does. Sesiapa itself is number-neutral.

In context, it usually means:

  • any person / anyone (singular in feeling)
    but it can also imply any people in a general sense, depending on context.

In English we translate it as anyone who… or whoever…, which can refer to one or more people in general.


Why is it Saya hormat and not Saya menghormati? Is hormat correct as a verb?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance of style and formality.

  • Saya hormat…

    • Uses the base word hormat as a verb.
    • Common in everyday, informal or semi-formal speech.
    • Shorter and more casual.
  • Saya menghormati…

    • Uses the meN- verb form menghormati.
    • Sounds more formal, careful, or “standard”.
    • Often used in writing, speeches, or polite, serious contexts.

Meaning-wise, both express “I respect…”. The sentence with hormat is more colloquial but still very natural.


What is the basic structure of this sentence? Which part is the object?

The structure is:

  • Saya = subject (I)
  • hormat = verb (respect)
  • sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos = object (the thing/person being respected)

Within the object:

  • sesiapa = head (anyone)
  • yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos = relative clause describing sesiapa

So overall:
[Saya] [hormat] [sesiapa [yang berani bercakap benar kepada bos]].


What does berani mean here? Is it an adjective (“brave”) or a verb (“dare”)?

Berani can function both like an adjective and like a verb, depending on context.

Here, in yang berani bercakap benar, it behaves like “dare to / courageous enough to”:

  • berani bercakapdare to speak / brave enough to speak

You can think of it as:

  • berani (brave / courageous) + following verb (bercakap) = brave enough to [verb] / dare to [verb].

So berani bercakap benar = dare to speak the truth.


What does bercakap benar mean exactly? Why not just bercakap?
  • bercakap = to speak / to talk
  • benar = true / truthfully

Together:

  • bercakap benar = to speak the truth / to speak honestly

If you said only bercakap kepada bos, it would mean “speak to the boss” (with no idea of honesty).
Adding benar gives the specific meaning of telling the truth, not just talking.

You might also hear alternatives like:

  • berkata benar (more like “say the truth”)
  • bercakap dengan jujur (“speak honestly”)

But bercakap benar is short and natural.


Why is it kepada bos and not dengan bos? What’s the difference?

Both kepada and dengan can be linked to people, but they carry different ideas:

  • kepada bos

    • Literally “to the boss”.
    • Focus on direction of speech or action: saying something to someone.
    • Used for things like speaking, giving, sending:
      • bercakap kepada, memberi kepada, menghantar kepada.
  • dengan bos

    • Literally “with the boss”.
    • Focus on being together / doing something together.
    • More like “with the boss” (together with them), or “together with the boss”.

So:

  • bercakap benar kepada bos = speak the truth to the boss (direction to him/her).
  • bercakap dengan bos = talk with the boss / have a conversation with the boss (two-way, together).

The sentence wants the idea of telling the boss the truth, so kepada fits better.


Why doesn’t it say bos saya (“my boss”)? How do we know whose boss it is?

Malay often omits possessives when the context is clear or when it’s not important to specify.

  • bos alone can mean the boss, and context will suggest my boss, our boss, their boss, etc.

If you want to be explicit, you can say:

  • kepada bos saya = to my boss
  • kepada bos kami = to our boss (excluding the listener)
  • kepada bos kita = to our boss (including the listener)

But in many real-life sentences, just bos is enough, especially when everyone knows who “the boss” is.


Is it possible to say berani untuk bercakap benar instead of berani bercakap benar?

Yes, berani untuk bercakap benar is grammatically acceptable and understandable.

However:

  • berani bercakap benar is shorter and more natural in everyday speech.
  • berani untuk [verb] can sound a bit more formal or heavier in casual conversation.

So in this sentence, berani bercakap benar kepada bos is the most natural choice.


How formal is this sentence? Is bos appropriate in polite speech?

The overall sentence is neutral–informal.

  • bos is a colloquial loanword from English, widely used in Malaysia.
    • Fine in everyday conversation, at work, among colleagues.
  • For more formal or official contexts, you might see:
    • ketua (chief, head)
    • pengurus (manager)
    • pegawai atasan (superior officer)

For instance, a more formal version might be:

  • Saya menghormati sesiapa yang berani bercakap benar kepada ketua.

But in normal day-to-day speech, bos is very common and not rude.