Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya sokong wartawan bebas yang berani menulis apa yang benar tanpa takut. - I support independent journalists who are brave enough to write what is true without fear.

menyokong = more formal / complete verb form, often in writing, speeches, news.
sokong = shorter, more colloquial, very common in everyday speech.

Grammatically:

meN- + sokong → menyokong (the prefix meN- forms active verbs).
In casual speech and writing, Malaysians often drop the meN- prefix:
- Saya menyokong wartawan bebas… (formal)
- Saya sokong wartawan bebas… (natural, conversational)

Both are correct; the sentence just sounds more like spoken or informal written Malay.

Does wartawan bebas mean “a free journalist” or “independent journalists”? And why is the order wartawan bebas and not bebas wartawan?

Wartawan bebas literally means “free journalist”, but in context it is usually understood as “independent journalist(s)” (freelance or not controlled by a government/owner).

Malay word order:

Noun + Adjective
- wartawan (journalist) + bebas (free) → wartawan bebas
You cannot say bebas wartawan to mean “free journalist”; that order is wrong in standard Malay.

Also, Malay usually doesn’t mark plural:

wartawan bebas can mean “an independent journalist” or “independent journalists” depending on context.

What is the function of yang in wartawan bebas yang berani menulis…?

Here yang introduces a relative clause, similar to “who/that” in English.

wartawan bebas = independent journalists
yang berani menulis apa yang benar tanpa takut = who are brave enough to write what is true without fear

So the structure is:

wartawan bebas [yang …] = “independent journalists who …”

Without yang, the sentence would be ungrammatical:

❌ Saya sokong wartawan bebas berani menulis… (wrong)
✅ Saya sokong wartawan bebas yang berani menulis… (correct)

Why is it berani menulis and not berani untuk menulis? Is untuk needed?

After berani (“brave”, “dare to”), Malay usually puts the verb directly:

berani menulis = “dare to write / brave enough to write”
berani bercakap = “dare to speak”

You can say berani untuk menulis, but:

It’s often longer than necessary.
In this kind of sentence, berani menulis sounds more natural, especially in everyday usage.

So berani + bare verb is the normal pattern:

berani menulis, berani bersuara, berani melawan, etc.

What exactly does apa yang benar mean? Why not just yang benar or a single word like kebenaran?

Apa yang benar literally = “what is true”.

Breakdown:

apa = what
yang benar = that is true / which is true
apa yang benar = the thing(s) that are true → “what is true”

Alternatives:

yang benar alone usually modifies a noun:
- perkara yang benar = the thing that is true
kebenaran = “the truth” (abstract noun)

Nuance:

menulis apa yang benar = “to write what is true / to write the truth (whatever that may be)”
menulis kebenaran = also “write the truth”, but sounds a bit more abstract or formal.

Why is there another yang in apa yang benar? Can I say apa benar instead?

You need yang there; apa benar is ungrammatical in this meaning.

Structure:

apa (what) is the head.
yang benar is a clause describing apa → “what that is true”.

So:

✅ apa yang benar = “what is true”
❌ apa benar (incorrect in standard Malay for this structure)

Think of yang here as similar to adding “that is” in English:

what (that is) true → apa yang benar

Is takut here an adjective (“afraid”) or a verb (“to fear”)? How does tanpa takut work?

Takut can function as both an adjective (afraid) and a verb (to fear) depending on context.

In tanpa takut:

tanpa = without
takut = fear / being afraid

So tanpa takut = “without fear / without being afraid”.

More examples:

Saya takut. = I’m afraid.
Dia tak takut. = He/She is not afraid.
Dia takut pada anjing. = He/She is afraid of dogs.

In this sentence, tanpa takut is an adverbial phrase describing how they write.

What’s the difference between tanpa takut, tanpa rasa takut, and tanpa ketakutan?

All three relate to “without fear”, but with different nuance:

tanpa takut
- Simple, direct, very common.
- “without fear / without being afraid”
tanpa rasa takut
- rasa = feeling → “without a feeling of fear”
- Sounds a bit more descriptive or slightly more formal.
tanpa ketakutan
- ketakutan = “fear” as a noun (the state of fear).
- Feels more formal or literary, like “without fear/panic/terror”.

In the given sentence, tanpa takut is the most natural and neutral choice.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Could I say Aku sokong… instead of Saya sokong…?

The sentence is neutral, leaning slightly towards spoken or informal written Malay because of sokong instead of menyokong.

Pronouns:

saya = polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (formal and informal).
aku = more intimate/casual; used with friends, family, or in expressive writing.

So:

Saya sokong wartawan bebas… = polite, neutral.
Aku sokong wartawan bebas… = casual, to friends / in informal contexts.

Grammatically both are fine; just choose based on how close you are to the listener/reader.

Does wartawan bebas mean one journalist or many? How would you make it clearly plural?

On its own, wartawan bebas is number-neutral:

It can mean “an independent journalist” or “independent journalists” depending on context.

To make it clearly plural, you can add:

para wartawan bebas = independent journalists (group, plural)
wartawan-wartawan bebas = independent journalists (reduplication shows plural, more explicit)

So:

Saya sokong para wartawan bebas… = “I support (all the) independent journalists who…”

Why doesn’t the sentence say saya sokong kepada wartawan bebas? Shouldn’t there be a preposition like “to”?

In Malay, the verb sokong / menyokong takes a direct object, without a preposition:

Saya sokong wartawan bebas… = I support independent journalists…
❌ Saya sokong kepada wartawan bebas… (incorrect in this meaning)

Compare:

Saya sokong cadangan itu. = I support that proposal.
Kami menyokong kerajaan baharu. = We support the new government.

So you simply put the thing/person you support directly after sokong/menyokong, with no kepada.