Learn Hardcore Malay: Di kampung, haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah. - In the village, pets often wander by the rice fields.

Grammatically, it’s a prepositional phrase of place.
Putting it at the start of the sentence sets the scene or context first: “As for in the village, …” or “In the village, …”

The comma after “Di kampung,” simply marks a slight pause, like in English:

“In the village, pets often roam by the paddy fields.”

You could also put it at the end:

“Haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah di kampung.”
This is still grammatical, but less natural and a bit heavier. The original word order sounds smoother and is very typical in Malay when you want to set a location or time first.

Does “kampung” just mean “village”, or does it mean countryside in general?

“Kampung” most directly means “village”, especially a traditional / rural village.

However, in real usage it often carries a broader sense, closer to:

“the countryside / rural area / one’s hometown village”

So:

“Di kampung” can be understood as “In the village / In the (rural) village area / Back in the countryside”.

It contrasts with:

“di bandar” – in the city / town.

What exactly does “haiwan peliharaan” mean, and is it the same as “pets”?

Yes, “haiwan peliharaan” means “pets”.

“haiwan” = animal(s)
“peliharaan” = something that is kept / cared for / reared

So “haiwan peliharaan” literally means “kept/cared-for animals” → pets.

You might also hear:

“binatang peliharaan” – same meaning; “binatang” is another word for animal.
In some contexts, “haiwan” can sound a bit more formal / neutral, while “binatang” can sound more everyday or, depending on tone, even slightly rough (for example, used as an insult). But in “binatang peliharaan”, it’s fine.

Is “haiwan peliharaan” singular or plural here?

Malay usually does not mark plural with an -s like English.

So “haiwan peliharaan” can mean:

“a pet”
“pets”

The number is understood from context. In this sentence:

“Haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran…”
→ Since it talks about a general habit in villages, it is naturally understood as “pets (in general) often roam…” (plural idea).

If you really want to show plural, you can:

Repeat the noun:
“haiwan-haiwan peliharaan” = pets (explicitly plural)
Or use a number / quantifier:
“banyak haiwan peliharaan” = many pets

Why isn’t there a word for “the” in “the pets” or “the paddy fields”?

Malay generally does not use articles like “a / an / the”.

So:

“haiwan peliharaan” can mean “a pet”, “the pet”, or “pets” depending on context.
“sawah” can mean “a paddy field”, “the paddy field”, or “paddy fields” in general.

Definiteness (whether it’s “a” or “the”) is inferred from:

context,
extra words (e.g. “itu” = that, “ini” = this).

For example:

“haiwan peliharaan itu” = that pet / the pet
“sawah itu” = that paddy field / the paddy field

What is the difference between “sering” and other words like “selalu” or “kerap”?

All three relate to frequency, but with slightly different flavours:

sering
= often, frequently (neutral, common in both speech and writing)
“Haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran…”
→ Pets often roam…
selalu
= usually, always, very often (can feel a bit stronger or more habitual)
“Dia selalu lewat.” = He is always / usually late.
kerap
= frequently, repeatedly (more formal or written, or a bit stronger in emphasis)
“Kejadian itu kerap berlaku.” = That incident frequently happens.

In this sentence, “sering” is a natural and neutral choice for “often”.

What does “berkeliaran” mean exactly, and does it have a negative tone?

“berkeliaran” means something like:

“to roam / wander around (aimlessly / freely)”

Nuance:

It often implies movement without a fixed purpose or direction.
It can sound slightly negative or at least uncontrolled / unsupervised:
- “Kanak-kanak tidak sepatutnya berkeliaran di jalan raya.”
  = Children should not be roaming around on the road.

In this sentence though:

“Haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah.”
→ The tone is descriptive and neutral: pets wandering freely by the paddy fields is just part of village life.

What does “di tepi sawah” mean, and how is “di tepi” different from other prepositions like “di sebelah” or “di pinggir”?

“di tepi sawah” literally means:

“at the edge of the paddy field” or
“by the paddy field” / “beside the paddy field”

Breakdown:

di = at / in / on (generic location preposition)
tepi = edge / side
sawah = paddy field (rice field)

Similar expressions:

di sebelah sawah
= beside the paddy field (more “next to” than “on the edge of”)
di pinggir sawah
= at the border/edge/fringe of the paddy field (focus on the boundary)
di sisi sawah
= by the side of the paddy field (a bit more formal / literary)

“di tepi sawah” is very natural and common for “by the paddy field” in everyday descriptive sentences.

What is “sawah” exactly? How is it different from “padi”?

sawah = a paddy field (the flooded field used to grow rice)
padi = rice as a plant / on the stalk, or rice still in the husk

So:

Tempatnya (the place) is sawah.
The crop growing in it is padi.

Examples:

“Dia bekerja di sawah.”
= He works in the paddy field.
“Padi di sawah itu sudah masak.”
= The rice (plants) in that paddy field are already ripe.

Is the word order fixed, or could I say something like “Haiwan peliharaan di kampung sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah”?

Yes, you can say:

“Haiwan peliharaan di kampung sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah.”

Meaning:

“Pets in the village often roam by the paddy fields.”

Difference in nuance:

Original:
“Di kampung, haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah.”
→ First sets the scene/location (“in the village”), then talks about what (typically) happens there.
Alternative:
“Haiwan peliharaan di kampung…”
→ Focuses first on “the pets in the village (as opposed to other pets)”, then describes their behaviour.

Both are grammatical and natural; the original is just a bit more typical as a general descriptive statement about village life.

How is this sentence pronounced, especially “kampung” and “ng”?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English terms):

Di → “dee”
kampung → “kam-poong”
- “kam” like come (but with a clearer “a” as in father in careful speech)
- “poong” with a long “oo” as in moon
- The “ng” is a single sound like the “ng” in “sing”, not “n” + “g” separately.
haiwan → “high-wan”
peliharaan → “puh-lee-ha-ra-an” (every vowel is pronounced)
sering → “suh-ring” (again, “ng” like in “sing”)
berkeliaran → “ber-ke-lee-a-ran”
di tepi sawah → “dee tuh-pee sah-wah”

Malay pronunciation is generally very regular: each vowel is pronounced, and consonants are usually spoken as written.

Is this sentence in the present tense, past tense, or something else?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. There is no -ed, -s, -ing equivalent built into the verb.

So:

“Haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran…”
Literally: “Pets often roam / are often roaming…”

The time is understood from:

context, or
extra time words like “dulu” (used to / formerly), “sekarang” (now), “nanti” (later), etc.

Examples:

To emphasise past habit:
“Dulu di kampung, haiwan peliharaan sering berkeliaran di tepi sawah.”
= In the past / Back then in the village, pets often used to roam by the paddy fields.
To emphasise general timeless fact, the original sentence is already fine.