Learn Hardcore Malay: Persoalan utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini ialah bajet untuk perpustakaan. - The main issue in today’s meeting is the budget for the library.

soalan = a concrete question you ask someone (exam question, interview question).
- e.g. soalan peperiksaan = exam question
persoalan = a broader issue, problem, or topic for discussion.
- e.g. persoalan sosial = social issues
- persoalan utama = main issue

In this sentence, they are talking about the main issue/topic of the meeting, so persoalan is more natural than soalan.

What is the role of utama in persoalan utama, and where do adjectives usually go in Malay?

Utama means main / primary / chief. It functions as an adjective modifying persoalan.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun:

persoalan utama = the main issue
mesyuarat penting = an important meeting
bajet tahunan = annual budget

So the order is noun + adjective, not the other way around (unlike English).

Why do we use dalam mesyuarat instead of di mesyuarat?

Both dalam and di can sometimes be translated as in, but they have different typical uses:

di = at / in (location, place)
- di perpustakaan = in/at the library
- di pejabat = at the office
dalam = inside / within (literal or figurative), or during in time expressions
- dalam beg = inside the bag
- dalam mesyuarat = in/during the meeting
- dalam kelas = in/during class

Here dalam mesyuarat means in the context of / during the meeting, which is why dalam is preferred.

Could I say persoalan utama mesyuarat hari ini without dalam?

You can, but the meaning and structure change slightly.

persoalan utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini
= the main issue in/during today’s meeting
persoalan utama mesyuarat hari ini
= literally the main issue of today’s meeting

The second version treats mesyuarat hari ini as a noun phrase that directly modifies persoalan utama (like today’s meeting’s main issue). It is grammatically acceptable, but dalam mesyuarat hari ini is more explicit and very natural in spoken and written Malay.

Why is it mesyuarat hari ini and not mesyuarat pada hari ini?

Pada is a preposition often translated as on / at for time:

pada hari Isnin = on Monday
pada pukul tiga = at three o’clock

With very common time expressions, especially hari ini, semalam, esok, Malay often omits pada:

mesyuarat hari ini = today’s meeting / the meeting today
mesyuarat esok = tomorrow’s meeting

You could say mesyuarat pada hari ini, and it’s grammatically correct, but it sounds more formal or slightly heavier. Everyday Malay usually drops pada in this case.

What is the function of ialah here, and how is it different from adalah?

Ialah is a kind of copula used to link the subject with a noun phrase:

Persoalan utama … ialah bajet untuk perpustakaan.
Subject (noun phrase) + ialah
- complement (noun phrase)

General guideline:

Use ialah when the complement is a noun phrase.
- Masalah utama ialah kos. = The main problem is the cost.
Use adalah when the complement is usually an adjective or a more descriptive phrase; or to sound more formal/academic.
- Keputusan ini adalah muktamad. = This decision is final.
- Tujuan kami adalah untuk membantu. = Our goal is to help.

Many native speakers mix ialah and adalah in speech, but in formal writing this distinction is often taught.

In this sentence, the complement bajet untuk perpustakaan is a noun phrase, so ialah fits well.

Can I omit ialah and just say Persoalan utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini, bajet untuk perpustakaan?

In very informal speech, Malay speakers might drop ialah and rely on intonation:

Persoalan utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini: bajet untuk perpustakaan.

However:

In full sentences, especially written Malay, it’s better to keep ialah.
Without ialah, the sentence feels like a title or a note rather than a complete clause.

For clear, standard usage, keep ialah here.

What does bajet untuk perpustakaan literally mean, and why do we use untuk?

Bajet untuk perpustakaan literally means budget for the library.

bajet = budget
untuk = for / for the purpose of
perpustakaan = library

Untuk marks the beneficiary or purpose:

bajet untuk pendidikan = budget for education
derma untuk hospital = donation for the hospital

So bajet untuk perpustakaan clearly means the budget allocated for the library.

Could I say bajet perpustakaan instead of bajet untuk perpustakaan?

Yes, in many contexts bajet perpustakaan is natural and means the library’s budget.

Difference in nuance:

bajet perpustakaan
= the library’s budget (possessive relationship, treated as one noun phrase)
bajet untuk perpustakaan
= budget for the library (more explicit about purpose/beneficiary)

Both are acceptable. Bajet untuk perpustakaan sounds slightly more explicit and formal about the allocation for that specific purpose.

Do Malay nouns like persoalan, mesyuarat, and bajet need articles like the or a?

Malay does not have articles equivalent to English the / a / an.

Whether you translate them as the or a depends on context:

persoalan utama
→ the main issue (because usually there is one main issue)
mesyuarat hari ini
→ today’s meeting / the meeting today
bajet untuk perpustakaan
→ the budget for the library (context usually makes it specific)

Malay relies on context, demonstratives (ini / itu), or classifiers if you need to be very precise, but here nothing extra is needed.

How is tense expressed in this sentence? There is no verb like is/was/will be in Malay.

Malay does not change the verb form for tense like English. Instead, it uses:

time expressions (e.g. hari ini, semalam, esok)
optional particles like sudah / telah (already), akan (will), sedang (in the process of)

In this sentence:

hari ini (today) already tells you the time.
ialah doesn’t change form for tense.

Depending on context, you translate it in English as present:

The main issue in today’s meeting is the budget for the library.

Is it possible to start the sentence with Bajet untuk perpustakaan instead? Does that sound natural?

Yes, you can front the complement for emphasis:

Bajet untuk perpustakaan ialah persoalan utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini.

This version places focus on bajet untuk perpustakaan (the budget for the library). It is grammatically correct and stylistically fine, especially if you want to emphasize the budget first.

What is the difference between persoalan utama and isu utama?

Both can often be translated as main issue, but there is a nuance:

persoalan utama
- slightly more formal or literary
- often used for questions, topics, or issues to be discussed or thought about
isu utama
- very common in media, politics, everyday speech
- often used for public issues, controversies, political or social matters

In the context of a meeting, both are possible:

Isu utama dalam mesyuarat hari ini ialah bajet untuk perpustakaan.
sounds a bit more like the main (possibly contentious) issue.

Persoalan utama can feel a bit more neutral or formal in tone.

Is mesyuarat only used for formal meetings, or can it be used for casual gatherings too?

Mesyuarat usually refers to a planned, more formal meeting, often with an agenda:

office meetings
committee meetings
school board meetings

For casual get-togethers, Malay speakers are more likely to use:

perjumpaan = gathering/meeting (can be semi-formal)
berkumpul = to gather together (verb)
lepak / jumpa / keluar (informal verbs for hanging out)

So mesyuarat hari ini strongly suggests an official or semi-formal meeting.