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Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.

Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
The boss respects everyone's opinions at the office.
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Questions & Answers about Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.

In this sentence, what is hormat doing? Is it a verb or an adjective, and why isn’t it menghormati?

Here hormat is used as a verb meaning “to respect” / “respects”.

  • Root form:
    hormat = respect (can be noun or verb depending on context).

  • With prefix:
    menghormati = to respect (more explicitly verbal, common in standard/formal Malay).

In everyday spoken Malay, it’s very common to use the root verb without the meN- prefix:

  • Bos hormat pandangan… (informal / conversational)
  • Bos menghormati pandangan… (more standard / formal, also correct)

So the sentence is essentially using a more colloquial style.

Does Bos mean “the boss”, “my boss”, or just “boss”? Why is there no the or my?

Malay does not use articles like “the” or “a”, and possession is often implied by context.

  • Bos on its own usually means “the boss” in context (the relevant boss everyone knows about).
  • If you want to be explicit:
    • bos saya = my boss
    • bosnya = his/her/their boss
    • bos itu = that boss / the boss (more specific)

In normal conversation, Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat is naturally understood as “The boss respects everyone’s opinions in the office” or “My boss…”, depending on what’s already known in the situation.

Why is there no word for “of” in “the opinions of everyone in the office”?

Malay often expresses “of” by simply putting nouns and noun phrases next to each other.

In the sentence:

  • pandangan = opinions / views
  • semua orang di pejabat = all the people in the office

Together:
pandangan semua orang di pejabat = “the opinions of everyone in the office”

Structure-wise:

  • head noun: pandangan (opinions)
  • modifier: semua orang di pejabat (everyone in the office)

You don’t usually need a special “of” word like English. You would not say ❌pandangan daripada semua orang di pejabat for a neutral sentence like this; that sounds more like “opinions coming from everyone”, used in different contexts (e.g., emphasising source).

What is the difference between pandangan and pendapat? Could I say Bos hormat pendapat semua orang di pejabat?

Both words can translate as “opinion”, and in this sentence you can replace one with the other:

  • Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
  • Bos hormat pendapat semua orang di pejabat.

Both are natural.

Nuance:

  • pandangan

    • literally: view, perspective, way of seeing something
    • slightly broader: can include viewpoints, vision, outlook.

  • pendapat

    • more strictly: opinion, standpoint, judgment
    • often used in discussions, debates, written contexts.

In many everyday contexts, they are near-synonyms and interchangeable.

Does semua orang mean “everyone” or “all people”? How is it different from setiap orang or orang ramai?

semua orang is usually understood as “everyone” in the relevant group.

  • semua orang

    • literally: all people
    • natural translation here: everyone (in the office).

  • setiap orang

    • literally: each person / every person
    • often emphasises individuals one by one.
    • e.g. Bos hormat setiap orang di pejabat. = The boss respects each person in the office.

  • orang ramai

    • literally: many people / the crowd / the public
    • often means the public in general, not a specific group like your office staff.

In your sentence, semua orang = everyone (who works) in the office.

Why don’t we say orang-orang to show plural? Why is plain orang enough?

Malay doesn’t need a special plural form when something in the sentence already shows plurality.

Here:

  • semua = all
  • orang = person/people

Because semua already means all, it’s clear we are talking about more than one person:

  • semua orang = all people / everyone

You can repeat the word (orang-orang) to emphasise plurality, but with semua it’s redundant and usually not used:

  • ✔ semua orang (normal)
  • (usually avoid) ❌ semua orang-orang
What exactly does di mean here, and can I use pada instead of di?

In this sentence:

  • di = in / at (for physical locations)
  • pejabat = office

So di pejabat = in the office / at the office.

pada is also a preposition, but it’s used more for time, people, or abstract locations (e.g. pada hari Isnin = on Monday, pada dia = to/for him/her).

Here, because pejabat is a physical place, you should use di, not pada:

  • ✔ di pejabat = in/at the office
  • ❌ pada pejabat (unnatural in this sense)
What is the basic word order in this sentence? Which part is subject, verb, and object?

Malay word order here is Subject – Verb – Object – (extra information), similar to English.

Sentence: Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.

  • Bos = Subject (who is doing the action)
  • hormat = Verb (what the subject is doing)
  • pandangan semua orang di pejabat = Object (what is being respected)

Within the object:

  • pandangan = head noun (opinions)
  • semua orang di pejabat = description of whose opinions (everyone in the office)
How would I say this in more formal or standard written Malay?

A more formal, standard-style version would usually:

  • use the meN- verb form menghormati, and
  • possibly specify the boss with itu (that/the) or a more formal title.

Examples:

  • Bos itu menghormati pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
  • Ketua menghormati pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
  • Pengurus itu menghormati pendapat semua kakitangan di pejabat.
    • kakitangan = staff

All of these would sound more at home in writing or formal speech than the shorter spoken-style Bos hormat….

Malay doesn’t mark tense in the verb. So how do I say “respected” or “will respect” instead of just “respects”?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. You show time using time words or context.

Use time markers, for example:

  • Past:

    • Bos semalam hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
      = The boss respected everyone’s opinions yesterday.
    • More natural: Semalam bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.

  • Future:

    • Bos akan hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
      = The boss will respect everyone’s opinions in the office.
    • akan = will / going to

Without any marker, Bos hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat usually refers to a general truth / habit: the boss (generally) respects everyone’s opinions.

Can I replace Bos with Dia? When do Malay speakers omit or keep subjects like this?

Yes, you can say:

  • Dia hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
    = He/She respects everyone’s opinions in the office.

Some notes:

  • If the subject is clear from context, Malay often drops it:
    • Hormat pandangan semua orang di pejabat.
      (could mean He/She respects everyone’s opinions…, if context is very clear)
  • If you’re just starting a sentence without prior context, you normally keep the subject:
    • Bos hormat… or Dia hormat…

So you use Bos when you want to identify the person as “the boss”, and Dia when the person is already known and you just refer back to him/her.

How do I say “The boss respects my opinion” instead of “everyone’s opinions”?

You just change the object part:

  • Bos hormat pandangan saya.
    = The boss respects my opinion / view.

Other natural options:

  • Bos hormat pendapat saya.
  • Bos menghormati pendapat saya. (more formal)

Breakdown:

  • pandangan / pendapat = opinion / view
  • saya = I / me / my (depending on position)

So pandangan saya = my opinion.