Learn Hardcore Malay: Kempen derma di kampus itu penting. - The donation campaign at that campus is important.

You’ll often see them together as a set phrase when talking about organized donation/charity drives.
Derma alone can mean a donation or the act of donating, but kempen derma emphasizes an organized event or campaign for collecting donations.

Why is there no word for “is” in the sentence? How does “penting” work here?

Malay usually does not use a separate verb like “is/are” in sentences where an adjective functions as the predicate.

Kempen derma di kampus itu penting.
= The donation campaign on campus is important.

Structure:

Subject: Kempen derma di kampus itu
Predicate (adjective): penting (important)

The language simply places the adjective after the subject. There is no need for a copula (is/are). This pattern is very normal in Malay:

Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
Buku itu mahal. = That book is expensive.

What exactly does “di kampus itu” mean, and why use “di”?

“Di kampus itu” means “at that campus / on that campus.”

di = at / in / on (location preposition)
kampus = campus
itu = that

di is used for static locations (where something is, not where it’s going):

di rumah = at home
di sekolah = at school
di kampus = on/at campus

So “di kampus itu” describes where the donation campaign is carried out: at that specific campus.

Does “itu” refer to the campus or the campaign? Why is it placed after “kampus”?

In “Kempen derma di kampus itu penting,” the itu most naturally attaches to “kampus”, so it’s understood as:

“the donation campaign at that campus is important.”

In Malay, demonstratives like itu (that) usually come after the noun they describe:

kampus itu = that campus
kempen itu = that campaign

So:

Kempen derma di kampus itu penting.
→ The donation campaign at that campus is important.

If you wanted to clearly say “that donation campaign (on campus) is important,” you would typically move itu:

Kempen derma di kampus itu → the donation campaign at that campus
Kempen derma itu di kampus penting. → that donation campaign on campus is important (less natural)
More natural: Kempen derma itu penting. (context already known it’s on campus)

Could the sentence also be “Kempen derma itu di kampus penting”? Is that correct?

You might hear something like that in casual speech, but it sounds unnatural and clumsy in standard Malay.

Malay prefers a cleaner noun phrase before the predicate:

[Kempen derma di kampus itu] penting. ✅

Reordering it to “Kempen derma itu di kampus penting” breaks up the phrase in an odd way. If you want to mark “that campaign” as definite, it’s better to say:

Kempen derma itu penting. → That donation campaign is important.
Kempen derma di kampus itu penting. → The donation campaign at that campus is important.

Can I add “adalah” and say “Kempen derma di kampus itu adalah penting”?

Grammatically, “Kempen derma di kampus itu adalah penting” is not wrong, but it sounds formal and slightly stiff, especially when the predicate is just a simple adjective.

In everyday and even most formal writing, Malay prefers to omit adalah when the predicate is an adjective:

Kempen derma di kampus itu penting. ✅ (natural)
Kempen derma di kampus itu adalah penting. 😐 (overly formal / bookish)

Adalah is more typical when connecting to nouns or longer descriptive phrases:

Kempen derma di kampus itu adalah satu usaha murni.
= The donation campaign on campus is a noble effort.

How would I say “The donation campaign on that campus was important” (past tense) in Malay?

Malay usually doesn’t change the form of the adjective to mark tense. Context supplies the time. You can use time expressions or rely on previous sentences.

Some options:

Kempen derma di kampus itu dulu penting.
→ That donation campaign on that campus used to be important.
Pada masa itu, kempen derma di kampus itu penting.
→ At that time, the donation campaign on that campus was important.

Often, just:

Kempen derma di kampus itu penting.

can be understood as past, present, or general, depending on context. There is no automatic “was” vs. “is” contrast built into the verb/adjective form.

Is “kampus” just the English word “campus” in Malay? How do I make it plural?

Yes, “kampus” is a loanword from English campus, adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation.

Malay does not require changing the noun form for plural. Kampus can mean “campus” or “campuses” depending on context.

If you need to be explicit:

banyak kampus = many campuses
semua kampus = all campuses
kampus-kampus = campuses (reduplication form; more formal/written)

Example:

Kempen derma di banyak kampus penting.
= Donation campaigns at many campuses are important.

Can I drop “di kampus itu” and just say “Kempen derma itu penting”? What changes?

Yes, you can say:

Kempen derma itu penting.
= That donation campaign is important.

Here, itu clearly attaches to kempen derma:

kempen derma itu = that donation campaign

When you include “di kampus itu”:

Kempen derma di kampus itu penting.
→ The donation campaign at that campus is important.

So the difference is mainly how specific you are about the location and what “itu” seems to modify:

Kempen derma itu penting. → “that” campaign (location may be known from context)
Kempen derma di kampus itu penting. → campaign at “that campus”

What does “penting” exactly mean, and how can I intensify it (like “very important”)?

“Penting” means “important” or “significant.”

To intensify it:

sangat penting = very important
amat penting = very important (slightly more formal)
teramat penting = extremely important
penting sekali = very important

So you could say:

Kempen derma di kampus itu sangat penting.
= The donation campaign on that campus is very important.

The basic sentence “Kempen derma di kampus itu penting” is neutral: just “is important”, no emphasis.