Learn Hardcore Malay: Penonton muda menunggu filem bermula di dalam panggung. - Young viewers wait for the movie to start inside the theater.

penonton muda = young viewers / young audience
Saying muda penonton is not natural standard Malay in this context; it would sound wrong or at best very poetic/odd.

So the normal pattern is:
noun + adjective → penonton muda, budak kecil, rumah besar, etc.

Does penonton mean one viewer or an entire audience?

Penonton can mean either a viewer (singular) or viewers / the audience (plural). Malay usually does not mark plural explicitly.
Context tells you which is meant. In this sentence, penonton muda is best understood as the young audience or young viewers (plural).

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can say:

para penonton muda – the (many) young viewers / audience
penonton-penonton muda – young viewers (plural made by repetition, more formal/emphatic)

Why is there no word for “for” in menunggu filem bermula (literally: “wait for the film to start”)?

In Malay, menunggu already includes the idea of “waiting for” something. It is a transitive verb that takes an object directly.

menunggu bas – wait for the bus
menunggu kamu – wait for you
menunggu filem bermula – wait for the film to start

We don’t need a separate word like “for”. Adding something like menunggu untuk filem bermula is not natural here.

What is the function of bermula here, and how is it different from mula and memulakan?

bermula is an intransitive verb: to begin, to start (by itself).
- filem bermula – the film starts / is beginning.
mula is more like a root that can act as a noun or verb in some set phrases, but for normal “start” as a verb, bermula or memulakan is preferred.
memulakan is a transitive verb: to start something.
- pengarah memulakan filem – the director starts the film.

In menunggu filem bermula, we are talking about the film starting by itself, so bermula is the correct form.

Is menunggu filem bermula a kind of “two-verb” structure? How does it work?

Yes. The structure is:
menunggu (main verb) + filem (object) + bermula (a verb describing the object’s action).

You can think of it as:

They wait for [the film to start].

Malay often chains verbs like this without extra words such as “to” or “that”. Another example:

Saya melihat dia menangis. – I saw him crying / I saw that he cried.

What exactly does panggung mean? Is it the same as cinema?

Panggung literally refers to a stage, performance hall, or theatre space. In modern usage, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, it can also be part of the phrase for a cinema:

panggung wayang – movie theatre / cinema

On its own, panggung can mean:

the hall where a performance or film is shown,
or the stage in a theatre context.

Other related words:

pawagam (Malaysia) – cinema (more specific for movie theatre)
wayang – can mean “shadow-puppet show” traditionally, but colloquially also “movie” in some varieties.

What is the difference between di dalam panggung and di panggung?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

di dalam panggung literally means “inside the hall/theatre”. It emphasizes the interior of the place.
di panggung means “at the hall/theatre” more generally; depending on context, it could mean at or in that location, but without strongly emphasizing “inside”.

In many everyday situations, people might simply say:

…di panggung. or
…dalam panggung.

Adding di dalam is a bit more explicit and slightly more formal: “inside”.

Why are there no words like “the” or “a” before filem and panggung?

Malay generally does not use articles like English “a/an” or “the”. Nouns typically appear without them, and definiteness is understood from context.

So filem can mean a film or the film, depending on the situation.
If you need to be more precise, you can add words:

sebuah filem – a (single) film
filem itu – that film / the film
panggung itu – that hall / the theatre

How do we know whether this sentence is in the past or present tense?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense (no -ed, -s, etc.). The same sentence can mean past, present, or even future, depending on context.

Penonton muda menunggu filem bermula di dalam panggung. could mean:

The young audience *was waiting for the film to start in the theatre.* (past)
The young audience *is waiting for the film to start in the theatre.* (present)

To make the time clearer, you add time words:

tadi / semalam – indicates past
sekarang / tadi tadi / hari ini – indicates present
nanti / esok – indicates future

Can we add sedang to show that the action is happening right now?

Yes. Sedang is used to mark an action in progress (similar to English “is/are …ing”).

You can say:

Penonton muda sedang menunggu filem bermula di dalam panggung.
→ The young audience is (currently) waiting for the film to start in the theatre.

Without sedang, it can still mean the same thing; adding sedang simply emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action.

Can we move muda before penonton, like muda penonton menunggu…?

No, not in normal standard Malay. Adjectives like muda, besar, kecil, cantik, etc., usually must follow the noun they describe.

So:

penonton muda – correct
muda penonton – incorrect / ungrammatical in this context

Exceptions where an adjective appears first are special fixed expressions or poetic/literary styles, not normal everyday sentences.

How would this sentence typically sound in more casual spoken Malay?

In casual conversation (especially in Malaysia), speakers might simplify or mix in some colloquial forms and even some English:

Possible casual versions:

Penonton muda tengah tunggu filem start dalam panggung.
Budak-budak muda tengah tunggu movie start dalam panggung.

Changes you might notice:

tengah instead of sedang (colloquial “in the middle of doing”)
tunggu instead of menunggu
movie/start borrowed from English
sometimes dalam panggung instead of di dalam panggung for brevity.