Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya pun sedikit bimbang, tetapi saya cuba tarik nafas dalam-dalam, beri tumpuan, dan tumpu sepenuhnya pada apa yang saya boleh buat. - I am also a bit worried, but I try to take deep breaths, give my full attention, and focus completely on what I can do.

Pun is often translated as also, too, or even, but it mainly adds a feeling of “me as well / in addition to that” and sometimes a slight emphasis.

Saya pun sedikit bimbang
≈ I was also a bit worried / I too was a bit worried.

If you remove it:

Saya sedikit bimbang.
≈ I was a bit worried.

This is still correct, but it sounds more neutral and “stand-alone”.
With pun, it sounds more connected to something said earlier, e.g. others were worried, there was a worrying situation, etc., and now you too are (a bit) worried.

So:

Grammatically, pun can be left out.
Pragmatically, pun adds a soft “also / indeed / as well” nuance.

Why is sedikit before bimbang, and can it go after, like Saya bimbang sedikit?

Yes, both positions are possible, but there’s a nuance.

Saya sedikit bimbang.
- Most common, neutral.
- Sedikit (“a bit”) directly modifies the adjective bimbang (“worried”).
- Very close to English: “I’m a little worried.”
Saya bimbang sedikit.
- Also understood and used, more colloquial.
- Often feels like you state the quality first (bimbang) and then slightly “downplay” it with sedikit.
- Similar to: “I’m worried, but only a bit.”

So, sedikit usually comes before adjectives, but you will hear it after them, especially in speech, to soften or adjust the degree of the adjective.

Is bimbang the same as risau or takut? When would I use each?

They overlap but aren’t identical:

bimbang
- Worried, anxious, concerned about something that might happen.
- Slightly more neutral or formal.
- Example: Saya bimbang tentang keputusan peperiksaan.
  I’m worried about the exam results.
risau
- Also “worried”, but often feels more emotional/colloquial.
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Example: Jangan risau. – Don’t worry.
takut
- Afraid, scared (fear), not just “worried”.
- Example: Saya takut gelap. – I’m afraid of the dark.

In your sentence, bimbang works well because it’s a calm, slightly formal “worried / concerned”. You could say Saya pun sedikit risau in more casual speech, but takut would sound stronger, more like “afraid” than “a bit worried”.

In saya cuba tarik nafas, why is there no untuk like in English “try to take a breath”?

In Malay, after cuba (“to try”), you usually put the verb or verb phrase directly, without untuk:

Saya cuba tarik nafas. – I tried to take a breath.
Saya cuba tidur awal. – I tried to sleep early.

You can say cuba untuk + verb, but it’s more formal or emphatic and not necessary:

Saya cuba untuk tidur awal. (formal / more deliberate tone)
Saya cuba tidur awal. (more natural in everyday usage)

So in your sentence, saya cuba tarik nafas is the normal, natural structure.

What does tarik nafas literally mean, and is it always an idiom?

Literally:

tarik = pull
nafas = breath

So tarik nafas literally is “pull breath”, and it means inhale / take a breath / breathe in.

It’s a very common collocation and can be:

Used literally: Doktor suruh saya tarik nafas dalam-dalam.
The doctor told me to take a deep breath.
Used more figuratively, similar to English “take a breath” before doing something difficult, calming down, etc.

It’s not a weird idiom; it’s the standard way to talk about “taking/breathing in” in everyday Malay.

Why is dalam-dalam repeated? Could I just say dalam?

The repetition dalam-dalam is reduplication, which often:

Turns an adjective into an adverb, and/or
Intensifies the meaning.

Here:

dalam = deep
dalam-dalam = deeply

So tarik nafas dalam-dalam ≈ “take a deep breath” / “breathe deeply”.

You might see:

tarik nafas dalam – understood, can mean “take a deep breath”, but
- dalam here is more like “deep” (adjective) modifying nafas (breath).
- dalam-dalam sounds more like an adverb describing how you breathe (deeply), and is the more idiomatic set phrase in this context.

Other common reduplications with this function:

perlahan-lahan – slowly
cepat-cepat – quickly (do it quickly)
baik-baik – carefully

Why is it beri tumpuan first and then tumpu sepenuhnya? Are beri tumpuan and tumpu different?

They are closely related but structured a bit differently:

beri tumpuan (pada …)
- Literally: “give focus (to …)”
- Meaning: “pay attention (to …) / give focus to …”.
- beri (give) + tumpuan (focus).
tumpu (pada …)
- Verb: “to focus (on …) / to concentrate (on …)”.

In your sentence:

beri tumpuan = to give focus (pay attention)
tumpu sepenuhnya = to focus completely

They’re basically describing similar mental actions, but:

The writer first says “pay attention” (beri tumpuan),
Then strengthens it: “focus completely” (tumpu sepenuhnya).

You will see both patterns in Malay:

Beri tumpuan pada kerja. – Give focus to your work.
Tumpu pada kerja. – Focus on your work.

Why don’t these verbs have the meN- prefix, like menarik, memberi, or menumpukan?

The verb roots here are:

tarik (pull)
beri (give)
tumpu (focus)

Malay can use:

The bare root forms (tarik, beri, tumpu), and
The meN- forms (menarik, memberi, menumpukan / menumpu).

In your sentence:

… saya cuba tarik nafas dalam-dalam, beri tumpuan, dan tumpu sepenuhnya …

After cuba (“try”), it is very common and natural to use the bare verbs in a list of actions.
This style is typical of everyday and semi-formal Malay.

A more formal equivalent could be:

… saya cuba menarik nafas dalam-dalam, memberi tumpuan, dan menumpu sepenuhnya …

So:

Both patterns are grammatically possible.
Using bare roots here is natural, slightly less formal, and keeps the list of actions short and rhythmic.

What does sepenuhnya mean, and how is it formed?

Sepenuhnya means completely / fully / wholly.

It comes from:

penuh = full
sepenuh = full/entire (as a bound form)
sepenuhnya = fully, completely

The pattern se-…-nya is common in Malay, often making adverb-like words or giving an “as X as possible / in a very X way” nuance, for example:

sebaik-baiknya – in the best way
secepatnya – as soon as possible / quickly
sepenuhnya – fully / completely

In tumpu sepenuhnya, it is “focus fully / focus completely”.

Why is it pada apa yang and not just pada apa or kepada apa?

The phrase is:

… tumpu sepenuhnya pada apa yang saya boleh buat.

Breakdown:

pada = on
apa = what
yang = a linker that turns apa into a relative clause (“what that …”)
saya boleh buat = I can do

So apa yang saya boleh buat literally is “what that I can do”, i.e. “what I can do”.

Why not just pada apa?
- pada apa on its own would mean “on what?” (a question), or “on the thing which?” but you’d still need to explain what that “what” is.
- apa yang saya boleh buat is a full noun phrase: “the things that I can do / what I can do”.
- Without yang, apa saya boleh buat is not standard grammar in this structure.
Why pada and not kepada?
- pada is used with places, times, and abstract objects or topics: tumpu pada kerja, fokus pada masalah ini.
- kepada is more often used with people or recipients: beritahu kepada saya, berikan hadiah kepada dia.
- Tumpu pada apa yang… is the usual, natural choice here.

So pada apa yang saya boleh buat is the correct and natural structure for “on what I can do”.

How does tense work here? How do we know if it means “I was also a bit worried” or “I am also a bit worried”?

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

So:

Saya pun sedikit bimbang could be:
- I am also a bit worried, or
- I was also a bit worried,

depending on the surrounding context and time reference in the story.

Time can be clarified with other words:

tadi – earlier: Saya tadi pun sedikit bimbang.
akan – will: Saya akan cuba tarik nafas dalam-dalam.
sedang – currently doing: Saya sedang cuba tarik nafas dalam-dalam.

In isolation, your sentence is tense-neutral; translators choose past or present based on context.

Could I say Saya juga sedikit bimbang instead of Saya pun sedikit bimbang? What’s the difference between pun and juga?

Yes, you can say:

Saya juga sedikit bimbang.

In this sentence, pun and juga are very close in meaning: also / too.

General differences:

pun
- Often feels lighter, more “attached” to the previous idea.
- Can add a nuance like “even” or “indeed” in some contexts.
- Used in some fixed patterns: sikit pun tidak (not even a little), apa pun (whatever).
juga
- Straightforward “also / too”.
- Slightly more neutral/formal.
- Cannot replace pun in some idioms, e.g. tak ada apa-apa pun (nothing at all), where juga wouldn’t work.

In your sentence:

Saya pun sedikit bimbang and Saya juga sedikit bimbang are both correct.
Pun here makes it feel slightly more like “I too (was) a bit worried”, in connection with something mentioned before.

Why is it apa yang saya boleh buat and not apa yang saya boleh lakukan or buat apa saya boleh?

All these elements exist, but they don’t all mean the same thing in context.

apa yang saya boleh buat
- buat = do
- Means “what I can do”.
- Very natural and common.
apa yang saya boleh lakukan
- lakukan is a more formal verb meaning “to do / to perform” (often used with abstract or formal objects).
- apa yang saya boleh lakukan also means “what I can do”, but a bit more formal; it would still fit nicely here.
buat apa saya boleh
- buat apa is a fixed expression meaning “what’s the point / why (bother)”.
  - Example: Buat apa saya pergi kalau dia tak datang? – Why should I go if he’s not coming?
- So buat apa saya boleh would be interpreted as something like “why should I be able to…?”, not “what I can do”.
- It changes the meaning completely and is not correct for this sentence.

So:

apa yang saya boleh buat = correct, natural.
apa yang saya boleh lakukan = correct, a bit more formal.
buat apa saya boleh = wrong meaning in this context.

Is the comma before tetapi necessary, and how is tetapi used compared to tapi?

In your sentence:

Saya pun sedikit bimbang, tetapi saya cuba …

The comma before tetapi is standard and mirrors English punctuation before “but” when it joins two full clauses.

About the words:

tetapi
- Means but / however.
- More formal.
- Common in writing and formal speech.
tapi
- Colloquial form of tetapi.
- Very common in speech and informal writing.
- In a relaxed version, the sentence could be:
  - Saya pun sedikit bimbang, tapi saya cuba tarik nafas …

So:

The comma is normal before tetapi in a long sentence like this.
You can switch tetapi to tapi for a more casual tone, keeping the same meaning.

Do tarik nafas dalam-dalam, beri tumpuan, dan tumpu sepenuhnya all depend on cuba? Are they all things I am trying to do?

Yes. The structure is:

… saya cuba [tarik nafas dalam-dalam], [beri tumpuan], dan [tumpu sepenuhnya pada apa yang saya boleh buat].

cuba applies to all three actions:
1. tarik nafas dalam-dalam – take a deep breath
2. beri tumpuan – pay attention / focus
3. tumpu sepenuhnya pada apa yang saya boleh buat – focus completely on what I can do

They all:

Share the same subject (saya),
Are in the same verb phrase coordinated by dan (and),
Are things the speaker is trying to do as a response to being worried.

So it’s like saying in English:

I tried to take a deep breath, (to) focus, and (to) concentrate fully on what I could do.