Learn Hardcore Malay: Dalam mesyuarat itu, ada yang tenang, ada yang gugup, tetapi semua orang cuba memberi pandangan dengan cara yang ramah. - In that meeting, some are calm, some are nervous, but everyone tries to give their opinions in a friendly way.

In Malay, “itu” is often used to refer to a specific thing or event that both speaker and listener know about. Here, “mesyuarat itu” suggests “that particular meeting (we both know about)”, not just any meeting in general.

So, it’s a bit like saying “in that meeting” or “in the meeting (we were talking about)”, rather than just “in a meeting”.

How does “ada yang tenang, ada yang gugup” work grammatically? Why is there no subject like “they” or “people”?

“Ada yang tenang, ada yang gugup” can be understood as:

ada yang tenang = (there) are those who are calm
ada yang gugup = (there) are those who are nervous

Breakdown:

ada = there is / there are / exist
yang = that / who / which (used to link or specify)
tenang = calm
gugup = nervous

Malay often omits the explicit subject when it’s obvious from context. The sentence assumes we are talking about people in the meeting. So instead of saying:

Ada orang yang tenang, ada orang yang gugup

they simply say:

Ada yang tenang, ada yang gugup.

English needs a subject, so we translate it more fully as:

Some people were calm, some were nervous.

Grammatically, “ada” introduces existence, and “yang + adjective” describes the type of people that exist (the calm ones / the nervous ones).

What is the difference between “tenang” and “gugup” in terms of nuance?

tenang = calm, composed, tranquil
- Emotionally steady
- Not flustered or stressed
- Can describe people, situations, or places
gugup = nervous, flustered
- Often used for performance anxiety or speaking anxiety
- Suggests being jittery, unsure, or not confident

In this sentence:

ada yang tenang, ada yang gugup

it contrasts people who are composed vs people who are anxious during the meeting.

What does “cuba” mean here, and does it always need another verb after it?

In this sentence, “cuba” means “to try (to do something)”.

cuba = try (make an effort)

Here it appears with another verb:

cuba memberi = try to give

Often, “cuba” is followed by a verb, just like “try to [do something]” in English:

cuba bercakap = try to speak
cuba faham = try to understand
cuba membantu = try to help

However, cuba can also be used alone in casual speech to mean “try it” or “have a go”, for example:

Cuba! = Try (it)!
Cuba dulu. = Try first / Give it a try.

In this sentence, though, it clearly functions as “try to (do an action)”.

What does “memberi pandangan” literally mean, and why not just say “bercakap”?

“memberi pandangan” literally means “to give an opinion/view”.

Breakdown:

memberi = to give
pandangan = view / opinion / perspective

So:

memberi pandangan = to give one’s opinion / to share one’s view

“bercakap” means “to talk / to speak”, which is more general. It doesn’t necessarily imply expressing an opinion.

Compare:

bercakap dalam mesyuarat = to talk in the meeting
memberi pandangan dalam mesyuarat = to present / give one’s view in the meeting

The sentence focuses on people trying to contribute their opinions, not just talking.

Why is it “memberi pandangan” and not “beri pandangan”? What’s the role of meN- here?

The verb “memberi” is the meN- form of “beri” (to give).

beri = give (base form)
memberi = to give (politer / more formal verb form)

Malay often uses the meN- prefix (here mem- + beri) to form active verbs, especially in more formal or written contexts.

In everyday speech, people do say:

beri saya masa. = give me time.

But in more formal or neutral sentences, especially in writing, it’s common to use:

memberi saya masa.

In this sentence, the style is slightly formal, so “memberi pandangan” sounds natural and standard.

Why is there no word like “their” in “memberi pandangan”? How do we know it means “their opinions”?

Malay often omits possessive pronouns when the owner is clear from context.

pandangan = view / opinion
There is no explicit “their” (e.g. pandangan mereka).

We understand whose opinion it is from context:

The sentence talks about “semua orang” (everyone).
Then: “semua orang cuba memberi pandangan” → everyone tries to give opinions.

So in natural English we say:

everyone tried to give their opinions

But in Malay, simply:

semua orang cuba memberi pandangan

Adding “mereka” is possible but sounds heavier:

semua orang cuba memberi pandangan mereka
= everyone tried to give their opinions

The shorter version is very common and natural.

What does “dengan cara yang ramah” literally mean, and how does it compare to saying “secara ramah”?

“dengan cara yang ramah” literally means:

dengan = with / in (a way)
cara = way / manner
yang = that / which (linking word)
ramah = friendly

So the phrase is “with a way that is friendly”, or more naturally, “in a friendly way/manner”.

You could also say:

secara ramah = in a friendly manner

“secara + adjective” is a common pattern to make adverb-like phrases.

Differences in feel:

dengan cara yang ramah
- slightly more descriptive; sounds a bit more narrative or explanatory
secara ramah
- more compact; often used in more formal or written styles

Both are grammatically correct and mean essentially the same thing here.

Why is “ramah” used here and not “mesra”? What’s the difference between ramah and mesra?

Both are related to friendliness, but there are nuance differences:

ramah
- friendly, pleasant, approachable
- describes how someone behaves outwardly: smiling, polite, welcoming
- orang yang ramah = a friendly (approachable) person
mesra
- close, intimate, warm (often with a sense of emotional closeness)
- used for close relationships or very warm interactions
- hubungan yang mesra = a close / warm relationship

In “dengan cara yang ramah”, the focus is on being polite and pleasant in manner during the meeting, not necessarily being emotionally close to one another. So “ramah” is the better fit.

What does “semua orang” mean exactly? Is there a plural marker in Malay?

“semua orang” means “everyone” or literally “all people”.

semua = all
orang = person / people

Malay does not mark plural with an ending like English -s. Instead, it uses:

words like “semua” (all) to show plurality
sometimes reduplication:
- orang-orang = people (emphasized plural)

But in many contexts, “orang” can already mean either person or people, depending on the other words:

seorang = one person
dua orang = two people
semua orang = all people / everyone

So “semua orang” is the natural way to express “everyone” here.

Why is the word order “tetapi semua orang cuba memberi pandangan” and not like English “but tried everyone to give their opinion”?

Malay word order here is similar to English S–V–O (subject–verb–object):

semua orang = subject (everyone)
cuba memberi = verb phrase (try to give)
pandangan = object (opinion/view)

So:

tetapi semua orang cuba memberi pandangan
but everyone tried to give (an) opinion

“Tetapi” (but) comes at the beginning of the clause, like English “but”:

Tetapi semua orang… = But everyone…

The ungrammatical word order something like “tetapi cuba semua orang memberi pandangan” would sound awkward in Malay because Malay does not typically invert subject and verb for statements (no equivalent of English “Never have I seen…” style inversions in normal speech).

Could this sentence be said in a more casual way? What might it sound like in everyday spoken Malay?

A more casual spoken version might simplify or shorten some parts, for example:

Dalam mesyuarat tu, ada yang rileks, ada yang gugup, tapi semua orang cuba bagi pandangan dengan cara yang ramah.

Changes:

itu → tu (colloquial shortening)
tenang → rileks (English loan “relax”, very common in speech)
tetapi → tapi (colloquial)
memberi → bagi (informal word for “give”)

The original sentence is natural and standard. The casual version just sounds more like everyday conversation.