Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang apabila belajar dengan pasangan tetap, bukan sendirian.

I feel less shy and less worried when studying with a regular partner, not alone.

Breakdown of Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang apabila belajar dengan pasangan tetap, bukan sendirian.

• saya: I
• dengan: with
• dan: and
• rasa: to feel
• apabila: when
• belajar: to study
• bukan: not
• sendirian: alone
• pasangan: the partner
• kurang: less
• bimbang: worried
• malu: shy
• tetap: regular

Questions & Answers about Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang apabila belajar dengan pasangan tetap, bukan sendirian.

What does kurang mean in this sentence, and is it always translated as less?

In this sentence, kurang literally means less, but its nuance is often not so / not very / less than before.

• Saya rasa kurang malu = I feel less shy / I don't feel so shy
• Saya rasa kurang bimbang = I feel less worried / I don't feel so worried

Depending on context, kurang can mean:

1. Less / not so much (degree):
   
   • Dia kurang yakin. = He/She is less confident / not very confident.
2. Lacking / not enough (quantity or sufficiency):
   
   • Masa kita kurang. = Our time is not enough / We are short of time.

So here it’s about degree of feeling, not quantity.

Are malu and bimbang adjectives or verbs here? How should I think of them?

Malay doesn’t separate adjectives and stative verbs as strongly as English. Words like malu and bimbang can function as:

• Adjectives: shy, worried
• Stative verbs: to be shy, to be worried

In rasa kurang malu and rasa kurang bimbang, you can think of them as adjectives:

• malu = shy / embarrassed
• bimbang = worried / anxious

The pattern rasa + (adjective) is very common for I feel + (adjective):

• Saya rasa letih. = I feel tired.
• Saya rasa gembira. = I feel happy.

So you can safely learn them as adjectives in this structure.

Why do we repeat kurang before malu and bimbang? Can I say Saya rasa kurang malu dan bimbang?

You can say Saya rasa kurang malu dan bimbang, and people will understand it, but the original sentence:

• Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang

is clearer and more balanced, because it explicitly applies kurang to both feelings:

• less shy and less worried

If you drop the second kurang, it sounds slightly more compact but a bit less precise. Both are grammatically acceptable; the original is just more emphatic and clear.

What is the difference between apabila, bila, ketika, and semasa?

All can relate to when, but they differ in formality and nuance:

• apabila

  • Fairly formal/neutral, common in writing and careful speech.
  • Used for when(ever) something happens.
  • Example: Apabila hujan, jalan menjadi licin.

• bila

  • Informal, common in casual speech.
  • Often used like when or what time / when (question).
  • Example: Bila kamu balik? = When are you going back?

• ketika

  • Means when / at the time when, a bit formal or descriptive.
  • Often used with a noun or clause:
    
    • Ketika kecil, saya tinggal di sana. = When I was small, I lived there.

• semasa

  • Similar to during / while / when.
  • Usually emphasizes during a period of time.
  • Example: Semasa belajar di universiti, saya bekerja sambilan.

In your sentence, apabila belajar = when (I) study / when studying, in a fairly neutral/standard style.

Why is there no saya before belajar? Could I say apabila saya belajar dengan pasangan tetap instead?

Malay often omits the subject in the second clause if it is the same as the previous subject and there is no ambiguity.

• Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang apabila belajar...
  The saya is understood: when I study/learn…

You can say:

• apabila saya belajar dengan pasangan tetap

and it’s perfectly correct. It just sounds a bit longer and sometimes more formal or explicit. In this sentence, omitting saya is very natural.

What exactly does pasangan tetap mean? Is it like partner, fixed partner, or regular partner?

Pasangan by itself means partner (in many senses: romantic partner, dance partner, discussion partner, etc.).

Tetap means fixed / permanent / regular / constant.

So pasangan tetap is best understood as:

• regular partner
• fixed partner
• steady partner

In a learning context, belajar dengan pasangan tetap suggests:

• You always (or usually) work/learn with the same person, not changing partners each time.

How is dengan used here? Is it always translated as with?

Yes, in this sentence dengan corresponds to with:

• belajar dengan pasangan tetap = study/learn with a regular partner

Common uses of dengan:

1. With (someone/something)
   
   • Saya pergi dengan kawan. = I go with a friend.
2. Using (an instrument/method)
   
   • Tulis dengan pen. = Write with a pen.
3. In a … way / manner
   
   • Dia bercakap dengan perlahan. = He/She speaks slowly (lit. with slowness).

Here it’s the first use: with a person.

Why do we use bukan before sendirian, not tidak? What is the rule?

Malay has two main negators:

• tidak – used mostly before verbs and adjectives
• bukan – used before nouns, pronouns, and often in contrast/emphasis constructions

In this sentence:

• bukan sendirian = not alone / rather than alone

Here bukan is used because:

1. It’s part of a contrast:
   
   • dengan pasangan tetap, bukan sendirian
     = with a regular partner, not alone.
2. It’s almost like saying instead of / rather than:
   
   • with a partner, instead of alone.

Tidak sendirian is grammatically possible but sounds odd here; bukan sendirian feels more natural and contrastive.

What is the difference between sendirian, sendiri, and seorang diri?

All relate to the idea of being alone, but usage differs:

• sendirian

  • Means alone / by oneself (adverb/adjectival-like).
  • Dia makan sendirian. = He/She eats alone.

• sendiri

  • Can mean own / oneself depending on context:
    
    • rumah sendiri = own house
    • saya sendiri = I myself
  • Sometimes used similarly to alone, but usually you’ll see sendirian or seorang diri for alone.

• seorang diri

  • Literally one person self, idiomatic for alone.
  • Dia tinggal seorang diri. = He/She lives alone.

In your sentence, bukan sendirian is the most natural; bukan seorang diri would also be correct and common. bukan sendiri is not the usual phrase for not alone in this context.

Could I say Saya kurang rasa malu dan kurang rasa bimbang instead of Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang?

You could say Saya kurang rasa malu dan kurang rasa bimbang, and people would understand it, but it sounds more clumsy and less natural.

Patterns:

• Saya rasa kurang malu.
  = I feel less shy. (Very natural)
• Saya kurang rasa malu.
  = I am less feeling of shyness / I feel less of shyness. (Possible, but less natural and heavier)

Malay normally prefers rasa + adjective:

• Saya rasa sedih. = I feel sad.
• Saya rasa gementar. = I feel nervous.

So Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang is smoother and more idiomatic than moving rasa after kurang.

Is Saya rasa similar to I think or I feel in English? Can it mean both?

Saya rasa can mean both I feel and I think, depending on what follows:

1. I feel (emotional/physical state) when followed by an adjective:

   • Saya rasa letih. = I feel tired.
   • Saya rasa gementar. = I feel nervous.

2. I think (opinion/belief) when followed by a clause:

   • Saya rasa dia akan datang. = I think he/she will come.
   • Saya rasa ini idea yang baik. = I think this is a good idea.

In your sentence (Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang), it is clearly I feel because it’s followed by adjectives describing emotions.

Is saya the most common way to say I? How is it different from aku?

Yes, saya is the standard, polite, neutral way to say I in Malay.

• saya

  • Used in most situations: talking to strangers, teachers, colleagues, in writing, etc.
  • Polite, respectful, and safe almost everywhere.

• aku

  • More informal / intimate.
  • Used among close friends, family, or in songs/poetry.
  • Might sound rude or too casual if used with someone you don’t know well or in formal settings.

In your sentence, Saya rasa… is the appropriate, standard form.

Could I add tetapi before bukan sendirian? For example: ..., tetapi bukan sendirian. Would that change the meaning?

You can say:

• Saya rasa kurang malu dan kurang bimbang apabila belajar dengan pasangan tetap, tetapi bukan sendirian.

Meaning:
I feel less shy and less worried when studying with a regular partner, but not alone.

Adding tetapi (but) makes the contrast more explicit and sounds slightly more formal or emphatic.

The original:

• ..., dengan pasangan tetap, bukan sendirian.

already implies a contrast without the word but. So:

• With tetapi: more explicit contrast and slightly more formal.
• Without tetapi: still clear and natural, just a bit more compact.

Does apabila belajar mean when I study or when I am studying? How do tenses work here?

apabila belajar is tense-neutral. Malay doesn’t mark tense the way English does; it relies on context and sometimes time words.

So apabila belajar can mean:

• when I study (general/habitual)
• when I am studying (ongoing)
• when I was studying (past, if context says so)
• when I will study (future, with future context)

In your sentence, it refers to a general or usual situation:
Whenever / when I study with a regular partner, I feel less shy and less worried.

If you want to be explicit about time, you add words like nanti (later), tadi (earlier), esok (tomorrow), etc., but here it’s not necessary.