Guru berkata bahawa ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah.

The teacher said that next week’s test is not too difficult.

Breakdown of Guru berkata bahawa ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah.

• adalah: to be
• guru: the teacher
• tidak: not
• terlalu: too
• berkata: to say
• bahawa: that
• minggu: the week
• susah: difficult
• ujian: the test
• depan: next

Questions & Answers about Guru berkata bahawa ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah.

What is the natural English translation of Guru berkata bahawa ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah?

A natural translation is:

The teacher said that next week’s test is not too difficult.

More literally:

• Guru – teacher
• berkata – said / spoke
• bahawa – that (introducing a clause)
• ujian – test
• minggu depan – next week
• tidak terlalu susah – not too difficult / not too hard

What does bahawa do in this sentence? Can I leave it out?

bahawa is a conjunction meaning that, used to introduce reported/indirect speech:

• Guru berkata bahawa … – The teacher said that …

In everyday spoken Malay, bahawa is often dropped:

• Guru berkata ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah.

Both are correct. With bahawa sounds slightly more formal or written; without it is very common in speech.

How do I know the tense? Why does berkata mean said and not says?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. berkata can mean say, said, or will say, depending on context and time markers.

In this sentence, the context in English suggests said:

• Guru berkata … – The teacher said / says …
• Context (talking about something that already happened) will tell you whether it’s present or past.

To mark tense more clearly, Malay often adds time words:

• tadi (earlier), semalam (yesterday), akan (will), etc.

But here, the bare berkata is enough; you decide the tense from the situation.

What is the difference between ujian and peperiksaan?

Both relate to tests/exams, but there is a nuance:

• ujian – test, quiz, assessment (often smaller or more general)
• peperiksaan – exam, examination (usually more formal or major exams, e.g. national exams)

In many school contexts:

• ujian = a regular test during the term
• peperiksaan = mid‑year exam, final exam, national exam

In your sentence, ujian suggests an ordinary test next week, not a big formal exam.

What does minggu depan mean, and why is the order like that?

minggu depan means next week.

• minggu – week
• depan – front / ahead

Literally, minggu depan is like the week in front (of now) → next week.

This pattern is common:

• tahun depan – next year
• bulan depan – next month

Notice the order: noun + depan (week + next), unlike English (next week).

Why is tidak used here and not bukan?

Malay has two main negators: tidak and bukan.

• tidak is used with:

  • verbs: tidak tahu (don’t know)
  • adjectives: tidak susah (not difficult)

• bukan is used with:

  • nouns: itu bukan buku saya (that is not my book)
  • whole clauses/identities or for contrast

In tidak terlalu susah:

• susah is an adjective (difficult)
• So you must use tidak, not bukan.

Hence: ujian … tidak terlalu susah (the test is not too difficult).

What exactly does terlalu mean? Does it always mean too?

terlalu literally means too / excessively:

• terlalu susah – too difficult
• terlalu mahal – too expensive

In tidak terlalu susah, it works like not too difficult:

• tidak terlalu susah = not too difficult / not that difficult / not very difficult

So:

• terlalu susah – too hard
• tidak terlalu susah – not too hard / not overly hard

The tidak in front softens it.

What is the difference between susah, sukar, and payah?

All can relate to difficult, but with different feel:

• susah

  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Means difficult / troublesome / hard.
  • Also used for hard life: hidup susah (a difficult life).

• sukar

  • Slightly more formal or written.
  • Often used in official or academic style.
  • sukar difahami – hard to understand.

• payah

  • Can mean difficult but often with a sense of effortful / burdensome.
  • In some contexts sounds more colloquial or emotional: payah betul kerja ni – this job is really tough.

In your sentence, susah is the most natural, neutral everyday choice.

Why is susah after ujian minggu depan? Could I say ujian susah minggu depan?

Malay usually puts adjectives after the noun:

• ujian susah – a difficult test
• buku baru – a new book
• guru baik – a good teacher

Time expressions like minggu depan usually come after the noun, but before the adjective phrase:

• ujian minggu depan – next week’s test
• ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah – the test next week is not too difficult

ujian susah minggu depan sounds awkward and unnatural; it could confuse listeners. The natural order is:

[Noun] + [Time] + [Adjective phrase]
→ ujian + minggu depan + tidak terlalu susah

Why is there no word for is in ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah?

Malay often omits a copula (like English is/are) when linking a noun and an adjective:

• Ujian itu susah. – The test is difficult.
• Guru itu baik. – The teacher is kind.
• Dia sakit. – He/She is sick.

So ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah literally is:

• test next week not too difficult

English needs is, but Malay does not put anything there. The relationship is inferred from word order.

Could I say Cikgu instead of Guru? Is there a difference?

Yes:

• Guru – teacher (more formal, used in writing, official contexts, job title)
• Cikgu – teacher (very common in spoken Malay, how students often address a teacher directly)

So:

• Guru berkata … – neutral/formal statement about a teacher
• Cikgu berkata … – sounds more like what students say in everyday speech

Both are correct; the choice depends on formality and context.

Is bahawa the only way to report speech? How would I say the teacher’s exact words?

For indirect/reported speech, bahawa is common but optional:

• Guru berkata bahawa ujian…
• Guru berkata ujian… (without bahawa, especially in speech)

For direct speech (the teacher’s exact words), you usually just put the sentence after the verb, often with punctuation in writing:

• Guru berkata, “Ujian minggu depan tidak terlalu susah.”
  – The teacher said, “Next week’s test is not too difficult.”

In spoken Malay, you’d just change your tone to show you’re quoting; the grammar itself doesn’t change much.