Learn Hardcore Malay: Doktor menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari. - The doctor explained that our bodies need enough water every day.

Root word: terang = bright / clear
Prefix meN-
- root = menerang (to make clear)
Suffix -kan = makes it a transitive verb (something you do to an object)
So menerangkan = to make something clear, i.e. to explain (something)

In this sentence, Doktor menerangkan = The doctor explains / explained.

Why do we use bahawa here, and can it be left out?

Bahawa works like English that in reported speech:

Doktor menerangkan bahawa... = The doctor explained that...

It introduces a clause (a full sentence) that functions as the object of menerangkan.

In everyday spoken Malay, bahawa is often dropped:

Doktor menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
→ More natural spoken version: Doktor terangkan tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.

Both are grammatical; using bahawa just sounds a bit more formal or careful.

Why is it just Doktor and not the doctor or a doctor? Where is the article?

Malay does not have articles like a, an, or the.

Doktor can mean a doctor or the doctor, depending on context.
If you really want to specify that particular doctor, you can say:
- Doktor itu = that/the doctor
To say this doctor, use:
- Doktor ini

So Doktor menerangkan... is naturally understood from context as The doctor explained....

What is the difference between tubuh and badan? Could I say badan kita instead?

Both tubuh and badan can mean body, and here you can say badan kita:

tubuh kita = our body
badan kita = our body

Nuance:

tubuh: slightly more formal/literary, often used in health, medical or serious contexts.
badan: very common in everyday speech; can also mean organization / body (e.g. badan kerajaan = government body).

In this sentence, both tubuh kita and badan kita are acceptable.

Why is it perlukan and not just perlu? What’s the difference between perlu, perlukan, and memerlukan?

All three are related to the idea of need, but the grammar is slightly different.

perlu (basic form)
- Often behaves like a modal (like must / need to):
- Kita perlu minum air. = We need to drink water.
perlukan (perlu + -kan)
- Used as a transitive verb to need (something):
- Tubuh kita perlukan air. = Our body needs water.
- Object (air) comes after it.
memerlukan (meN- + perlu + -kan)
- Also to need / to require, more formal and very common:
- Tubuh kita memerlukan air. = Our body requires water.

In this sentence, you could say:

Tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
Tubuh kita perlu cukup air setiap hari.
Tubuh kita memerlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.

All are correct; memerlukan sounds a bit more formal.

Why isn’t there adalah after tubuh kita? When would adalah be used?

Adalah is used mainly for:

Equating two nouns/adjectives:
- Air adalah keperluan asas. = Water is a basic necessity.
Linking to a noun phrase, not a verb.

In the sentence:

tubuh kita perlukan air...

perlukan is a verb (need), so you do not use adalah before it. You normally do not say:

✗ tubuh kita adalah perlukan air... (unnatural)

Use adalah when the part after it is a noun/adjective phrase, not when it’s a normal verb.

What does yang do in air yang cukup? Why not just cukup air?

Yang introduces a descriptive clause or phrase, like English that / which / who / that is.

air yang cukup literally: water that is enough / water which is sufficient

Here, yang links air with its description cukup.

You can also say:

cukup air = enough water

Nuance:

air yang cukup emphasizes water which is in a sufficient amount (slightly more formal/explicit).
cukup air is shorter and very common in speech.

Both are natural in this sentence:

tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari
tubuh kita perlukan cukup air setiap hari

What exactly does cukup mean here?

Cukup means enough / sufficient.

Common patterns:

cukup air = enough water
air yang cukup = water that is enough / sufficient water
tidak cukup air = not enough water

It can also mean quite / fairly in other contexts:

Dia cukup pandai. = He/She is quite smart.

But in this sentence, it clearly means enough / sufficient.

What does setiap hari mean, and how is it different from tiap-tiap hari or hari-hari?

Setiap hari = every day.

Related expressions:

tiap-tiap hari = also every day, slightly more emphatic/repetitive, often spoken
tiap hari = shorter version of tiap-tiap hari
hari-hari = every day / day after day, very informal/colloquial

All can fit in a similar meaning:

Tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
Tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup tiap hari.
Tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup hari-hari. (very informal)

Setiap hari is neutral and suitable for both formal and informal contexts.

Why is air not plural here? How do you say waters or different kinds of water?

In Malay, air (water) is a mass noun, like in English:

You normally don’t pluralize air.
air can mean water in general or some water.

There is no separate plural form; instead, you use classifiers or context:

segala jenis air = all kinds of water
dua botol air = two bottles of water
banyak air = a lot of water

If you want to talk about different types of water:

pelbagai jenis air = various kinds of water

Why is it kita and not kami in tubuh kita?

Both kita and kami mean we / us, but:

kita = we (including the listener) → inclusive
kami = we (excluding the listener) → exclusive

Tubuh kita therefore means our body including the person you’re speaking to.

Using tubuh kami would mean our body but not including you, which would sound odd when talking about a general truth like human health. That’s why kita is used.

How would I change this sentence to past or future tense? There’s no change in the verb.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Instead, you add time expressions or markers.

Original (neutral/general):

Doktor menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
- Can mean The doctor explains or explained, depending on context.

To make it clearly past:

Tadi doktor menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
- tadi = a while ago / earlier
Semalam doktor telah menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
- semalam = yesterday
- telah = has / had (completed aspect)

To make it future:

Esok doktor akan menerangkan bahawa tubuh kita perlukan air yang cukup setiap hari.
- esok = tomorrow
- akan = will

The verb menerangkan itself stays the same.