Learn Hardcore Malay: Perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains di perpustakaan. - That young woman likes to study science in the library.

perempuan – neutral word for woman/female, used in everyday speech.
wanita – more formal, often in writing, news, or respectful contexts (e.g. hak wanita = women’s rights).
gadis – specifically girl / young unmarried woman, with an emphasis on youth.
budak perempuan – girl (literally female kid/child).

So perempuan muda is literally young woman, and it’s fine for neutral description, e.g. talking about someone in a story.

Why is the adjective muda placed after perempuan instead of before it like in English?

In Malay, descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun:

perempuan muda = young woman (literally woman young)
buku tebal = thick book
kereta merah = red car

So the pattern is:

noun + adjective

This is the standard word order, unlike English, which usually has adjective + noun.

What does itu do in this sentence? Is it that or the?

Itu is a demonstrative that literally means that, but very often it functions like the English definite article the.

perempuan muda itu
= that young woman
= the young woman (a specific one already known in the context)

You can often understand itu as “that specific one we’re talking about.”

If you omit it:

perempuan muda = a young woman / young women (more general, not clearly specific).

How would I say a young woman instead of the/that young woman?

To clearly express a (indefinite, one person), Malay typically uses a classifier:

seorang perempuan muda = a young woman / one young woman

Breakdown:

se- = one
orang = classifier for people
perempuan = woman
muda = young

So:

Perempuan muda itu… = The / that young woman…
Seorang perempuan muda… = A young woman…

Does perempuan muda itu definitely mean one woman, or could it also mean the young women (plural)?

Malay normally doesn’t mark singular vs plural on the noun itself. So:

perempuan muda itu could mean:
- that young woman
- those young women

Context usually tells you whether it’s singular or plural.

If you want to be explicit:

seorang perempuan muda itu – that one young woman
perempuan-perempuan muda itu – those young women (plural marked by repetition)
beberapa perempuan muda – several young women

What exactly does suka mean, and is it the same as love?

Suka means to like, to be fond of.

In this sentence:

Perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains…
= The young woman likes to study science…

Some nuances:

suka – like, enjoy, fond of
gemar – like very much, be keen on (a bit stronger/formal)
cinta – romantic or deep love
sayang – affection, fondness, caring love

So suka is closer to English like, not strong romantic love.

What is the difference between belajar and mempelajari? Is belajar sains correct?

Yes, belajar sains is completely natural and correct.

Basic difference:

belajar – to learn / to study (general)
mempelajari – to study in depth, to examine closely (more formal, object-focused)

In everyday speech, people usually say:

belajar sains – study/learn science
belajar bahasa Melayu – study Malay

Mempelajari sains sounds more formal or academic, like “to study/examine science (in depth)”. For most learner contexts, belajar sains is what you want.

Does belajar sains di perpustakaan mean she is studying “library science”, or “science in the library”?

Here the structure is:

belajar sains = study science
di perpustakaan = in/at the library

So belajar sains di perpustakaan means:

study science in the library

If you wanted to say “library science” as a field, you’d more likely see something like sains perpustakaan or ilmu perpustakaan, depending on context.

What does di mean here, and how is it different from ke?

Di is a preposition meaning at / in / on (location).

di perpustakaan = at the library / in the library

Ke means to (movement towards a place):

Saya pergi ke perpustakaan. = I go to the library.
Saya belajar di perpustakaan. = I study at/in the library.

So:

di = location (where something is)
ke = direction (where something goes)

What does perpustakaan literally mean, and is it only for big public libraries?

Perpustakaan means library in general – it can be:

a public library
a school library
a university library
a private library (e.g. in a house), depending on context

Etymology:

pustaka (from Sanskrit) = book / manuscript / written work
per- … -an = a place related to something

So perpustakaan is literally “place of books/writings” → library.

Why is there no tense marker like is, was, or will? How do we know when this happens?

Malay verbs usually don’t show tense by changing form. Suka belajar itself is tenseless; context gives the time.

Perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains di perpustakaan. could mean:

The young woman likes to study science in the library. (general habit)
The young woman liked to study science in the library. (past, from context)
The young woman will like to study… (less likely without extra words)

To be explicit, Malay often adds time words or markers:

sedang – in the middle of (right now)
telah / sudah – already (past)
akan – will (future)

Examples:

Perempuan muda itu sedang belajar sains di perpustakaan.
= The young woman is (currently) studying science in the library.
Perempuan muda itu sudah belajar sains di perpustakaan.
= The young woman has already studied science in the library.
Perempuan muda itu akan belajar sains di perpustakaan.
= The young woman will study science in the library.

Is it okay to move di perpustakaan to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Malay word order is fairly flexible for adverbial phrases (like place, time).

You can say:

Perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains di perpustakaan.
Di perpustakaan, perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains.

Both are grammatical. Putting di perpustakaan at the beginning adds emphasis to the location: In the library, that young woman likes to study science.

Is it correct to insert adalah before suka, like Perempuan muda itu adalah suka belajar sains…?

No. You should not put adalah before a normal verb like suka.

✅ Perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains di perpustakaan.
❌ Perempuan muda itu adalah suka belajar sains di perpustakaan.

Adalah is mainly used:

to link a subject to a noun phrase or adjective phrase in more formal style:
- Dia adalah doktor. = He/She is a doctor.
- Perempuan muda itu adalah pelajar sains. = The young woman is a science student.

But with a verb like suka, you just use the verb directly, with no to be word.

How should I pronounce perempuan muda itu suka belajar sains di perpustakaan?

Approximate pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

perempuan ≈ pruh-oom-pwan
- pe- = a short, relaxed “peuh” (like the a in sofa)
- rum ≈ room (but quick)
- puan ≈ pwan (one syllable if said quickly)
muda ≈ moo-dah
itu ≈ ee-too
suka ≈ soo-kah
belajar ≈ buh-LAH-jar
- stress often on -la-
sains ≈ sah-ins (two syllables: sa-ins)
di ≈ dee
perpustakaan ≈ pruh-poos-tah-kah-an

Malay vowels are generally:

a as in father
e often a schwa (like the a in sofa)
i like ee in see
o like o in go
u like oo in food

The rhythm is quite even; each syllable is pronounced clearly.