Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.

All workers at that factory are tired at night.

Breakdown of Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• di: at
• semua: all
• letih: tired
• pada: at
• waktu malam: the night
• kilang: the factory
• pekerja: the employee

Questions & Answers about Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.

Why is there no word for "are" in the Malay sentence? In English we’d say “are tired”, but here it’s just letih.

Malay often doesn’t use a separate verb like “to be” (am/is/are) before adjectives.

• letih is an adjective meaning tired.
• In Malay, an adjective can function directly as the predicate of the sentence.

So:

• Semua pekerja … letih.
  literally: All workers … tired.
  and this naturally means: All the workers … are tired.

You don’t add adalah or anything similar here. Adalah is generally not used before plain adjectives in simple statements like this.

How do we know pekerja means “workers” (plural) and not just “worker” (singular)?

Malay nouns usually have no special plural form. pekerja on its own can mean:

• a worker
• the worker
• workers
• the workers

The number is usually understood from context or from other words:

• seorang pekerja = one worker (explicitly singular)
• dua orang pekerja = two workers (explicitly plural)
• semua pekerja = all workers (clearly plural)

In your sentence, semua (“all”) tells us it must be plural: workers.

What is the difference between semua pekerja, setiap pekerja, and para pekerja?

All three can involve the idea of “more than one worker”, but they’re not identical:

• semua pekerja
  = all (the) workers as a group.
  Focus is on the whole group collectively.

• setiap pekerja
  = each worker / every worker.
  Focus is on individuals, one by one.
  Example: Setiap pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.
  → Each worker at that factory is tired at night.

• para pekerja
  = the workers (a plural form used in more formal style, especially for people).
  Roughly “the workers” as a group, similar in meaning to semua pekerja, but without explicitly saying “all”.
  Example: Para pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.

In your sentence, semua pekerja clearly emphasizes all of them.

Why is it di kilang itu and not pada kilang itu? What’s the difference between di and pada?

Both di and pada are prepositions, but they’re used differently:

• di is mainly for physical locations / places.

  • di kilang itu = at that factory
  • di rumah = at home
  • di sekolah = at school

• pada is often used for:

  • time expressions: pada waktu malam (at night), pada hari Isnin (on Monday)
  • some abstract objects or less “physical” targets

So:

• di kilang itu (location: at that factory)
• pada waktu malam (time: at night)

Using pada kilang itu would sound wrong or very unnatural here.

What exactly does itu do in kilang itu? Is it like “that factory” or “the factory”?

itu is a demonstrative that usually means that, but in real usage it also often works like a kind of “the”.

• kilang = factory
• kilang itu = that factory / the factory (mentioned/known earlier)

Functionally:

• If you’re pointing or contrasting: it’s strongly that factory (as opposed to another one).
• If the factory is already known in the conversation: it can feel like the factory in English.

So in context, Semua pekerja di kilang itu… is naturally “All the workers at that factory…”, but itu can cover both “that” and “the (specific)”.

Could I say pekerja-pekerja to show plural, like “workers”? Is that more correct?

You can say pekerja-pekerja; this is reduplication to mark plural. However:

• In everyday Malay, especially for common nouns like pekerja, the basic form pekerja is already enough for plural when context makes it clear.
• In your sentence, semua already marks it as plural, so semua pekerja is fully natural.

If you do say semua pekerja-pekerja, it can sound a bit redundant or overly emphatic in many contexts.
Better choices:

• semua pekerja (normal)
• para pekerja (formal, for “the workers”)

Why is it pada waktu malam instead of just pada malam or just malam? Are those also correct?

All of these are possible, with small differences in style or nuance:

1. pada waktu malam

   • Literally: “at night time”.
   • Slightly more formal or explicit.

2. pada malam

   • Literally: “at night”.
   • Also correct; a bit shorter and still quite natural.

3. malam (by itself, with no preposition)

   • Often used in very simple or colloquial speech, especially in short notes, titles, or when context is clear.

In a full, neutral sentence like yours, pada waktu malam and pada malam are both good.
So you could say:

• Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.
• Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada malam.

Both mean essentially “All the workers at that factory are tired at night.”

Could I move the time phrase and say Pada waktu malam, semua pekerja di kilang itu letih? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is correct and natural.

Malay is quite flexible with the placement of time and place expressions. These versions are all acceptable:

• Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.
• Pada waktu malam, semua pekerja di kilang itu letih.

The meaning is the same; moving pada waktu malam to the front just puts a bit more emphasis on “at night” as the topic or setting.

Can I say di waktu malam instead of pada waktu malam? I’ve seen both.

You will see di waktu malam, but:

• In standard / formal Malay, pada waktu malam is preferred for times.
• di is primarily for physical places, and pada is the normal choice for time expressions.

That said, di waktu malam does appear in songs, older texts, and some casual usage, and people will understand it.
For learners aiming at correct standard Malay, pada waktu malam (or pada malam) is the safer choice.

Could I replace letih with penat? Do they mean exactly the same thing?

letih and penat are very close in meaning; both can mean tired. Some nuances:

• letih

  • often sounds slightly more neutral or formal.
  • common in writing and speech.

• penat

  • very common in everyday spoken Malay.
  • can feel a bit more colloquial or emotional at times.

In your sentence, both are fine:

• Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.
• Semua pekerja di kilang itu penat pada waktu malam.

The meaning is essentially the same: “All the workers at that factory are tired at night.”

How would I say “were tired last night” or “get tired at night” in Malay, if there’s no tense like past or present?

Malay doesn’t change the verb or adjective for tense (past/present/future). Instead, it relies on time words and context.

1. “Were tired last night”
   Add a clear past-time expression, e.g. malam tadi (last night):

   • Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih malam tadi.
     → All the workers at that factory were tired last night.

2. “Get tired at night” / “tend to be tired at night” (habitual)
   Your original sentence already naturally implies a habitual situation if used in a general context:

   • Semua pekerja di kilang itu letih pada waktu malam.
     → All the workers at that factory are (usually) tired at night.

   If you want to emphasize the “become/get” idea, you can use a verb like menjadi (to become):

   • Semua pekerja di kilang itu menjadi letih pada waktu malam.
     → All the workers at that factory become tired at night.

Context and time expressions do the work that verb tense does in English.