Learn Hardcore Malay: Dia belajar tekun setiap malam. - He/She studies diligently every night.

Malay usually does not mark gender in pronouns. You only know whether dia refers to a male or female from context (for example, previous sentences might mention the person’s name, or say that the person is a man/woman, father/mother, etc.).

So:

dia = he / she (singular, informal/neutral)
There is no change in the sentence itself; the grammar is the same for both.

If you specifically want to be respectful when referring to an adult (often a respected person, like a teacher, leader, or elder), you can use beliau instead of dia:

Beliau belajar tekun setiap malam.
(He / She studies diligently every night – respectful tone)

Why does Dia belajar tekun setiap malam usually get translated with studies (present tense) and not studied or will study?

Malay verbs do not change form to show tense. Belajar can mean study, studies, studied, or will study depending on context.

In this sentence, setiap malam (every night) is a frequency expression that describes a habitual action. In English, habitual actions in the present are normally expressed with the simple present:

He / She studies diligently every night.

If you wanted to make past or future time clearer in Malay, you would normally add a time word or a marker:

Dia telah belajar tekun setiap malam tahun lepas.
He / She studied diligently every night last year.
Dia akan belajar tekun setiap malam mulai minggu depan.
He / She will study diligently every night starting next week.

But the base verb belajar itself does not change.

What exactly does belajar mean? Is it more like study or learn?

Belajar can cover both study and learn, depending on context.

When someone is doing academic work, we usually translate it as study / studies:
- Dia belajar di universiti.
  He / She studies at the university.
- Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.
  He / She studies diligently every night.
When we emphasise gaining a new skill or knowledge, learn can also be a good translation:
- Dia belajar bahasa Melayu.
  He / She is learning Malay.
- Saya belajar bermain gitar.
  I am learning to play the guitar.

In many cases, both study and learn are possible, and you choose based on what sounds more natural in English for that situation. Grammatically in Malay, belajar is just one verb.

Can belajar take a direct object? Why is there no object in Dia belajar tekun setiap malam?

Yes, belajar can take an object, but it does not have to.

With object:

Dia belajar matematik.
He / She studies mathematics.
Dia belajar bahasa Jepun.
He / She is learning Japanese.

Without object:

Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.
He / She studies diligently every night.
(The specific subject is not mentioned, but it is understood from context, like schoolwork, exam preparation, etc.)

It is natural in Malay to omit the object if it is obvious or not important to mention.

What part of speech is tekun, and what nuance does it have compared to something like rajin?

Tekun is most often used as an adverbial or adjectival word meaning diligent(ly), hard‑working(ly), perseveringly.

Nuance:

tekun – focuses on steady, persistent, careful effort, often with concentration and perseverance.
rajin – more general hard‑working / industrious, also used for not lazy. It can describe a person’s general character.

Examples:

Dia belajar tekun.
He / She studies diligently (careful, persistent effort).
Dia seorang murid yang rajin.
He / She is a hardworking student (in general).

You can sometimes use them together:

Dia belajar dengan tekun dan rajin.
He / She studies diligently and is hardworking.

Why is tekun placed after belajar here? Could we also say Dia tekun belajar setiap malam?

Both word orders are possible, with a slight difference in feel:

Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.
Basic pattern: Subject – Verb – Manner – Time
This is very neutral and common. It sounds like a straightforward statement:
He / She studies diligently every night.
Dia tekun belajar setiap malam.
Here tekun comes immediately after dia, so it slightly highlights tekun as a quality of the person while they are studying:
He / She diligently studies every night.
The focus is a bit more on the quality tekun.

Both are grammatically correct and natural. In everyday use, the difference in meaning is small; it is more about rhythm and emphasis.

What does setiap mean in setiap malam, and are there other similar words?

Setiap means every (for countable occurrences, times, or items).

So:

setiap malam = every night
setiap hari = every day
setiap minggu = every week

Common alternatives and near‑synonyms:

tiap malam – also every night, a bit shorter and very common in speech.
tiap‑tiap malam – more emphatic or old‑fashioned style; still understood, but tiap malam or setiap malam is more common in modern usage.
saban malam – every night, often a little more literary.

All of these can describe a habitual action.

Can I put setiap malam at the beginning of the sentence, like Setiap malam dia belajar tekun?

Yes. Time expressions are flexible in position.

These are all grammatical:

Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.
Setiap malam dia belajar tekun.

The meaning is essentially the same: he / she studies diligently every night.

Putting setiap malam first slightly emphasises the time frame, something like:

Every night, he / she studies diligently.

Malay frequently allows time adverbs at the start for emphasis or narrative flow.

Do I need a preposition like pada before setiap malam, for example Dia belajar tekun pada setiap malam?

You do not need pada here, and in this case Dia belajar tekun setiap malam is more natural.

General rule:

With setiap / tiap / saban plus a time word, Malay normally does not use pada:
- setiap malam, setiap hari, setiap minggu

Using pada:

pada is used with specific times or dates:
- pada pukul lapan malam – at 8 p.m.
- pada hari Isnin – on Monday
- pada 1 Januari – on the 1st of January

Pada setiap malam is grammatically possible, but it tends to sound more formal, heavy, or as if you are stressing each and every night. In everyday speech, setiap malam without pada is preferred.

How is aspect (like is studying vs studies) shown in Malay? Could Dia belajar tekun setiap malam also mean He / She is studying diligently every night?

Malay does not mark aspect on the verb form itself. Belajar can match:

study / studies
is studying / are studying
was studying
has studied
and so on, depending on time and context.

Dia belajar tekun setiap malam primarily matches English He / She studies diligently every night (habitual action), because of setiap malam.

If you want to emphasise the progressive aspect (in the middle of studying right now), you can add sedang:

Dia sedang belajar.
He / She is studying (right now).
Dia sedang belajar tekun di bilik.
He / She is studying diligently in the room.

With setiap malam, you are describing a routine, so English simple present (studies) is the most natural translation.

Can the subject pronoun dia be dropped, so that we just say Belajar tekun setiap malam?

Malay can drop pronouns if the subject is clear from context, but it is less automatic than in some other languages.

In Belajar tekun setiap malam, there is no clear subject:

It is grammatical as a fragment (for example, in a list of habits), but in a normal full sentence you usually want the subject:
- Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.

Where omission is more natural:

In informal conversation, if people already know who is being talked about, you might get short forms like:
- Belajar tekun tiap malam, ya?
  (You study diligently every night, huh?)
  Here the subject you is understood from the situation.

For clear, standard sentences (especially in writing or teaching materials), keep the dia.

If I want to say They study diligently every night, how would I change the sentence?

You only need to change the pronoun:

Mereka belajar tekun setiap malam.
They study diligently every night.

Summary:

dia – he / she (singular)
mereka – they (plural)

The verb belajar does not change for singular vs plural subjects.

Is Dia belajar tekun setiap malam formal, informal, or neutral? Are there more formal alternatives?

The sentence is neutral and completely acceptable in both spoken and written Malay. It is neither particularly slangy nor very formal.

Slightly more formal or emphatic alternatives:

Dia belajar dengan tekun setiap malam.
He / She studies with diligence every night.
Dia belajar bersungguh‑sungguh setiap malam.
He / She studies very earnestly / with great effort every night.

If you want to speak respectfully about an older or respected person:

Beliau belajar tekun setiap malam.
He / She (respectful) studies diligently every night.

But for most situations, Dia belajar tekun setiap malam is perfectly fine.