Questions & Answers about Dia belajar tekun setiap malam.
In Dia belajar tekun setiap malam, how do we know whether dia means he or she?
Dia is a gender‑neutral third‑person singular pronoun. It covers both he and she.
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?