Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.

I feel tired after work.

Breakdown of Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.

• saya: I
• kerja: the work
• selepas: after
• berasa: to feel
• penat: tired

Questions & Answers about Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.

Why is berasa used instead of rasa? Are they different?

Both berasa and rasa can mean to feel.

• berasa – slightly more formal and complete; common in writing and careful speech.
  
  • Saya berasa penat. = I feel tired.
• rasa – very common in everyday spoken Malay; a bit shorter and more casual.
  
  • Saya rasa penat. = I feel tired.

In this sentence, Saya berasa penat selepas kerja, using berasa is perfectly natural, a bit on the neutral–formal side. In casual conversation, many people would simply say Saya rasa penat lepas kerja.

Can I just say Saya penat selepas kerja without berasa?

Yes, that is very natural.

• Saya berasa penat selepas kerja. = I feel tired after work.
• Saya penat selepas kerja. = I am tired after work.

Malay often drops verbs like berasa / rasa when talking about states:

• Saya lapar. = I am hungry.
• Saya sedih. = I am sad.

So Saya penat selepas kerja is shorter and very common in speech.

What is the difference between penat and other words like letih or mengantuk?

All three are about not having energy, but they are used a bit differently:

• penat – tired, worn out (general fatigue, physical or mental).
  
  • Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.
• letih – very similar to penat; often feels a bit stronger or more worn-out.
  
  • Saya letih sangat hari ini. = I’m so tired today.
• mengantuk – sleepy, drowsy (specifically wanting to sleep).
  
  • Saya mengantuk selepas kerja. = I feel sleepy after work.

In your sentence, penat is the most neutral and common choice.

Is kerja here a noun (work) or a verb (to work)?

In selepas kerja, kerja functions as a noun: work.

• selepas kerja = after work (the period of work / your job)

When kerja is used as a verb to work, it is usually in the form bekerja:

• Saya bekerja di Kuala Lumpur. = I work in Kuala Lumpur.

So:

• selepas kerja – after (my) work (noun phrase)
• selepas saya bekerja – after I work / after I have worked (full clause, less common here)

Why is it selepas kerja, not selepas saya bekerja?

Both are grammatically correct, but they sound different:

• selepas kerja – literally after work; short, natural, and very common.
  
  • Implied meaning: after my usual work / job / working hours.
• selepas saya bekerja – after I work / after I have worked; sounds longer, more specific, and less natural in this simple everyday sentence.

Malay likes short time expressions such as:

• sebelum kerja – before work
• selepas sekolah – after school
• sebelum makan – before eating

So Saya berasa penat selepas kerja is the most idiomatic version.

Where can I put the time phrase? Is Selepas kerja, saya berasa penat also correct?

Yes, both word orders are correct:

1. Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.
2. Selepas kerja, saya berasa penat.

Meaning is the same: I feel tired after work.

Differences:

• Version 1 is the most common neutral order: subject + verb + complement + time.
• Version 2 puts extra emphasis on after work, as if you want to highlight when you feel tired.

How do we know this is past time? There is no past tense marker like in English.

Malay does not change the verb form for past/present/future.

Saya berasa penat selepas kerja can mean:

• I feel tired after work (in general, habit)
• I felt tired after work (yesterday, just now), depending on context.

If you want to make the past clearer, you can add time words:

• Tadi saya berasa penat selepas kerja. = Earlier I felt tired after work.
• Semalam saya berasa penat selepas kerja. = Yesterday I felt tired after work.

You can also add sudah or telah for completed action, but with berasa penat it is not usually necessary:

• Saya sudah berasa penat selepas kerja. (grammatical but sounds a bit stiff in everyday speech)

Can I drop Saya and just say Berasa penat selepas kerja?

Normally, no. In standard Malay, you usually keep the subject pronoun:

• Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.

You might hear subject-dropping in very casual speech, but it usually needs a clear context, for example:

• Someone asks: Kenapa diam saja? (Why so quiet?)
  You answer: Penat lepas kerja. (Tired after work.)

Here, Saya is understood from context, but in a full, clear sentence for learners, include Saya.

Is selepas formal? Can I use lepas instead?

Yes, lepas is the informal, shortened form of selepas.

• selepas kerja – neutral/standard, good for writing or polite speech.
• lepas kerja – very common in casual conversation.

Examples:

• Formal/neutral: Saya berasa penat selepas kerja.
• Informal: Saya rasa penat lepas kerja.

Both are correct; the difference is mainly in style and formality.

Is Saya berasa penat selepas kerja formal or informal? How would a very casual version look?

The given sentence is neutral and suitable for polite conversation or writing.

Very casual spoken variations might be:

• Aku penat gila lepas kerja. (slangy, between close friends)
• Penat betul lepas kerja. (subject dropped, very conversational)
• Saya penat sangat lepas kerja. (still polite but more natural in speech)

Key changes in casual speech:

• Saya → Aku (informal I)
• berasa → often dropped or changed to rasa
• selepas → lepas

Can berasa be used for emotions as well, not just physical tiredness?

Yes. berasa (and rasa) are used for both physical and emotional feelings.

Examples:

• Physical:
  • Saya berasa penat. = I feel tired.
  • Saya berasa sakit. = I feel pain / I feel sick.
• Emotional:
  • Saya berasa sedih. = I feel sad.
  • Saya berasa gembira. = I feel happy.
  • Saya berasa marah. = I feel angry.

So Saya berasa penat selepas kerja fits the usual pattern: Saya berasa + [adjective] + [time phrase].