Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.

I like to eat spicy noodles at night.

Breakdown of Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.

• saya: I
• makan: to eat
• suka: to like
• pada: at
• waktu malam: the night
• pedas: spicy
• mi: the noodle

Questions & Answers about Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.

Why is makan used directly after suka? In English we say “I like to eat” or “I like eating”.

In Malay, when one verb follows another (like suka + another action), the second verb usually stays in its base form, without to or an -ing ending.

• Saya suka makan…
  Literally: I like eat…
  Natural English: I like to eat / I like eating…

You do not say:

• ✗ Saya suka untuk makan mi pedas… (this sounds unnatural in everyday Malay)
• ✗ Saya suka makan-ing (Malay doesn’t use an -ing form)

So the pattern is:

suka + [base verb]
suka makan, suka minum, suka baca, etc.

Can I leave out saya? Is Suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam okay?

Yes, you can drop saya if the subject is clear from context. Malay often omits pronouns when everyone already knows who is being talked about.

• Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
  Explicit: I like to eat spicy noodles at night.
• Suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
  Implied: (I/you/he/she) like to eat spicy noodles at night.

In conversation, if it’s obvious you’re talking about yourself, the shorter version is natural. In writing or when you want to be very clear, keep saya.

What is the difference between saya and aku? Could I say Aku suka makan mi pedas…?

Both saya and aku mean I, but they differ in politeness and context:

• saya
  • Neutral–polite
  • Safe in almost all situations: with strangers, at work, in formal writing
• aku
  • Informal, intimate
  • Used with close friends, family, or in song lyrics, poems

So you can say:

• Aku suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.

…but only to people you are close to, or in a very casual context. To be safe as a learner, use saya.

Why is it mi pedas and not pedas mi for spicy noodles?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

Pattern:

[noun] + [adjective]

So:

• mi pedas = noodles spicy → spicy noodles
• rumah besar = house big → big house
• baju merah = shirt red → red shirt

Saying pedas mi is incorrect in standard Malay.

What exactly does pedas mean? Is it spicy or hot?

Pedas means spicy / hot (because of chili or strong seasoning), not temperature.

• mi pedas = spicy noodles (chili hot)
• sup panas = hot soup (temperature hot)

So:

• pedas → spicy/burning in the mouth (chili)
• panas → physically hot (temperature), also “hot weather”

What does mi mean, and why not mee? Are they the same?

Mi means noodles (usually wheat noodles; the word comes from Chinese).

You will see several spellings:

• mi – the standard modern Malay spelling (used in official texts, exams, dictionaries)
• mee – very common in menus, shop signs, or informal writing
• mee goreng, mee rebus, etc. – popular dish names that often keep mee

In grammar terms, mi and mee refer to the same thing; just remember mi is the standard form you’ll see in textbooks and exams.

Why is it mi pedas and not mi-mi pedas for spicy noodles (plural)? How do plurals work here?

Malay usually does not mark plurals with an -s like English. The word mi can mean noodle or noodles, depending on context.

So:

• mi pedas can mean spicy noodle(s) or spicy noodles.

To show quantity more clearly, Malay uses classifiers and numbers:

• sepinggan mi pedas – a plate of spicy noodles
• semangkuk mi pedas – a bowl of spicy noodles
• dua mangkuk mi pedas – two bowls of spicy noodles

You don’t need to change mi itself to show plural.

What does pada waktu malam literally mean, and is pada necessary?

Literally:

• pada = at / on / in (general preposition for time)
• waktu = time
• malam = night

So pada waktu malam is literally at the time of night, i.e. at night.

About pada:

• Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam. – fully correct, a bit more formal.
• Saya suka makan mi pedas waktu malam. – also correct, very common in speech; pada is often dropped.

You can also say:

• Saya suka makan mi pedas pada malam.
• Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam hari. (more literary / emphatic)

As a learner, pada waktu malam is a safe, standard form. In casual speech, you will hear waktu malam without pada.

Can pada waktu malam go at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Time expressions in Malay can appear at the front or at the end of the sentence.

Both are correct:

• Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
• Pada waktu malam, saya suka makan mi pedas.

Placing it at the beginning slightly emphasizes the time (night), but the meaning is the same.

How do we know this is present habit (“I like to eat…”) and not past or future? There is no tense marker.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense (no -ed, no -s, etc.). Tense and aspect are understood from context, or from extra words:

• General/habitual present (default meaning):

  • Saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
    → I (generally) like to eat spicy noodles at night.

• Past (if needed, you can add markers like dulu, tadi, semalam):

  • Dulu saya suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
    → I used to like to eat spicy noodles at night.

• Future (you can add akan or a future time):

  • Saya akan suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam. (rare, sounds odd for “like”)
    Usually you’d say something like:
  • Esok malam saya mahu makan mi pedas.
    → Tomorrow night I want to eat spicy noodles.

In your sentence, with no extra markers, it naturally reads as a general habit/preferences statement.

How would I make this sentence negative, like “I don’t like to eat spicy noodles at night”?

To negate a verb or an adjective, Malay uses tidak (spoken: often tak).

So:

• Saya tidak suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.
  → I don’t like to eat spicy noodles at night.

In informal speech:

• Saya tak suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam.

tidak/tak comes before the verb suka:

• ✗ Saya suka tidak makan mi pedas… (wrong meaning: sounds like “I like to not eat”)

Is there a difference between suka and gemar here?

Both suka and gemar can mean to like / to be fond of, but their tone is slightly different:

• suka

  • Very common, neutral, used everywhere in speech and writing.
  • Saya suka makan mi pedas… – perfectly natural.

• gemar

  • Feels a bit more formal or “enthusiastic/keen”.
  • Often appears in written Malay, announcements, formal texts.
  • Saya gemar makan mi pedas pada waktu malam. – sounds like “I’m fond of / I’m keen on eating spicy noodles at night.”

As a learner, suka is the most useful and natural choice in everyday conversation.

How would I turn this into a question like “Do you like to eat spicy noodles at night?”?

The core change is to switch saya to awak / kamu (you) and mark the sentence as a question. Common options:

1. Colloquial and very common:

   • Awak suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam ke?
   • The particle ke? at the end shows it’s a yes/no question.

2. Also natural and slightly more neutral:

   • Awak suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam tak?
   • Here tak functions as a question tag (“or not?”).

3. More formal / textbook style:

   • Adakah kamu suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam?
   • Adakah is a formal question particle often used in writing or formal speech.

In everyday conversation, Awak suka makan mi pedas pada waktu malam ke? is probably the most natural of these for “Do you like to eat spicy noodles at night?”.