Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.

I am not jealous even though my friend receives a bonus.

Breakdown of Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.

• saya: I
• adalah: to be
• teman: the friend
• tidak: not
• saya: my
• walaupun: even though
• mendapat: to receive
• bonus: the bonus
• cemburu: jealous

Questions & Answers about Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.

Why is tidak used here instead of bukan?

Malay has two common negators: tidak and bukan.

• tidak negates verbs and adjectives.

  • Saya tidak cemburu. – I am not jealous. (cemburu is an adjective.)
  • Saya tidak makan. – I do not eat / I am not eating.

• bukan negates nouns or noun phrases, or is used for contrast/emphasis.

  • Dia bukan doktor. – He/She is not a doctor. (doctor = noun)
  • Saya bukan marah, cuma kecewa. – I’m not angry, just disappointed.

In Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus, the word being negated is cemburu (an adjective), so tidak is the correct choice.

What exactly does walaupun mean, and what kind of word is it?

Walaupun is a subordinating conjunction meaning roughly “even though / although.”

Functionally, it introduces a clause that shows contrast to the main clause:

• Saya tidak cemburu – I am not jealous.
• walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus – even though my friend got a bonus.

Put together: Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.
→ “I am not jealous, even though my friend got a bonus.”

Grammatically, walaupun must be followed by a clause (subject + verb), not by a single noun:

• ✔ Walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus, saya tidak cemburu.
• ✘ Walaupun bonus, saya tidak cemburu. (ungrammatical)

Can I move the walaupun clause to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Both orders are correct:

1. Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.
2. Walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus, saya tidak cemburu.

Differences:

• Order 1 (main clause first) is very natural in speech.
• Order 2 (subordinate clause first) is also very common, especially in writing.
  In this order, you normally add a comma after the walaupun-clause.

The meaning remains the same in both versions.

In English we say “jealous of my friend”. Why is there no preposition like of in Malay?

Malay doesn’t always match English prepositions.

In this sentence, the structure is:

• Saya tidak cemburu – I am not jealous.
• walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus – even though my friend got a bonus.

The second part does not express “jealous of my friend” directly. It just states the contrasting situation. So no preposition is required.

If you want to explicitly say “jealous of my friend”, you can use:

• cemburu akan / cemburu terhadap / cemburu dengan

Examples:

• Saya cemburu dengan teman saya kerana dia mendapat bonus.
  I’m jealous of my friend because he/she got a bonus.

But in the original sentence, the idea “of my friend” is only implied by context, not stated as a direct object of jealousy.

What is the nuance of cemburu? Is it the same as iri hati or dengki?

Cemburu usually corresponds to “jealous” and sometimes “envious.”

Typical uses:

• Romantic jealousy: Dia cemburu bila saya bercakap dengan orang lain.
• General jealousy/envious feeling: Saya cemburu tengok kejayaan dia.

Related words:

• iri hati (more common in Indonesian): often “envious,” not necessarily malicious.
• dengki (more common term in Malay): envy with a stronger, often negative or spiteful connotation, like wanting others to lose what they have.

In your sentence, cemburu sounds neutral: just ordinary jealousy, not necessarily malicious envy.

Why is mendapat used here? Can I say dapat bonus or menerima bonus instead?

All three are possible, but there are small differences in style and nuance:

1. mendapat bonus

   • Very common and neutral.
   • Literally “to get/obtain a bonus.”
   • Good in both speech and writing.

2. dapat bonus

   • More colloquial/short form of mendapat in many contexts.
   • Very common in everyday speech:
     
     • Teman saya dapat bonus.

3. menerima bonus

   • Literally “to receive a bonus.”
   • Slightly more formal or emphasises the act of receiving.

In this sentence:

• teman saya mendapat bonus
• teman saya dapat bonus
• teman saya menerima bonus

are all grammatically fine. Mendapat is a safe, neutral choice.

How is past tense expressed here? Mendapat looks the same as present or future.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense (past, present, future) like English verbs do.

Mendapat can mean:

• got / received (past)
• gets / receives (present)
• will get / receive (future)

The tense is understood from context or from time expressions:

• Teman saya mendapat bonus semalam. – My friend got a bonus yesterday.
• Teman saya selalu mendapat bonus. – My friend always gets bonuses.
• Esok teman saya akan mendapat bonus. – Tomorrow my friend will get a bonus.

In walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus, the surrounding context (a past situation) would tell you that mendapat here means “got.” The verb itself doesn’t change.

What is the difference between saya, aku, and between tidak and tak?

These pairs differ mainly in formality and tone:

1. Saya vs aku – both mean “I / me.”

   • saya:
     
     • Polite, neutral, safe for almost any context.
     • Used with strangers, in formal speech, writing, to elders, etc.
   • aku:
     
     • Informal, used with close friends, family, or in songs/poetry.
     • Can sound too casual or rude if used with the wrong person.

   In your sentence, Saya tidak cemburu… is polite and standard.

2. tidak vs tak – both mean “not / no” (for verbs and adjectives).

   • tidak: Standard, slightly more formal or neutral.
   • tak: Colloquial contraction used a lot in everyday speech.

   Colloquial version of the sentence:

   • Aku tak cemburu walaupun kawan aku dapat bonus.
     More relaxed/casual tone.

For learning, it’s safest to default to saya and tidak until you’re comfortable with social levels.

Is teman saya the same as kawan saya in Malay?

Both can mean “my friend”, but usage can vary by region:

• In Indonesian, teman is the very common word for “friend.”
• In Malaysian Malay:
  • kawan is more common in everyday speech for “friend.”
  • teman appears in some fixed phrases (e.g. teman lelaki = boyfriend) and in more literary/romantic contexts, but teman saya is still understandable as “my friend.”

So:

• Saya tidak cemburu walaupun teman saya mendapat bonus.
• Saya tidak cemburu walaupun kawan saya mendapat bonus.

Both are grammatically correct. The second sounds slightly more colloquial/natural in Malaysia; the first is completely natural in Indonesia.

What is walaupun made of? Is the pun a separate word?

Historically, walaupun comes from walau + pun:

• walau: roughly “even though / though / even if”
• pun: a particle with meanings like “also, even,” used in many constructions.

In modern standard Malay:

• The combined form walaupun is very common and treated as a single word.
• You may also see walau pun (two words), especially in older texts or more formal writing. The meaning is the same.

Compare:

• Walaupun susah, saya akan cuba.
• Walau susah pun, saya akan cuba.

Both mean: “Even though it’s difficult, I will try.”