Cemburu membuat saya penat.

Jealousy makes me tired.

Breakdown of Cemburu membuat saya penat.

• saya: I
• membuat: to make
• penat: tired
• cemburu: jealousy

Questions & Answers about Cemburu membuat saya penat.

Is cemburu a noun (jealousy) or an adjective (jealous) in this sentence?

In Cemburu membuat saya penat, cemburu is functioning as a noun, meaning jealousy.

In Malay, many words can function as both adjectives and nouns depending on context:

• Dia cemburu. → He/She is jealous. (cemburu = adjective)
• Cemburu membuat saya penat. → Jealousy makes me tired. (cemburu = noun)

There’s no change in form (no extra ending like -ness in English); the role is understood from position and context. Here it’s at the start of the sentence acting as the subject, so it’s interpreted as a thing: jealousy.

What is the structure of the sentence? Is it also SVO like in English?

Yes, the structure is SVO + complement, similar to English:

• Cemburu → Subject (jealousy)
• membuat → Verb (makes/causes)
• saya → Object (me)
• penat → Complement (tired), describing saya

So the pattern is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Object complement
Cemburu – membuat – saya – penat
Jealousy – makes – me – tired

What exactly does membuat mean here? Is it always “make”?

Membuat comes from the root buat (to make/do), with the prefix meN-, giving a general meaning of to make / to do / to cause.

In this sentence, membuat is best understood as:

• to make (someone feel a certain way)
  → Cemburu membuat saya penat.
  Jealousy makes me tired.

Other examples:

• Kerja rumah membuat saya sibuk.
  Homework makes me busy.
• Cuaca panas membuat saya letih.
  Hot weather makes me tired.

So yes, it often corresponds to “make” or “cause”, depending on context.

Can I say Cemburu memenatkan saya instead? Does it mean the same thing?

You can say Cemburu memenatkan saya, and it’s grammatical. It also means that jealousy makes me tired, but the nuance is slightly different:

• membuat … penat
  → feels more neutral and colloquial: makes me tired
• memenatkan (from penat
  • meN-…-kan)
    → more directly to tire / to exhaust (someone), a bit more formal or “heavier” in tone

Compare:

• Kerja pejabat membuat saya penat.
  Office work makes me tired.
• Kerja pejabat memenatkan saya.
  Office work exhausts me / tires me out.

Both are correct; membuat saya penat is more common in everyday speech.

Is saya the subject or the object in this sentence?

In Cemburu membuat saya penat, saya is the object of the verb membuat:

• Subject: Cemburu (Jealousy)
• Verb: membuat (makes)
• Object: saya (me)
• Complement of the object: penat (tired), describing saya

So literally:

Jealousy (subject) makes (verb) me (object) tired (complement describing the object).

Why is there no word for “am/is/are” before penat?

Malay usually does not use a verb like “to be” (am/is/are) before adjectives.

• Saya penat. → I am tired.
• Dia lapar. → He/She is hungry.
• Mereka gembira. → They are happy.

So in the structure membuat saya penat, we understand:

• membuat saya [penat]
  → makes me [be in a tired state]

No extra linking verb is needed. The adjective penat directly follows the noun/pronoun it describes.

What’s the difference between penat and other words like letih or lelah?

All three are related to being tired, but they have slightly different typical uses and “feel”:

• penat

  • Very common and neutral.
  • Can be physical or mental tiredness.
  • Saya penat. → I’m tired / worn out.

• letih

  • Also common; often overlaps with penat.
  • Sometimes feels a bit more like weary / worn out, often physically.
  • Berjalan jauh membuat saya letih. → Walking far makes me tired.

• lelah

  • Very common in Indonesian; in Malay it may sound a bit more formal/literary.
  • Also can mean exhausted / very tired.

In your sentence, you could also say:

• Cemburu membuat saya letih.
  → Very similar meaning; still natural.

Can I drop saya and just say Cemburu membuat penat?

That would sound unnatural in standard Malay.

You normally need to specify who is made tired:

• Cemburu membuat saya penat. → Jealousy makes me tired.
• Cemburu membuat dia penat. → Jealousy makes him/her tired.
• Cemburu membuat orang penat. → Jealousy makes people tired.

Without an object, membuat penat feels incomplete. You’d normally either:

• keep the object: membuat saya penat, or
• use memenatkan with an explicit object: Cemburu memenatkan saya, or
• change the structure: Cemburu itu memang memenatkan. (That jealousy is really tiring.)

Could I also say Saya penat kerana cemburu? Is the meaning different?

Yes, Saya penat kerana cemburu is correct and natural. The difference is in focus and style:

• Cemburu membuat saya penat.
  → Focuses on jealousy as the active cause that makes you tired.
  → Slightly more direct/casual cause–effect wording.

• Saya penat kerana cemburu.
  → Literally: I’m tired because of jealousy.
  → Focuses more on your state (I’m tired) and then gives the reason (because of jealousy).

Both express cause and effect, but:

• membuat = “makes/causes”
• kerana = “because (of)”

Is saya formal? Could I use aku here instead?

Yes, saya is the polite/neutral first-person pronoun; aku is more informal/intimate.

• Cemburu membuat saya penat.
  → Neutral/polite; can be used in most situations (talking to strangers, colleagues, etc.).

• Cemburu membuat aku penat.
  → More casual, used with close friends, peers, or people younger than you (depending on local norms).

Grammatically both are fine. The choice depends on relationship and formality level.

How do you pronounce cemburu and penat?

Pronunciation (approximate, in English terms):

• cemburu → chem-BOO-roo

  • c = ch as in chair
  • e in this word is a schwa-like sound (like the a in about)
  • Stress usually on the middle syllable: jem-BOO-roo

• penat → pə-NUT

  • e = schwa (like a in sofa)
  • Final t is pronounced, but often not heavily released in casual speech.

So the whole sentence:

Cemburu membuat saya penat.
/chem-BOO-roo məmbu-AT SAH-yah pə-NUT/ (approx.)