Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense (past, present, future). Cuba just means “try”; you get the time or aspect from context, not from verb conjugation.

Saya cuba faham…
→ can mean “I try to understand…”, “I am trying to understand…”, or “I will try to understand…” depending on context.

If you really want to emphasize that it’s happening right now, you can add sedang:

Saya sedang cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
= I am (currently) trying to understand my own feelings.

What’s the difference between cuba and mencuba? Could the sentence use mencuba?

Both relate to “trying”, but they differ slightly in usage:

cuba
- Very common, especially in speech.
- Can mean “to try (to do something)” or “to have a go / give it a try.”
- Often followed directly by another verb: cuba faham, cuba buat, cuba baca.
mencuba
- More formal/literary.
- Often used on its own as a full verb: Saya akan mencuba. = I will try.
- Can also be used before another verb, but it sounds more formal:
  Saya mencuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri.

Your sentence with mencuba would be:

Saya mencuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri.
= I am trying to understand my own feelings. (more formal/“written” style)

In everyday conversation, Saya cuba faham… is more natural.

Why is it cuba faham and not cuba untuk faham (“try to understand”)?

In Malay, when cuba is followed by another verb, you normally do not use a word like “to” (untuk) between them.

Pattern:

cuba + [verb in root form]

Examples:

Saya cuba faham. = I try to understand.
Dia cuba tidur awal. = He/She tries to sleep early.
Mereka cuba bantu saya. = They try to help me.

Cuba untuk faham is not wrong, but it sounds heavier and more formal, and is much less common in everyday speech. For your sentence, cuba faham is the natural choice.

What’s the difference between faham and memahami? Could I say Saya cuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri?

Yes, you could, and it would be correct. The nuance is:

faham
- Root verb, very common in speech.
- Can mean “to understand” (verb) or “understanding” (noun-like sense) depending on context.
- Feels simpler and more conversational.
memahami
- Derived verb (with the prefix meN-).
- Often used in more formal or careful speech and writing.
- Feels a bit more “process” or “active effort” to understand.

Your sentence variants:

Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
= I’m trying to understand my own feelings. (natural, conversational)
Saya cuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri.
= I’m trying to understand my own feelings. (a bit more formal/serious)

Both are correct; the meaning is basically the same in this context.

What does diri sendiri literally mean, and why are there two words for “self”? Isn’t one enough?

diri sendiri is a set expression. Literally:

diri = self, body, person (oneself)
sendiri = own, by oneself, self

Together, diri sendiri roughly equals “(one’s) own self” or “oneself.”

Malay often uses both to give a clear reflexive meaning:

Saya sayang diri sendiri. = I love myself.
Dia benci diri sendiri. = He/She hates himself/herself.

You can sometimes see diri or sendiri alone, but:

diri sendiri is the most standard way to say “oneself / one’s own self.”
Using both sounds more natural and less ambiguous than using only one of them, especially in neutral or formal Malay.

How is diri sendiri different from saya sendiri (myself) in meaning?

Both can translate as “myself”, but there is a nuance:

saya sendiri
- Literally “I myself / me myself / my own.”
- Emphasizes the person “I” or my own involvement/identity.
- Can mean “by myself / personally / in person”.
Examples:
- Saya sendiri akan pergi. = I myself will go / I will go personally.
- Ini pendapat saya sendiri. = This is my own opinion.
diri sendiri
- Literally “(my) own self.”
- Emphasizes the self as an object, your inner self or whole being.
Example:
- Saya cuba faham diri sendiri. = I’m trying to understand myself (my own self).

In your sentence, perasaan diri sendiri = “the feelings of my own self / my own feelings (as a person).”

perasaan saya sendiri is also grammatically correct and means “my own feelings”, but perasaan diri sendiri puts a little more focus on the self as a whole person and is a very natural collocation in Malay.

Why is there no saya in diri sendiri? How do Malaysians know it means “myself” and not “himself” or “herself”?

Malay uses diri sendiri with the subject understood from context. So:

Saya… diri sendiri → myself
Awak / kamu… diri sendiri → yourself
Dia… diri sendiri → himself / herself
Mereka… diri sendiri → themselves

Because the sentence starts with Saya, readers/hearers automatically interpret diri sendiri as “myself / my own self.”

If you want to be extra explicit, you can say:

diri saya sendiri = my own self
diri awak sendiri = your own self

But in normal usage, Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri is clear enough: the subject Saya controls the reflexive diri sendiri.

Does perasaan mean singular “feeling” or plural “feelings”? Should it be perasaan-perasaan?

Perasaan can mean “feeling” or “feelings” depending on context. Malay normally does not need plural marking when the meaning is obvious.

So:

perasaan = feeling / feelings
perasaan-perasaan = (emphatic) various feelings, many different feelings
– This form is grammatical but usually only used if you really want to stress “many kinds of feelings” in a more formal or literary style.

In your sentence:

Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.

English will naturally render perasaan here as plural:

“I’m trying to understand my own feelings.”

No extra plural marking is needed in Malay.

Could I drop Saya and say Cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri? Would it mean the same thing?

If you drop Saya, the sentence changes function:

Cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
is normally heard as an imperative:
→ “Try to understand your own feelings.”

So:

Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
= I’m trying to understand my own feelings. (statement about myself)
Cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
= Try to understand your own feelings. (instruction/advice to someone)

In Malay, dropping the subject pronoun often turns a sentence into a command, especially with a verb like cuba at the start.

Is this sentence formal or informal? In what kind of situation would it sound natural?

Saya cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri is:

Grammatically standard.
Natural in everyday spoken Malay.
Neutral in politeness (not slangy, not very formal).

It would sound natural:

In conversation with friends:
Saya sekarang cuba faham perasaan diri sendiri.
In a personal blog or social media post.
In informal writing like a diary entry.

For more formal contexts (e.g., an essay, a self-reflection in a report), you might see a slightly more formal version:

Saya sedang berusaha memahami perasaan diri sendiri.
(I am making an effort to understand my own feelings.)

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea in Malay?

Yes, here are some common alternatives with roughly the same meaning:

Saya cuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri.
– Using memahami instead of faham (slightly more formal).
Saya sedang cuba memahami perasaan diri sendiri.
– Emphasizes that it’s an ongoing process right now (sedang).
Saya cuba memahami perasaan saya sendiri.
– Uses perasaan saya sendiri instead of perasaan diri sendiri; still “my own feelings”.
Saya cuba mengenali diri sendiri.
– Literally: I’m trying to get to know myself.
– Focuses more on knowing oneself rather than specifically one’s feelings, but often used in a similar self-reflective context.

All of these are natural; your original sentence is a perfectly good, natural choice.