Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya cuba hadkan masa permainan supaya bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama. - I try to limit game time so that the mobile phone battery lasts longer.

hadkan = root had (limit) + suffix -kan.
In sentences like Saya cuba hadkan…, this works like a “bare infinitive” after another verb (cuba, nak, boleh, etc.).
Examples:
- Saya nak hadkan masa online. – I want to limit my online time.
- Dia cuba hadkan perbelanjaan. – He/she tries to limit expenses.
menghadkan has the prefix meng-
- root had
  - -kan and sounds more formal or written:
- Saya cuba menghadkan masa permainan… – also correct, but more formal/“bookish”.

In everyday speech, especially after verbs like cuba, nak, boleh, Malaysians very often drop the meN- prefix and say hadkan instead of menghadkan. So your sentence is natural and idiomatic.

Can I say Saya cuba untuk hadkan… or Saya cuba untuk menghadkan…? When do I use untuk after cuba?

You can say Saya cuba untuk hadkan… or Saya cuba untuk menghadkan…, and people will understand you. However:

Saya cuba hadkan masa permainan…
is the most natural and common in everyday speech.
Saya cuba untuk menghadkan masa permainan…
feels more formal, heavier, and is more typical of written language (essays, formal speech).

In modern colloquial Malay, cuba + verb is usually enough and untuk is often omitted:

Saya cuba faham. – I try to understand.
Dia cuba elak trafik. – He/she tries to avoid traffic.

So: with or without untuk is grammatically okay, but without is more natural in casual speech.

Why is it masa permainan and not masa bermain or masa main?

All three are possible, but they differ slightly in style and nuance:

masa permainan
- permainan is a noun: game / gameplay / act of playing.
- masa permainan = game time / time for playing games (noun + noun).
- Slightly more neutral or formal, feels like a label or category.
masa bermain
- bermain is a verb: to play.
- masa bermain = time (spent) playing.
- Also correct and quite natural; still reasonably neutral.
masa main (colloquial)
- main is the colloquial form of bermain.
- masa main (game) = very casual, everyday speech.

So:

Your sentence with masa permainan sounds neat and slightly more “standard”.
You could also say Saya cuba hadkan masa bermain supaya… – also fine.
In very informal speech: Saya cuba hadkan masa saya main game…

What exactly does supaya do here? Is it the same as agar, untuk, or jadi?

supaya introduces a purpose/result clause and can be translated as so that / in order that.

In your sentence:

…hadkan masa permainan supaya bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama.
= …limit game time so that the mobile phone battery lasts longer.

Comparison:

supaya / agar – very similar; both introduce a desired outcome or purpose:
- Saya belajar rajin supaya/agar lulus peperiksaan.
untuk – more like English for / to before a noun or a verb phrase, often without an explicit subject:
- Saya belajar untuk peperiksaan. – I study for the exam.
- Saya belajar untuk lulus. – I study to pass.
jadi – closer to so / therefore, linking two independent clauses and sounding more like a consequence than a purpose:
- Saya hadkan masa permainan, jadi bateri tahan lebih lama.
  – I limit game time, so the battery lasts longer.

Here supaya is good because it clearly shows intended purpose: you limit game time in order that the battery lasts longer.

Why is the word order bateri telefon bimbit and not like English phone battery?

Malay noun phrases generally go head noun + modifier, where the first noun is the main thing, and the following nouns specify it.

bateri telefon bimbit = bateri (head noun) + telefon bimbit (what it belongs to).
Literally: battery (of) mobile phone.

This pattern is consistent:

rumah saya – my house
baju kerja – work clothes
bateri kamera – camera battery

If you reversed it to telefon bimbit bateri, it would be ungrammatical or at best very odd. The possessed item (bateri) comes first; the “owner” (telefon bimbit) follows.

Is telefon bimbit the normal way to say “mobile phone”? Can I just say telefon or handphone?

In Malaysia, all of these are used, with different registers:

telefon bimbit – standard, neutral, a bit more formal; used in writing, news, public notices.
telefon – can mean phone in general, but context often makes it clear you mean mobile.
telefon pintar – specifically smartphone.
handphone or henfon (colloquial pronunciation) – very common in everyday speech, informal.

Your phrase bateri telefon bimbit is standard and perfectly good. In casual conversation, many people would just say:

bateri telefon saya – my phone battery
bateri handphone – informal

What does tahan mean in tahan lebih lama? I thought tahan means “endure / tolerate”.

tahan is a versatile verb. Its meanings depend on context:

to endure / tolerate / put up with
- Saya tak tahan panas. – I can’t stand the heat.
- Dia tahan sakit. – He/she endures the pain.
to withstand / resist
- Jambatan itu tak tahan beban berat. – The bridge can’t withstand heavy loads.
to last (for a period of time)
- Bateri telefon tahan lama. – The phone battery lasts a long time.
- Makanan ini boleh tahan seminggu. – This food can last a week.

In tahan lebih lama, the relevant meaning is “to last (longer)”. So:

bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama
= the mobile phone battery lasts longer.

Why is it tahan lebih lama instead of lebih lama tahan? Where does lebih normally go?

lebih (more) normally comes before an adjective or adverb:

lebih besar – bigger
lebih cepat – faster
lebih lama – longer

The usual order is:

verb + lebih + adjective/adverb

So:

tahan lebih lama – last longer
lari lebih laju – run faster
tidur lebih nyenyak – sleep more soundly

You can sometimes move lebih X around for emphasis or in certain constructions, but tahan lebih lama is the straightforward, neutral word order.

Do I need to say lebih lama daripada…? Is lebih lama alone complete?

lebih lama is complete by itself if the comparison is understood from context.

…supaya bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama.
By default, listeners understand this as “longer than usual / longer than before / longer than it otherwise would”.

If you want to be explicit, you add daripada:

…tahan lebih lama daripada dulu. – lasts longer than before.
…tahan lebih lama daripada telefon lama saya. – longer than my old phone.

So:

lebih + adjective on its own implies “more X (than some understood reference)”.
Add daripada when you want to specify the comparison target.

Where would I put saya if I want to say “my mobile phone battery”? Is bateri telefon bimbit saya correct?

Yes, bateri telefon bimbit saya is correct and natural.

Pronouns like saya come after the whole noun phrase they modify:

telefon bimbit saya – my mobile phone
bateri telefon bimbit saya – the battery of my mobile phone

Some patterns:

rumah saya – my house
rumah besar saya – my big house
kawan sekolah saya – my school friend

So your sentence could also be:

Saya cuba hadkan masa permainan supaya bateri telefon bimbit saya tahan lebih lama.
– I try to limit game time so that my mobile phone battery lasts longer.

Is Saya cuba hadkan… polite and natural? Would natives say something different?

Saya cuba hadkan masa permainan supaya bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama. is both polite and natural.

Some variations you might hear:

More casual:
- Saya cuba kurangkan masa main game supaya bateri telefon tahan lebih lama.
More formal/written:
- Saya cuba menghadkan masa permainan supaya bateri telefon bimbit tahan lebih lama.

Key points:

Saya is the standard, polite “I” in Malaysia.
cuba is neutral: “try to”.
hadkan is fine in both spoken and written language; menghadkan just sounds more formal.

So your original sentence is perfectly acceptable in everyday speech and in most written contexts.

What is the difference between masa and waktu in this kind of phrase?

masa and waktu are very close in meaning (“time”) and often interchangeable, but there are some tendencies:

masa – very common and general; used in everyday speech:
- masa permainan – game time
- masa makan – mealtime
- Masa kecil, saya tinggal di kampung. – When I was small, I lived in a village.
waktu – sometimes sounds a bit more formal or literary, and often used for specific times/periods:
- waktu malam – nighttime
- waktu rehat – break time
- waktu pekerjaan – working hours

In your sentence, masa permainan is the more usual choice. waktu permainan is not wrong, but it sounds a touch more formal or like a fixed schedule slot (e.g., in a timetable).