Bos menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Malay grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Malay now

Questions & Answers about Bos menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat.

What does “Bos” mean here, and how formal is it? Is it the same as English “boss”?

“Bos” is a loanword from English “boss” and is widely used in everyday Malay. In this sentence it means “the boss” (your superior at work).

Formality/usage:

  • Casual / semi-formal in many Malaysian offices, especially in speech.
  • In more formal or written contexts, you might see:
    • “ketua” – leader/head
    • “pengurus” – manager
    • “penyelia” – supervisor

If you want to say “my boss”, you add a pronoun: “bos saya”.


How do we know the tense of “menilai”? Could it mean “evaluated”, “is evaluating”, or “will evaluate”?

In Malay, verbs usually do not change form for tense. The base “menilai” can mean:

  • “evaluated” (past)
  • “is/was evaluating” (progressive)
  • “will evaluate” (future)

The tense is understood from context and time expressions.

In this sentence:

  • “sebelum mesyuarat” = before the meeting
  • This typically describes an action that happened before another (the meeting).
    So in natural English, you’d usually translate it as:
  • “The boss evaluated the request calmly before the meeting.”

If you really want to make the future explicit in Malay, you can add:

  • “Bos akan menilai permintaan itu…” = The boss will evaluate the request…

What exactly does “menilai” mean here? Is it just “to look at” or something stronger?

“menilai” comes from the root “nilai” (value). It means “to evaluate / assess / appraise”.
It implies the boss is judging the value, quality, or merits of the request, not just glancing at it.

Rough comparisons:

  • menilai – to evaluate, to assess
  • menyemak – to check, to review (for mistakes, completeness)
  • meneliti – to examine closely, to scrutinise
  • mempertimbangkan – to consider, to weigh (pros and cons)

So “menilai” is reasonably strong: the boss is making a considered judgment.


What does “permintaan” mean, and how is it formed from “minta”?
  • Root verb: minta = to ask for, to request
  • Noun: per‑ + minta + ‑an → permintaan

“permintaan” means:

  • “request” in general language:
    • permintaan itu = that request / the request
  • It can also mean “demand” in an economic sense (e.g. market demand).

Here, from context with “bos menilai permintaan itu”, it clearly means “the request” (something someone has asked the boss to approve).


What is the function of “itu” in “permintaan itu”? Is it “that request” or “the request”?

“itu” literally means “that”, but in Malay it also often functions like “the” (to mark something specific/known).

So “permintaan itu” can be:

  • “that request” – if you want to stress distance or contrast
  • “the request” – if you simply mean a specific request already known in context

In this sentence, it’s naturally read as “the request” (a particular request that both speaker and listener know about).

If you wanted a non-specific “a request”, you’d just say “permintaan” without “itu”, but then the sentence would sound more generic.


Why do we say “dengan tenang” and not just “tenang”? What does “dengan” do here?

Malay often forms adverbial phrases (“calmly”, “carefully”, etc.) by putting “dengan” before an adjective or noun:

  • dengan tenang – calmly
  • dengan cepat – quickly
  • dengan teliti – carefully

In “Bos menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang…”, “dengan tenang” describes how the boss evaluated the request.

You can sometimes drop “dengan” and just say:

  • “Bos tenang menilai permintaan itu”
    but that sounds more literary or stylised, and slightly shifts emphasis to the boss being calm as a state.
    “dengan tenang” is the most straightforward, natural way to say “calmly”.

Where can “dengan tenang” go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Malay word order is fairly flexible with adverbial phrases like “dengan tenang”. These are all possible:

  1. Bos menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat.
  2. Bos, dengan tenang, menilai permintaan itu sebelum mesyuarat.
  3. Dengan tenang, bos menilai permintaan itu sebelum mesyuarat.

All are grammatical.

  • (1) is the most neutral and common.
  • (2) & (3) put more emphasis on “with calmness/calmly”.

What does “sebelum mesyuarat” literally mean, and is anything “missing” like “the”?
  • sebelum = before
  • mesyuarat = meeting

So “sebelum mesyuarat” = “before (the) meeting”.

Malay usually does not use articles like “a” or “the”. The noun “mesyuarat” on its own can be understood as:

  • “a meeting” or
  • “the meeting”
    depending on context.

If you want to be more explicit:

  • “sebelum mesyuarat itu” = before that/the meeting (that we know about)

But in most real contexts, just “sebelum mesyuarat” is enough and natural.


Is “mesyuarat” always “meeting”? Are there other words I could use?

Yes, “mesyuarat” is the standard word for a formal or semi‑formal meeting, especially in offices, organisations, and official settings.

Other related words:

  • perjumpaan – a gathering/meet‑up (less formal)
  • temu janji – appointment
  • sidang – session, conference, assembly (more formal, often official or parliamentary)

In the context of a boss and a request, “mesyuarat” is exactly the right word for “meeting”.


How would I say “My boss evaluated the request calmly before the meeting” explicitly in Malay?

You can add “saya” to show “my”:

  • Bos saya menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat.

This explicitly means “My boss evaluated the request calmly before the meeting.”


If I want to stress that it happened in the past, can I add a word like “already” or a time marker?

Yes. Malay often uses time adverbs instead of tense changes. For example:

  • Bos menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat semalam.
    • The boss evaluated the request calmly before the meeting yesterday.

To emphasise completion, you can add “sudah”:

  • Bos sudah menilai permintaan itu dengan tenang sebelum mesyuarat.
    • The boss has already evaluated the request calmly before the meeting.

“sudah” is optional; context often makes the time clear enough.


Is “Bos” always capitalised?

In standard writing:

  • Capitalise “Bos” if it’s used like a title or name, especially at the start of a sentence:
    • Bos menilai permintaan itu…
  • Lowercase “bos” if it’s used as a common noun in the middle of a sentence:
    • Saya berbincang dengan bos saya.I discussed it with my boss.

In practice, many people write “bos” in lowercase in casual contexts, but capitalising at the start of the sentence (as in your example) is correct.


Could I replace “dengan tenang” with another expression that also means “calmly” or “in a relaxed way”?

Yes. Some natural alternatives:

  • dengan sabar – patiently
  • dengan berhati‑hati – carefully
  • dengan fikiran yang tenang – with a calm mind
  • secara tenang – calmly (more formal/literary)

For a similar meaning:

  • Bos menilai permintaan itu secara tenang sebelum mesyuarat.

But “dengan tenang” is the most common, simple, and natural way to say “calmly”.