Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.

That shirt is suitable for an important meeting.

Breakdown of Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• penting: important
• untuk: for
• mesyuarat: the meeting
• baju: the shirt
• sesuai: suitable

Questions & Answers about Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.

What exactly does baju mean here? Is it "shirt", "clothes", or something else?

In Malay, baju is a bit broader than English shirt.

• In everyday speech, baju often means:
  • a shirt, top, or blouse, or
  • clothing in general, depending on context.

In this sentence, Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting, the most natural translations are:

• That shirt is suitable for an important meeting.
• Those clothes are suitable for an important meeting.

Malay does not mark singular/plural on baju, so it can be shirt or clothes depending on the situation.

Why is itu after baju? In English we say "that shirt", not "shirt that".

Malay usually puts the demonstrative (this/that) after the noun:

• baju itu = that shirt / those clothes
• baju ini = this shirt / these clothes

So the structure is:

• Noun + itu/ini
  instead of
• this/that + noun in English.

Some examples:

• kereta itu = that car
• rumah ini = this house

So baju itu literally looks like "shirt that", but it means "that shirt".

Is sesuai an adjective or a verb? There's no "is" in the sentence.

Malay doesn’t usually use a separate verb like "to be" (is/are) before adjectives.

In Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting:

• baju itu = that shirt
• sesuai = suitable
• (no word for is)
• Full meaning: That shirt is suitable for an important meeting.

Grammatically:

• sesuai functions like an adjective (a describing word).
• But Malay often lets adjectives act as the predicate (the main part of the sentence), so it can feel a bit like a "stative verb" (“to be suitable”).

You do not normally say:

• ✗ Baju itu adalah sesuai...

Using adalah before an adjective is usually unnatural in everyday Malay. Just say:

• Baju itu sesuai... = The shirt is suitable...

What does untuk mean here? Could we use another word instead?

Untuk generally means "for" (for the purpose of).

In this sentence:

• sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting
  = suitable for an important meeting

So the pattern is:

• sesuai untuk + noun/verb
  = suitable for + [something]

Other possibilities:

• sesuai bagi mesyuarat penting
  (bagi also means "for", slightly more formal or written)
• sesuai dipakai untuk mesyuarat penting
  = suitable to be worn for an important meeting

But sesuai untuk is very common and completely natural.

Why is there no word like "a" or "the" in mesyuarat penting?

Malay does not have articles like a, an, or the.

• mesyuarat penting could be:
  • an important meeting
  • the important meeting
• The exact meaning (a/the) comes from context, not from a separate word.

If you want to make it clearly definite ("that important meeting"), you can say:

• mesyuarat penting itu = that important meeting / the important meeting (we both know about)

But in this sentence, without extra context, mesyuarat penting is usually translated as:

• an important meeting

Why is it mesyuarat penting, not penting mesyuarat?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun:

• mesyuarat penting
  
  • mesyuarat = meeting
  • penting = important
    → important meeting

More examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta baharu = new car
• buku tebal = thick book

So the pattern is:

• [Noun] + [Adjective]

Putting the adjective before the noun, like penting mesyuarat, is ungrammatical in standard Malay.

Can baju itu mean “those clothes” (plural), or must it be just one shirt?

baju does not show plural or singular by itself.

• baju itu can mean:
  • that shirt (singular)
  • those clothes (plural), depending on context.

Malay usually doesn’t add -s or change the form for plural. To be explicitly plural, you could say things like:

• baju-baju itu = those shirts/clothes (plural emphasised)
• semua baju itu = all those clothes

But in most everyday situations, baju itu is enough, and listeners will understand from context whether you mean one item or several.

Can I leave out itu and just say Baju sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting?

Yes, you can say:

• Baju sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.

However, the nuance changes:

• Baju itu sesuai...
  → That specific shirt / Those specific clothes are suitable...
  (You are referring to a particular item already known or visible.)

• Baju sesuai...
  → Shirts / clothing are suitable...
  or Shirt(s) are suitable... in a more general way, or it could sound like you’re talking about some clothing, not a clearly identified one.

So itu makes the noun definite and specific, similar to English that/the in this context.

How would I say "this shirt is suitable for an important meeting" instead?

Just change itu (that) to ini (this):

• Baju ini sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.
  • baju ini = this shirt / these clothes
  • sesuai = suitable
  • untuk mesyuarat penting = for an important meeting

So:

• baju itu = that shirt
• baju ini = this shirt

Could I move untuk mesyuarat penting to the front, like in English for emphasis?

Yes, you can front it for emphasis:

• Untuk mesyuarat penting, baju itu sesuai.

This is grammatically correct and sounds natural, especially in speech or writing where you want to highlight the occasion first.

The meaning stays the same:

• Baju itu sesuai untuk mesyuarat penting.
• Untuk mesyuarat penting, baju itu sesuai.

Both = That shirt is suitable for an important meeting.
The difference is mainly which part you emphasize.

Is mesyuarat penting formal vocabulary? Is this sentence suitable in polite or formal situations?

Yes, both the words and the whole sentence are neutral to slightly formal, and are perfectly fine in polite or semi-formal situations.

• mesyuarat = meeting (used in offices, schools, organisations)
• penting = important
• sesuai = suitable, appropriate

You could use this sentence:

• when advising someone what to wear to work
• in an office context
• in written Malay (messages, emails, etc.)

It’s neither slangy nor overly stiff; it’s standard, natural Malay.