Learn Hardcore Malay: Bilik makan kecil kami penuh apabila keluarga besar datang, tetapi semua orang masih dapat rasa bubur yang sedap. - Our small dining room is full when the extended family comes, but everyone still gets to taste the delicious porridge.

Noun + Adjective + Possessor
- bilik makan kecil kami = our small dining room
  - bilik makan – dining room
  - kecil – small
  - kami – we/our

So:

bilik makan kecil kami = our small dining room (one noun phrase)
bilik makan kami kecil = our dining room is small (a full sentence: bilik makan kami as subject, kecil as predicate)

Putting kami at the front (kami bilik makan kecil) is ungrammatical; possessors come after the noun in Malay.

What is the difference between bilik makan and ruang makan?

Both can translate as dining room, but there is a nuance:

bilik makan
- Literally eating room
- Suggests a more clearly separated room, with walls, like a specific dining room.
ruang makan
- Literally eating area/space
- Can be a more open space, for example an eating area that flows from the kitchen or living room.

In everyday speech, both may be understood as dining room, but bilik makan feels more like a proper enclosed room.

Does penuh here mean is full or becomes full? There is no word like is or becomes.

In Malay, adjectives often work as verbs without any extra linking verb:

bilik makan kecil kami penuh
- Literally: our small dining room full
- Interpreted as: our small dining room is full or gets full.

The time/aspect meaning comes from context:

Because it is linked to apabila keluarga besar datang (when the big family comes), the natural reading is:
- Our small dining room becomes full when the big family comes.

You could add menjadi to make the idea of change more explicit:

bilik makan kecil kami menjadi penuh – our small dining room becomes full,

but it is not necessary; penuh alone is very natural here.

What exactly does keluarga besar mean? Is it just big family or specifically extended family?

Keluarga besar can mean:

A family with many members (a large family), and/or
The wider, extended family (including uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc.)

In many real-life contexts, keluarga besar is used to talk about the extended family coming together, especially for gatherings and celebrations.

So in this sentence, the natural interpretation is:

when the extended family comes (over) or
when the whole big family comes.

Why is apabila used here instead of bila or ketika?

All three can connect a time clause to the main clause:

apabila – when (more formal/neutral)
bila – when (more informal, very common in speech)
ketika – when/while (often used with actions/states, can sound a bit more literary or formal depending on context)

In this sentence:

apabila keluarga besar datang – when the big family comes

You could also say:

bila keluarga besar datang – perfectly natural in casual speech.
ketika keluarga besar datang – grammatically fine, but in everyday speech many people would prefer apabila or bila here.

So apabila matches a neutral-to-formal written style.

Why is there no word like itu in keluarga besar datang? Should it be keluarga besar itu datang?

Both are possible, but they differ slightly:

keluarga besar datang
- General: when (our/the) big family comes
- The family is understood from context (e.g. our family).
keluarga besar itu datang
- More specific/definite: when that big family comes
- itu points to a particular family already known or just mentioned.

In the given sentence, context (the speaker talking about kami and bilik makan kecil kami) makes it clear they mean our big family, so itu is not needed.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi?

Both mean but, but they differ in formality:

tetapi
- More formal or standard; common in writing or careful speech.
tapi
- Informal, very common in everyday spoken Malay.

In your sentence:

…penuh apabila keluarga besar datang, tetapi semua orang…
- This fits well in a written or neutral style.

In casual conversation, you would often hear:

…penuh bila keluarga besar datang, tapi semua orang…

Why is it masih dapat rasa instead of masih boleh rasa? Both dapat and boleh can mean can, right?

Both dapat and boleh can be translated as can, but they emphasize different things:

boleh
- Ability or permission: be able to, be allowed to.
- masih boleh rasa – can still taste (it), in the sense of having the ability or permission.
dapat
- Managing to do something; successfully getting/receiving something.
- masih dapat rasa – still manage to get a taste / still get to have some.

In this sentence, the idea is that even though the room is full, everyone still manages to get some porridge. So dapat is a better match because it implies successful outcome (everyone still receives some), not just ability.

Why is rasa used here without me- (like merasai) if it seems to function as a verb?

In everyday Malay:

rasa can be:
- a verb: to taste
- a noun: taste, feeling

You often see:

rasa (base form) used as a verb in casual or neutral language:
- saya rasa pedas – I taste/feel it as spicy / I find it spicy.
- nak rasa? – want to taste it?
merasai / merasakan are more formal or literary-sounding, and often used when:
- expressing or emphasizing feelings/experiences, or
- making the sentence a bit more elaborate.

So:

masih dapat rasa bubur yang sedap
- very natural, colloquial or neutral: still get to taste the delicious porridge.

A more formal version might be:

masih dapat merasai bubur yang sedap itu,
but the original is completely correct and natural.

What does bubur yang sedap literally mean, and what is the role of yang here?

Breakdown:

bubur – porridge
yang – a marker that introduces a describing phrase (like that / which / who)
sedap – delicious, tasty

So:

bubur yang sedap
- Literally: porridge that is delicious
- Functionally: delicious porridge

In Malay, yang is used to link a noun to a description:

orang yang tinggi – the person who is tall / the tall person
kereta yang mahal – the car that is expensive / the expensive car

Here yang sedap is a little descriptive clause modifying bubur.

Can the word order of the whole sentence be changed, for example starting with apabila?

Yes. Both orders are possible:

Original:
- Bilik makan kecil kami penuh apabila keluarga besar datang, tetapi semua orang masih dapat rasa bubur yang sedap.
With the time clause first:
- Apabila keluarga besar datang, bilik makan kecil kami penuh, tetapi semua orang masih dapat rasa bubur yang sedap.

Both mean the same thing. Putting apabila… at the start emphasizes the time condition more strongly. In writing, you usually add a comma after the apabila clause.

Why is there no plural marker for semua orang or keluarga? How do I know they are plural?

Malay usually does not mark plurals on the noun itself. Plurality is shown by:

context
words like semua (all/every) or banyak (many)
duplication (e.g. orang-orang) when you want to emphasize plurality, especially in more formal writing.

In this sentence:

keluarga besar – big/extended family
- family is conceptually a group, so it is understood as plural.
semua orang – literally all person/people
- semua tells you it means everyone.

So you don’t need extra plural endings; Malay listeners automatically interpret it as plural from the meaning and context.