Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu. - I like the academic freedom at that university.

Saya – I (subject)
suka – like (verb)
kebebasan akademik – academic freedom (object)
di universiti itu – at that university (prepositional phrase indicating place)

So it is Subject – Verb – Object – Place, much like English:

I like academic freedom at that university.

What is the nuance of saya? Is it formal or informal, and can I use aku instead?

Saya is the neutral, standard way to say I in Malay. It is:

Polite and acceptable in almost all situations (formal and informal).
Safe to use with strangers, in writing, in class, with teachers, etc.

Aku also means I, but it is:

More intimate/informal.
Usually used with close friends, siblings, or in very casual settings.
Not usually used with teachers, in formal writing, or with people you should respect.

So in this sentence:

Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu. – natural, neutral.
Aku suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu. – OK with close friends, but not in a formal context.

What exactly does suka mean? Is it more like “like” or “love”?

Suka most directly corresponds to “like” in English. It covers:

Liking something (preferences, tastes):
- Saya suka kopi. – I like coffee.
Enjoying something:
- Saya suka membaca. – I like reading / I enjoy reading.

For stronger feelings like “love”, Malay often uses:

cinta – romantic or deep love (e.g. Saya cinta awak.)
sayang – affectionate love/care (family, close friends, pets, etc.)

You can intensify suka:

Saya sangat suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu. – I really like / I like very much the academic freedom at that university.

But by itself, suka is closer to “like” than “love”.

How is kebebasan formed, and what does it literally mean?

Kebebasan comes from the root bebas, which means free (as in not restricted).

Malay often uses the prefix ke- and suffix -an to turn an adjective or verb into an abstract noun:

bebas (free) → kebebasan (freedom)
adil (just/fair) → keadilan (justice/fairness)
penting (important) → kepentingan (importance / interest)

So:

kebebasan literally means freedom or liberty.
In the sentence, kebebasan akademik = academic freedom.

Why is it kebebasan akademik, with akademik after kebebasan, and not the other way around like in English?

In Malay, the main noun usually comes first, and the word that describes or specifies it comes after. Here:

kebebasan – main noun: freedom
akademik – specifying noun/adjective: academic

So kebebasan akademik literally has the structure “freedom academic”, but it means academic freedom.

This pattern is very common:

buku sejarah – history book (literally: book history)
guru bahasa – language teacher (literally: teacher language)
pelajar universiti – university student (literally: student university)

Is akademik just a loanword from English “academic”? Is it used the same way?

Yes, akademik is a loanword from English academic (via international/European usage), and in this phrase it has a very similar meaning.

kebebasan akademik corresponds closely to academic freedom in English.
rekod akademik – academic record
pencapaian akademik – academic achievement

So in this sentence, you can understand akademik almost exactly like the English word academic, just placed after the noun it modifies.

What does di mean here, and why do we use di instead of something else?

Di is a preposition that generally means “at / in / on” (for location). In this sentence:

di universiti itu – at that university / in that university

Malay tends to use di in many places where English might distinguish between at and in. The context usually makes the meaning clear.

You would not use pada here, because:

pada is more abstract (for time, possession, or more formal phrases).
For a physical place (like a university campus), di is standard.

So:

di universiti itu – at that university (location)

What is the function of itu here? Does it mean “that”, and can it also mean “the”?

Itu is a demonstrative that basically means “that”.

In universiti itu, it:

Points to a specific university, usually one already known in the context.
Corresponds to “that university” in English.

Malay does not have separate words for “a / an / the” the way English does. Demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) often act like “this/the” or “that/the” depending on context.

So universiti itu can be translated depending on context as:

that university (most direct), or
the university (if it’s clear which one you mean).

But grammatically, itu is “that”, and it always comes after the noun:

universiti itu – that university
buku itu – that book
rumah itu – that house

Could I say “itu universiti” instead of “universiti itu”?

No. In standard Malay, demonstratives like itu and ini must follow the noun they refer to.

Correct:

universiti itu – that university
universiti ini – this university

Incorrect in standard Malay:

itu universiti ✗
ini universiti ✗

In casual speech, you might hear slightly reduced forms like universiti tu (for universiti itu), but the position is still after the noun.

Can universiti itu mean “those universities” (plural), or is it only singular?

Universiti itu is singular: it refers to one university.

To express a clear plural, Malay often uses reduplication or a plural marker:

universiti-universiti itu – those universities
semua universiti itu – all those universities
beberapa universiti itu – some of those universities

However, Malay does not always mark plural explicitly; sometimes context alone shows whether it’s singular or plural. But universiti itu by itself is normally understood as that university (singular).

Is there any tense in suka? Does this mean “liked”, “like”, or “will like”?

Malay verbs generally do not change form for tense. Suka stays the same regardless of time:

Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu.
Depending on context, this can be understood as:
- I like academic freedom at that university. (present, general)
- I liked academic freedom at that university. (past, if you’re telling a story about your time there)
- I will like academic freedom at that university. (future, if you’re talking about when you go there)

If you need to be explicit, you can add time words:

Dulu saya suka… – I used to like…
Sekarang saya suka… – Now I like…
Nanti saya akan suka… – Later I will like…

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence is neutral and standard:

Saya – neutral polite pronoun.
suka – neutral verb.
Vocabulary like kebebasan akademik and universiti is somewhat formal/academic but very normal in educated speech.

You can use this sentence:

In essays and academic writing.
In class presentations.
In polite conversation.

If you wanted a more casual, spoken feel, you might hear:

Saya suka kebebasan akademik kat universiti tu.
(di → kat, itu → tu) – but that’s informal/colloquial.

Is it possible to drop itu and just say “Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti”?

Grammatically you can say di universiti, but the meaning changes:

di universiti itu – at that specific university (one particular place we both know).
di universiti – at university, in universities, or in the university context in general (less specific).

So:

Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti itu.
→ I like the academic freedom at that (particular) university.
Saya suka kebebasan akademik di universiti.
→ I like academic freedom at university (in general) / in the university setting.

If you’re talking about one known university, itu makes that clear.