Selepas beberapa latihan, saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola di depan orang ramai.

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Questions & Answers about Selepas beberapa latihan, saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola di depan orang ramai.

What does Selepas beberapa latihan literally mean, and why do we use beberapa without a classifier?

Selepas beberapa latihan literally means “after several practices / after some training sessions.”

  • Selepas = after
  • beberapa = a few / several / some
  • latihan = practice / training / exercise (as a noun)

In Malay, beberapa is directly followed by a noun without needing a classifier or measure word. So:

  • beberapa latihan = a few practices
    You don’t need something like beberapa buah latihan; that would sound strange.

If you want to be very explicit about times, you could say:

  • selepas berlatih beberapa kali = after practicing a few times
    (literally: after practicing a few times)

But the original selepas beberapa latihan is already natural and clear.

What’s the function of lebih in saya lebih yakin? Is lebih always needed with yakin?

In saya lebih yakin, lebih means more, so the phrase means “I am more confident.”

  • saya = I
  • yakin = confident / sure
  • lebih = more (comparative marker)

So saya yakin = I am confident (a simple statement)
while saya lebih yakin = I am more confident (compared to before, or to some other situation).

You only need lebih if you want to show a comparison or increase:

  • Sekarang saya yakin. = Now I am confident.
  • Sekarang saya lebih yakin. = Now I am more confident (than before).

So lebih is not always needed with yakin, but it is needed when you want to say “more confident.”

Is yakin a verb or an adjective in Malay, and how is it used?

Yakin functions like an adjective (a state/quality), but in Malay you don’t need a verb like “to be” (am/is/are).

  • Saya yakin. = I am confident / I am sure.
    (literally: I confident)

You can also modify it:

  • sangat yakin = very confident
  • kurang yakin = less confident / not very confident
  • lebih yakin = more confident

So the pattern is:

  • subject + (modifier) + yakin

Examples:

  • Dia sangat yakin dengan keputusan itu.
    He/She is very confident with that decision.
Why do we say untuk menendang bola instead of just menendang bola?

Untuk is used here to express purpose, similar to “to” or “in order to” in English.

  • saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola
    = I am more confident to kick the ball / about kicking the ball

If you say just saya lebih yakin menendang bola, it can still be understood, but untuk makes the relationship clearer:

  • lebih yakin untuk [do something] = more confident to [do something]

So:

  • untuk + verbto + verb (showing purpose)

Examples:

  • Dia berlatih setiap hari untuk menang dalam pertandingan.
    He/She trains every day to win in the competition.
What is the root of menendang, and how does the meN- prefix work here?

The root word of menendang is tendang (kick).

The meN- prefix is a common verb-forming prefix in Malay. When added to tendang, you get:

  • meN- + tendang → menendang = to kick

In many cases:

  • meN- + verb root = an active verb where the subject is doing the action.

So:

  • Saya tendang bola. (less common, sounds bare, often used in sports commentary or imperative)
  • Saya menendang bola. (normal sentence) = I kick the ball.

In the original sentence:

  • menendang bola = to kick the ball

The meN- prefix is what makes tendang into the more natural verb form for regular sentences.

Why is the object bola placed after the verb menendang?

Malay uses a basic Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) word order, similar to English.

  • saya (subject)
  • menendang (verb)
  • bola (object)

So menendang bola = kick the ball.

You normally don’t say:

  • saya bola menendang ✗ (wrong in standard Malay)

The usual pattern is:

  • Subject + Verb + Object
    • Saya makan nasi. = I eat rice.
    • Dia membaca buku. = He/She reads a book.
    • Saya menendang bola. = I kick the ball.
What does di depan mean, and how is it different from di hadapan?

Di depan means “in front of”.

  • di = at / in / on
  • depan = front

So di depan orang ramai = in front of a crowd / in front of many people.

Di hadapan also means “in front of”, but:

  • di depan = more casual / everyday speech
  • di hadapan = a bit more formal or bookish

You can usually swap them:

  • di depan orang ramai (very natural in spoken Malay)
  • di hadapan orang ramai (sounds a bit more formal, often written or in speeches)

Both are correct in this sentence.

What exactly does orang ramai mean, and how is it different from banyak orang or orang-orang?

Orang ramai literally is “many people”, but it is more like a set phrase meaning “the public / a crowd / a lot of people.”

  • orang = person / people
  • ramai (as an adjective) = many (when talking about people)

So:

  • orang ramai = the crowd / many people / the public

Differences:

  • banyak orang also means many people, but it is more literal and a bit less idiomatic in this context.
    • Saya malu di depan banyak orang. → understandable, but orang ramai sounds more natural.
  • orang-orang means people too, but:
    • It emphasizes plural in a more general sense, and sounds a bit bookish / literary if overused.
    • It is not usually used for “a crowd watching you” in this kind of sports context.

So:

  • di depan orang ramai = in front of a crowd (most natural here).
Can the word order be changed to Di depan orang ramai, saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is correct and natural.

Malay allows you to move adverbial phrases (like di depan orang ramai) to the front for emphasis or style:

  • Saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola di depan orang ramai.
  • Di depan orang ramai, saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola.

Both are grammatically correct.
The second version puts extra emphasis on the setting (“In front of a crowd…”).

Could I say Selepas berlatih beberapa kali, saya lebih yakin… instead of Selepas beberapa latihan…? Any difference in nuance?

Yes, you can say:

  • Selepas berlatih beberapa kali, saya lebih yakin untuk menendang bola di depan orang ramai.

This is also natural and correct.

Nuance:

  • Selepas beberapa latihan
    Focus is on “training sessions / practices” as noun events.
  • Selepas berlatih beberapa kali
    Focus is on the action of practicing several times.

In everyday conversation, both are fine.
Your original sentence sounds slightly more compact and perhaps a bit more neutral/formal than berlatih beberapa kali, but the difference is small.

Is it necessary to include saya, or can Malay drop the subject pronoun here?

You can drop saya if the context already makes it clear you are talking about yourself:

  • Selepas beberapa latihan, lebih yakin untuk menendang bola di depan orang ramai.

This is possible in informal speech or writing (like texting), where people often drop saya, awak, etc., when context is obvious.

However, for:

  • clear,
  • complete, and
  • standard sentences (especially for learners),

it’s better to keep the subject:

  • Selepas beberapa latihan, saya lebih yakin…

So the original version with saya is the most appropriate for learning and for neutral written Malay.