Learn Hardcore Malay: Wartawan itu menulis artikel tentang akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah. - That journalist writes an article about fake accounts that spread false news.

Putting itu before the noun (itu wartawan) is possible but sounds more like an exclamation or special emphasis (“that journalist!”) and is less neutral. The default noun phrase order is:

[Noun] + [ini/itu]

Does itu here mean “that” or “the”? How definite is wartawan itu?

Itu can cover both “that” and “the,” depending on context:

It can point to something specific:
- wartawan itu = that journalist (we both know which one)
It can also work like a definite article:
- wartawan itu = the journalist (already mentioned/known in the context)

Malay has no true article like English “the,” so itu often signals that the noun is definite or already known. The exact English translation depends on the surrounding context.

How do we know whether menulis means “writes” (present) or “wrote” (past) here?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. Menulis on its own can mean:

“writes / is writing / will write / wrote”

Tense is shown by:

time words: semalam (yesterday), akan (will), sedang (currently), telah/sudah (already), etc.
context: e.g. if the surrounding narrative is in the past.

So without extra markers, Wartawan itu menulis artikel... could be translated as “The journalist writes / wrote an article...”, depending on context.

What’s the difference between tulis, menulis, and menuliskan?

All are related to the root tulis (write):

tulis
- bare root; used in some fixed phrases, commands, or casual speech
- Tulis nama kamu. = Write your name.
menulis
- standard active verb “to write” (intransitive or simply “do the act of writing”)
- Dia menulis artikel. = He/She writes an article.
menuliskan
- has -kan, which often adds a sense of doing something for someone or putting something into written form
- Dia menuliskan alamat saya. = He/She writes down my address (for me).

In this sentence, menulis artikel is the neutral, most natural choice. Menuliskan artikel would sound more marked, suggesting “writes out / writes down an article (for some purpose or someone)”.

Is artikel here singular (“an article”) or plural (“articles”)? How can you tell?

By itself, artikel is number-neutral:

artikel = article / articles

Malay usually doesn’t mark plural unless it’s important or could be confusing. Context tells you whether it’s one or more. To make it explicit:

sebuah artikel = one article
beberapa artikel = several articles
banyak artikel = many articles

So menulis artikel can be translated as “writes an article” or “writes articles,” depending on the context.

What does tentang mean exactly, and how is it different from mengenai or pasal?

Tentang means “about / regarding / on the topic of”. In many contexts:

tentang ≈ mengenai ≈ “about”
- artikel tentang akaun palsu
- artikel mengenai akaun palsu

Both are acceptable and quite formal/neutral.

Pasal also means “about,” but is more informal/colloquial in everyday speech, especially in Malaysia:

Dia marah pasal akaun palsu itu. = He/She is angry about those fake accounts.

In a relatively formal written sentence like this, tentang or mengenai fits better than pasal.

What is the role of yang in akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah?

Here, yang introduces a relative clause, similar to English “that/which/who”:

akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah
= “fake accounts that spread false news”

Structure:

akaun palsu = fake accounts (the noun phrase)
yang menyebarkan berita salah = relative clause describing akaun palsu

You cannot drop yang here:

✗ akaun palsu menyebarkan berita salah would change the structure (now “fake accounts spread false news” as a full clause, not “fake accounts that spread false news”).

So yang is crucial to link the noun to its descriptive clause.

Why is it menyebarkan and not just menyebar? What does the -kan do?

The root is sebar (to spread). Two common forms:

menyebar
- “to spread” (can be intransitive or less explicitly focused on the object)
- Berita itu cepat menyebar. = The news spreads quickly.
menyebarkan
- transitive, clearly taking a direct object; often “to spread something (around)”
- Dia menyebarkan berita salah. = He/She spreads false news.

In yang menyebarkan berita salah, berita salah is the direct object, so menyebarkan with -kan is the more natural and clear choice.

How do we know whether akaun palsu is one fake account or many fake accounts?

On its own, akaun palsu is number-neutral:

akaun palsu = a fake account / fake accounts

To show it’s clearly plural, you could say:

akaun-akaun palsu (reduplication) = fake accounts
banyak akaun palsu = many fake accounts
beberapa akaun palsu = several fake accounts

Since the verb menyebarkan (“spread [news]”) often implies multiple accounts in this context, the natural English translation would usually be “fake accounts,” but the Malay itself doesn’t force singular or plural.

Why is it akaun palsu (“fake account”) but berita salah (“wrong/false news”)? What’s the difference between palsu and salah here?

Palsu and salah both relate to “not true,” but with different nuances:

palsu = fake / counterfeit / not genuine
- akaun palsu = fake account (the account itself is not genuine)
- dokumen palsu = forged document
salah = wrong / incorrect / mistaken
- berita salah = incorrect news (the information is wrong)
- jawapan salah = wrong answer

If you said berita palsu, that often implies “fake news” in the sense of deliberately fabricated stories, not just mistaken information. Berita salah can be broader: it might be incorrect due to error, misunderstanding, or misinformation, not necessarily deliberate fakery.

Why do adjectives like palsu and salah come after the noun instead of before, like in English “fake account” and “false news”?

In Malay, descriptive words (adjectives) normally come after the noun:

akaun palsu = fake account
berita salah = wrong news
rumah besar = big house
orang kaya = rich person

So the default pattern is:

[Noun] + [Adjective]

Putting the adjective before the noun is generally ungrammatical or changes the meaning entirely, unlike in English.

Could we say berita palsu instead of berita salah? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can say berita palsu, but the nuance is a bit different:

berita salah
- incorrect / mistaken news (may or may not be deliberate)
berita palsu
- “fake news” — strongly suggests fabricated or deliberately misleading information

So:

akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita palsu
= fake accounts that spread fake news (more like deliberate disinformation)

The original berita salah is slightly more neutral: accounts that spread incorrect or false news (not necessarily emphasizing intentional deception).

Could I drop artikel and just say Wartawan itu menulis tentang akaun palsu...?

Yes, that’s grammatically fine and natural:

Wartawan itu menulis tentang akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah.
= The journalist writes/wrote about fake accounts that spread false news.

With artikel, the sentence states specifically that he/she wrote an article:

menulis artikel tentang... = wrote an article about...

Without artikel, it’s more general: the journalist writes/wrote about that topic (in general, or in some medium). Both are correct; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize.

Can you break down the structure of the whole sentence into subject, verb, and objects/clauses?

The sentence:

Wartawan itu menulis artikel tentang akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah.

Breakdown:

Subject:
- Wartawan itu = that / the journalist
Main verb:
- menulis = wrote / writes
Direct object:
- artikel = an article
Prepositional phrase (about what?):
- tentang akaun palsu yang menyebarkan berita salah
  - head noun: akaun palsu = fake accounts
  - relative clause: yang menyebarkan berita salah = that spread false news

So overall:
[The journalist] [wrote] [an article] [about fake accounts that spread false news].