Learn Hardcore Malay: Hari ini saya rasa sama letih seperti semalam.

Rasa literally means to feel (and also to taste in other contexts).
Here it works like English “I feel tired” rather than just “I am tired.”

With rasa: Hari ini saya rasa letih = Today I feel tired (focus on your internal feeling).
Without rasa: Hari ini saya letih = Today I am tired (a bit more like stating a fact).

So rasa is not grammatically required, but it adds the nuance of subjective feeling.

Why is there no word like “am” / “is” before letih? Why not something like saya adalah letih?

Malay normally doesn’t use a verb “to be” (am/is/are) before adjectives. You just put the adjective directly after the subject.

Saya letih = I’m tired (literally: I tired).
Dia marah = He/She is angry.

Words like adalah and ialah do exist, but they are not used before adjectives like letih. They’re mostly used between nouns, e.g. Saya adalah seorang guru (I am a teacher).

What exactly does sama letih seperti mean? How does this expression work?

The pattern sama … seperti … means “as … as …” in comparisons.

sama letih seperti semalam = as tired as yesterday

Breakdown:

sama = same / equally
letih = tired
seperti = like / as

So sama letih seperti semalam literally feels like “equally tired as yesterday.”

Can I say the same thing in a different way, like seletih semalam?

Yes, another very natural pattern is se- + adjective + seperti / bagai, or just se- + adjective in some cases:

Hari ini saya seletih semalam. = Today I am as tired as yesterday.

So you have at least these common options:

Hari ini saya rasa sama letih seperti semalam.
Hari ini saya sama letih seperti semalam.
Hari ini saya seletih semalam.

All are understandable; the first is very clear and learner‑friendly.

Is sama letih dengan semalam also correct, or must it be seperti?

You will hear both, but seperti is the more standard and neutral choice in this structure.

sama letih seperti semalam – sounds natural and standard.
sama letih dengan semalam – can be heard in speech; acceptable in many contexts, but slightly less “textbook.”

For learning purposes, it’s safest to stick with sama … seperti ….

Why is it Hari ini at the beginning? Could I say Saya rasa sama letih seperti semalam hari ini?

Time expressions like hari ini (today) usually appear:

At the start of the sentence:
- Hari ini saya rasa sama letih seperti semalam.
Or after the subject:
- Saya hari ini rasa sama letih seperti semalam. (a bit more marked/emphatic)

Putting hari ini at the very end (… seperti semalam hari ini) sounds awkward and unnatural in Malay. So keep hari ini at the beginning or just after saya.

What’s the difference between hari ini, hari ni, and pada hari ini?

They all relate to “today”, but the tone/register changes:

hari ini – standard, neutral; good for most spoken and written situations.
hari ni – colloquial, spoken, informal; common in Malaysia in casual speech.
- Hari ni saya rasa sama letih macam semalam. (very informal)
pada hari ini – more formal or written style, often in speeches, news, or official writing.

In everyday conversation and normal writing, hari ini is the best default.

Can I say pada semalam instead of just semalam?

No, you don’t say pada semalam.
You normally use semalam on its own:

Saya letih semalam. = I was tired yesterday.
Hari ini saya rasa sama letih seperti semalam.

The preposition pada is used with some time expressions (e.g. pada hari Isnin – on Monday), but not with semalam, hari ini, esok, etc.

What’s the difference between letih and penat? Could I say sama penat seperti semalam?

Letih and penat are very close in meaning; both relate to being tired.

letih – often sounds slightly more “worn out” or fatigued; a bit more formal in some contexts.
penat – very common in everyday speech; “tired/exhausted” from effort.

You can absolutely say:

Hari ini saya rasa sama penat seperti semalam.

It means the same thing in everyday usage.

Can I drop saya and just say Hari ini rasa sama letih seperti semalam?

Yes. In spoken Malay, the subject pronoun (saya, aku, etc.) is often dropped when it’s obvious from context.

Hari ini rasa sama letih seperti semalam.
= Today (I) feel as tired as yesterday.

This sounds natural in many conversations, especially when you’re clearly talking about yourself. But for learners, keeping saya is good practice until you’re comfortable with context‑based omission.

How is tense shown here? How do we know it means “Today I feel as tired as yesterday” and not “felt” or “will feel”?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Instead, time is indicated by time words or context.

In this sentence:

Hari ini (today) anchors it in the present.
semalam (yesterday) is just the reference point for comparison.

If you wanted to talk about the future, you’d add a marker like akan (will):

Esok saya akan rasa sama letih seperti hari ini.
= Tomorrow I will feel as tired as today.