Learn Hardcore Malay: Pagi ini saya beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya berhampiran rumah. - This morning I buy bananas and apples at the supermarket near my house.

Ini pagi is not grammatical as a time expression. Ini can come at the front only when it stands alone, like English This… (as in Ini buku saya – “This is my book”), but not in fixed time phrases like “this morning”.

How do we know that beli here means “bought” (past) and not “buy” (present), since it doesn’t change form?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. The base form beli can mean “buy”, “buys”, or “bought” depending on context.

In this sentence, pagi ini (“this morning”) tells us the action happened in the past (earlier today), so we translate beli as “bought”.

If you really want to make the past clearer, you can add a marker:

Pagi ini saya sudah beli… (I already bought…)
Pagi ini saya telah membeli… (I have bought / bought…)

But even without sudah or telah, the time expression pagi ini is enough for Malay speakers.

What’s the difference between beli and membeli? Could I say Pagi ini saya membeli pisang dan epal…?

Yes, you can say:

Pagi ini saya membeli pisang dan epal di pasar raya berhampiran rumah.

The difference is mainly register (formality) and style:

beli is the base verb.
membeli is the meN- form (with prefix mem-) and sounds more formal or written.

In everyday spoken Malay, people commonly say beli:

Saya beli pisang.

In more formal writing or speeches (news, essays, reports), membeli is very common:

Beliau membeli barangan keperluan di pasar raya.

Meaning-wise in this sentence, beli and membeli are the same; using membeli just makes the sentence feel more formal.

Do pisang and epal here mean one banana and one apple, or “bananas and apples”? How is plural shown in Malay?

Malay nouns usually do not change form for plural. Pisang can mean “banana” or “bananas”, and epal can mean “apple” or “apples”. Context decides.

In a sentence like this, we naturally interpret it as:

“I bought bananas and apples.”

If you want to be explicit about number, you can:

Use numbers + classifiers:
- dua biji pisang = two bananas
- tiga biji epal = three apples
Use quantity words:
- banyak pisang = many bananas
- beberapa biji epal = several apples
Use repetition for emphasis:
- pisang-pisang = (various) bananas / lots of bananas
- epal-epal = apples (plural, often with sense of variety or emphasis)

But in basic sentences, the unmarked form is completely normal for plural.

Is dan always used for “and” when listing things? Can it also connect verbs or adjectives?

Dan is the standard word for “and” in Malay, and it is very flexible:

Connecting nouns: pisang dan epal (bananas and apples)
Connecting verbs: makan dan minum (eat and drink)
Connecting adjectives: besar dan cantik (big and beautiful)
Connecting clauses: Saya pergi ke pasar raya dan adik saya duduk di rumah.

There are other words like serta or dan juga, but dan is the default, neutral conjunction you can safely use in all registers (spoken, written, formal, informal).

What does di do in di pasar raya? How is it different from ke?

Di and ke are both prepositions, but they have different functions:

di = at / in / on (location, where something is)
- di pasar raya = at the supermarket
- di rumah = at home
ke = to / toward (movement, where something is going)
- pergi ke pasar raya = go to the supermarket
- balik ke rumah = go back home

In your sentence, you’re talking about where you bought the fruit, not moving there, so di pasar raya (“at the supermarket”) is correct.

If you wanted to emphasise the movement, you might say:

Pagi ini saya pergi ke pasar raya berhampiran rumah untuk beli pisang dan epal.
(This morning I went to the supermarket near my house to buy bananas and apples.)

What exactly does pasar raya mean, and is it one word or two?

Pasar raya literally comes from:

pasar = market
raya = big / grand / major

Together, pasar raya means “supermarket”, a large modern store rather than a traditional open-air market.

Orthography notes:

In current standard Malay, it’s usually written as two words: pasar raya.
In some contexts or older materials you might see pasaraya as a single word, but pasar raya is the standard form in Malaysia.

Also:

pasar alone usually suggests a traditional market.
kedai runcit = grocery / small convenience shop.
So pasar raya is especially a larger, more modern retail store.

In pasar raya berhampiran rumah, what does berhampiran do? Is it like an adjective “nearby”?

Yes, berhampiran functions very much like an adjective or “stative verb” meaning “(is) near / nearby / close to”.

Breakdown:

hampir = nearly / almost / near
ber- (prefix) often forms intransitive or stative verbs
berhampiran ≈ “to be near, to be in proximity”

In pasar raya berhampiran rumah:

pasar raya = the supermarket
berhampiran rumah = that is near the house

So conceptually it’s like:

“the supermarket (that is) near the house.”

You may also see:

berhampiran dengan rumah (near to the house) – a bit more explicit/formal
dekat rumah (near the house) – more everyday/colloquial

If I want to say “near my house”, don’t I need saya? Why is it just rumah and not rumah saya?

In full, the most explicit form for “near my house” would be:

berhampiran rumah saya
dekat rumah saya

In your sentence, rumah by itself can be interpreted as “my house” from context. Malay often omits possessive pronouns when it’s obvious whose thing it is, especially for very personal things like rumah (house), kereta (car), bilik (room) in a first-person narrative.

So:

Pagi ini saya beli pisang… di pasar raya berhampiran rumah.
will usually be understood as
“This morning I bought bananas and apples at the supermarket near my house.”

If you want to avoid any ambiguity (for example, in writing for learners or in a very precise description), it’s perfectly fine and sometimes better to say berhampiran rumah saya.

Can I say Pagi ini saya beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya dekat rumah instead? What’s the difference between berhampiran and dekat?

Yes, you can say:

Pagi ini saya beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya dekat rumah.

Both are correct, but there are some nuances:

berhampiran
- More formal / written.
- Sounds a bit more “proper” or standard.
dekat
- Very common in everyday spoken Malay.
- Can be used as an adjective/adverb (tempat ini dekat – this place is near) or as a preposition-like element (dekat rumah – near the house).

Meaning-wise in this sentence, berhampiran rumah and dekat rumah are the same: “near (my) house”. The original sentence just chooses the slightly more formal-sounding berhampiran.

Is the word order fixed as Pagi ini saya beli… or can I also say Saya beli pisang dan epal pagi ini…?

Malay word order is fairly flexible for time expressions. Both are acceptable:

Pagi ini saya beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya berhampiran rumah.
Saya beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya berhampiran rumah pagi ini.

Differences:

Putting pagi ini at the front (version 1) slightly emphasises the time:
“As for this morning, I bought bananas and apples…”
Putting pagi ini at the end (version 2) is also natural and often sounds quite neutral in conversation:
“I bought bananas and apples … this morning.”

You can generally place time expressions at the beginning or end of a sentence without changing the basic meaning, just the focus.

Why use saya instead of aku here? What’s the difference?

Both saya and aku mean “I / me”, but they differ in politeness level and context:

saya
- Polite, neutral, and slightly more formal.
- Safe to use with strangers, elders, colleagues, in public, and in writing.
- Default pronoun taught to learners.
aku
- Informal and more intimate.
- Used with close friends, siblings, sometimes in songs, prayers (to God), or literature.
- Can sound rude or overly familiar if used with someone you don’t know well or in a formal setting.

In a neutral sentence like this, especially in anything that might appear in writing or teaching materials, saya is the appropriate choice.

Can I drop saya and just say Pagi ini beli pisang dan epal di pasar raya berhampiran rumah?

Grammar-wise, Malay can drop the subject when it is obvious from context, especially in:

Instructions, notes, diaries
Very casual conversation
Dialogue where the speaker is clear

So a note to yourself like:

Pagi ini beli pisang dan epal…

might be understood as “(I) bought bananas and apples this morning…” or “(I must) buy bananas and apples this morning…”, depending on context.

However, in a neutral, complete sentence (like in a textbook or when telling a story), it is more natural to keep the subject:

Pagi ini saya beli pisang dan epal…

So yes, you can drop saya in some informal contexts, but for clear, standard sentences, keep it.

What’s the difference between pagi ini, pagi tadi, and tadi pagi?

All three involve “morning”, but there are nuance and usage differences:

pagi ini
- Literally “this morning” (today’s morning).
- Can refer to earlier today, and may still feel somewhat close to the present time.
pagi tadi / tadi pagi
- Both mean roughly “earlier this morning”.
- tadi = earlier (a short time ago, today).
- These emphasise that the event is earlier in the day and definitely in the past.

You could say:

Pagi ini saya beli pisang…
– “This morning I bought bananas…” (neutral; common)

and also:

Pagi tadi saya beli pisang… or
Tadi pagi saya beli pisang…

Both of these highlight that the buying happened earlier in the morning (clearly past). The difference between pagi tadi and tadi pagi is mostly stylistic; both are common and mean the same thing.