Ibu memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

Mother cuts the banana with a small knife in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Ibu memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

• di: in
• dengan: with
• kecil: small
• dapur: the kitchen
• ibu: the mother
• pisang: the banana
• memotong: to cut
• pisau: the knife

Questions & Answers about Ibu memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

What does ibu mean here? Is it just mother, or is it being used like a name?

Ibu literally means mother, but it can function in a few ways:

1. As “my mother” in context
   In a simple sentence like Ibu memotong pisang..., if you are talking about your own family, ibu is usually understood as my mother, even without saya. Malay often drops my / your / his when it’s obvious from context.

2. As a way of addressing your own mother
   You can call your mother Ibu directly, like Ibu, mari makan (Mom, come eat).

3. As a polite title for an older woman
   In some contexts (especially Indonesian, but also understood in Malay), Ibu is like Madam / Ma’am or Mrs., e.g. Ibu Siti.

If you specifically want to say my mother in a neutral, explicit way, you can say ibu saya.
So:

• Ibu (alone) = often “my mother” from the speaker’s point of view.
• Ibu saya = clearly “my mother”.

Why is it memotong and not just potong?

The base verb is potong (to cut). Memotong is formed with the prefix meN-:

• meN- + potong → memotong

This prefix meN- (here realized as mem-) usually:

1. Makes an active transitive verb (verb that takes an object):

   • memotong pisang = cut bananas
   • membaca buku = read a book
   • menulis surat = write a letter

2. Often sounds more natural in sentences with a clear object, especially in standard Malay.
   You can hear potong pisang in casual speech, but memotong pisang is the regular, standard active form.

So in this sentence, memotong is the normal active-voice verb: (Mother) cuts / is cutting (bananas).

How do I know if memotong means “is cutting” (present) or “cut” (past)? There’s no tense marker.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Memotong itself does not tell you whether it’s past, present, or future. The time is understood from context or from extra words, for example:

• Ibu memotong pisang di dapur.
  Could be:
  • Mother is cutting bananas in the kitchen.
  • Mother cut bananas in the kitchen.

To be clearer, Malay adds adverbs or particles:

• tadi = earlier / just now
  
  • Tadi ibu memotong pisang di dapur. = Earlier, Mother cut bananas in the kitchen.
• sedang = in the middle of (doing)
  
  • Ibu sedang memotong pisang di dapur. = Mother is (currently) cutting bananas in the kitchen.
• akan = will
  
  • Ibu akan memotong pisang di dapur. = Mother will cut bananas in the kitchen.

So memotong itself is neutral; the tense comes from context or added time words.

Does pisang mean one banana or bananas (plural) here?

Pisang by itself can mean banana (singular) or bananas (plural). Malay usually does not mark plural the way English does with -s.

You understand singular vs plural from context or by adding other words:

• Could be:
  • Ibu memotong pisang = Mother is cutting banana(s).
• To make plural clearer:
  • beberapa pisang = several bananas
  • banyak pisang = many bananas
  • pisang-pisang = bananas (reduplication for plural, more common in some styles)

So pisang is a general form: banana / bananas depending on the situation.

Why is it pisau kecil and not kecil pisau for small knife?

In Malay, the normal order is:

• Noun + adjective

So:

• pisau kecil = small knife
• baju merah = red shirt
• budak nakal = naughty kid

Putting the adjective before the noun (kecil pisau) is wrong in normal Malay.
English: adjective + noun (small knife)
Malay: noun + adjective (pisau kecil).

What exactly does dengan do here? Is it necessary to say dengan pisau kecil?

Dengan basically means with, and in this sentence it marks the instrument (the tool used):

• dengan pisau kecil = with a small knife

Is it necessary?

• Grammatically, you could say Ibu memotong pisang (menggunakan) pisau kecil and omit dengan if you use menggunakan (to use).
• But Ibu memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil is the most natural, simple way to say it. Omitting dengan and just saying memotong pisang pisau kecil would sound wrong or at least confusing.

So, in this sentence, dengan is the normal and expected way to mark the tool used.

Why is the location di dapur at the end? Can I move it earlier in the sentence?

The word order in the given sentence is:

• [Subject] Ibu
• [Verb] memotong
• [Object] pisang
• [Instrument phrase] dengan pisau kecil
• [Place phrase] di dapur

This S–V–O–(other information) order is very common. Place phrases like di dapur often come near the end.

You can move di dapur earlier, for example:

• Di dapur, ibu memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil.
  = In the kitchen, Mother is cutting bananas with a small knife.

This is fine and can emphasize the location. But:

• Ibu di dapur memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil.
  Also possible, and sounds like “Mother (who is in the kitchen) is cutting bananas...”

So yes, di dapur can move, especially to the very front, but the original order is very natural.

There’s no word for a or the. How do articles work in Malay?

Malay generally does not use articles like a / an / the. Nouns appear without them:

• pisang = banana / the banana / bananas / the bananas (depending on context)
• pisau kecil = a small knife / the small knife

To make things more precise, Malay uses:

• classifiers / numerals / quantifiers:
  • sebiji pisang = one banana
  • sebatang pisang (also can be used, depending on region)
  • sebuah pisau kecil = one small knife
  • beberapa pisang = several bananas
• demonstratives:
  • pisang itu = that / the banana
  • pisang ini = this banana

But in many everyday sentences, no equivalent of a / the is used; the listener infers it.

If I want to say my mother clearly, should I say Ibu saya instead of just Ibu?

If you want to be explicit, yes, ibu saya is the standard way to say my mother:

• Ibu saya memotong pisang... = My mother is cutting bananas...

Some options:

• ibu saya = my mother (neutral, common)
• ibuku = my mother (more literary / emotional / stylistic)
• emak saya / mak saya = my mum (more colloquial in many Malay-speaking areas)
• mama saya = my mum / mom (more informal, influenced by English/other languages)

In many casual conversations, just Ibu (capitalized) is already understood as my mother, especially if you’re talking about your own family. But if clarity is important (e.g., in writing or storytelling with many characters), ibu saya is safer.

Does dapur always mean kitchen? Could it mean “stove” or something else?

Dapur in modern Malay most commonly means kitchen (the room/area where you cook).

However, in some contexts and dialects:

• dapur can also refer to the cooking area more generally, including the stove area.
• In older or specific usages, you may see dapur used in compound words or idioms with related meanings (e.g. things connected to cooking or the household back area).

If you want to say specifically stove, you would usually use something like:

• dapur gas = gas stove
• dapur arang = charcoal stove

But in a simple sentence like this, di dapur is naturally understood as in the kitchen.

How would I say this in the passive voice, like “The bananas are being cut by Mother in the kitchen”?

A common passive form uses di- on the verb:

• Pisang dipotong oleh ibu dengan pisau kecil di dapur.
  = The bananas are cut / being cut by Mother with a small knife in the kitchen.

Notes:

• memotong (active) → dipotong (passive)
• oleh = by (the agent in a passive sentence)
• The object pisang moves to the front.

In everyday spoken Malay, oleh is often dropped if the agent is clear:

• Pisang dipotong ibu dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

So:

• Active: Ibu memotong pisang... = Mother cuts/is cutting bananas...
• Passive: Pisang dipotong (oleh) ibu... = The bananas are (being) cut by Mother...