Saya guna sedikit gula dalam susu, tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.

Adik means younger sibling, and it does not by itself show gender.

• adik lelaki = younger brother
• adik perempuan = younger sister

In everyday speech, people often just say adik if the gender is already clear from context, or it doesn’t matter. So adik saya = my younger sibling (brother or sister).

In the original sentence:

• Saya guna sedikit gula... = I use a little sugar...
• ...tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula. = ...but my younger sibling drinks milk without sugar.

The second saya in adik saya shows whose younger sibling it is (my younger sibling). If you say just adik, it usually means “(my/our) younger sibling” in a family context, but it can also sound a bit less specific.

All of these are possible, depending on context:

• ...tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula. (clear: my younger sibling)
• ...tetapi adik minum susu tanpa gula. (understood as my/our younger sibling if you’re talking about your family)

What you cannot do is drop saya in the first clause if you still want “I”:

• Guna sedikit gula dalam susu, tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.
  Sounds like an instruction or note: “Use a little sugar in the milk, but my younger sibling drinks milk without sugar.” (subject I disappears)

All three exist, but there are differences in formality and usage.

• guna = use (informal / neutral, very common in speech)
• menggunakan = to use (more formal, often in writing or polite speech)
• pakai = literally “to wear”, but also “to use” in many contexts (very common in colloquial Malay)

In your sentence:

• Saya guna sedikit gula... (very natural, informal/neutral)
• Saya menggunakan sedikit gula... (more formal/polished)
• Saya pakai sedikit gula... (also heard in casual speech, especially some regions)

So yes, menggunakan and pakai can be used, but guna is short and common and fits casual everyday language.

Sedikit means a little / a small amount.

• sedikit gula = a little sugar / a small amount of sugar

In Malay, quantity words normally come before the noun:

• banyak air = a lot of water
• sedikit gula = a little sugar
• dua buku = two books

You can sometimes say gula sedikit, but that usually has a slightly different feel:

• Saya nak gula sedikit. = I want a bit of sugar (focus on the amount you want)
• Saya guna sedikit gula. = I use a little sugar (focus on the amount used)

For learners, it’s safer to put sedikit before the noun to mean “a little X”.

Dalam literally means in / inside.

• sedikit gula dalam susu = a little sugar in (the) milk

This matches the English idea of sugar inside the milk.

Other possibilities:

• Dengan susu = with milk

  • kopi dengan susu = coffee with milk
    This is more like “together with,” not “inside.”

• Sometimes you can drop the preposition if the verb clearly means “put in”:

  • Saya letak sedikit gula dalam susu. = I put a little sugar in the milk.
  • You wouldn’t say Saya letak sedikit gula susu (unnatural).

In your sentence, dalam susu is the most straightforward way to express “in the milk.”

Both mean but.

• tetapi = more formal / neutral; used in writing, speeches, and also normal conversation
• tapi = informal, very common in casual speech

In your sentence:

• ...tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula. (neutral–formal)
• ...tapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula. (more casual)

Both are correct; choose tetapi for standard/written Malay, and tapi in relaxed everyday speech.

Yes, tanpa typically means without and is followed by a noun or a verb in base form (when that verb is treated like a noun).

Examples:

• tanpa gula = without sugar
• tanpa susu = without milk
• tanpa masalah = without problems
• tanpa bercakap = without speaking

In your sentence:

• susu tanpa gula = milk without sugar

You could also say:

• adik saya minum susu yang tidak bergula = my sibling drinks unsweetened milk
• adik saya minum susu tak ada gula (colloquial) = my sibling drinks milk that has no sugar

But tanpa gula is short and natural.

Malay verbs do not change for person or tense.

So guna can mean use / used / am using / will use, depending on context.

Your sentence, without any time word, is understood as a general habit:

• Saya guna sedikit gula dalam susu, tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.
  = I usually/typically use a little sugar in milk, but my younger sibling drinks milk without sugar.

To show time, Malay normally adds a time word:

• Semalam saya guna sedikit gula... = Yesterday I used a little sugar...
• Esok saya akan guna sedikit gula... = Tomorrow I will use a little sugar...

The verb guna itself stays the same.

You can, but it sounds a bit incomplete or less natural.

• ...tetapi adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.
  Clear: drinks milk without sugar.

• ...tetapi adik saya minum tanpa gula.
  Literally: ...but my younger sibling drinks without sugar. We can guess it’s still milk, but it’s slightly odd because the object (susu) is missing.

In real conversation, if the context is very clear, people might drop it, but the safest and most natural version is to repeat susu:

• ...adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.

Malay usually marks plural by repeating the noun or by a plural word like semua (all).

For “my younger siblings”:

• adik-adik saya = my younger siblings
• semua adik saya = all my younger siblings

So you can say:

• Saya guna sedikit gula dalam susu, tetapi adik-adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.
  = I use a little sugar in (my) milk, but my younger siblings drink milk without sugar.

Malay basic word order is Subject – Verb – Object (SVO), like English.

Correct order:

• Adik saya (subject)
• minum (verb)
• susu (object)
• tanpa gula (extra information)

So:

• Adik saya minum susu tanpa gula.

Adik saya susu minum tanpa gula is incorrect; it breaks the normal SVO pattern and sounds ungrammatical.

Politeness comes from both the pronoun and the verb form:

• Saya = polite / neutral “I” (safe in most situations)
• Aku = informal “I” (used with close friends, family, or people your age/lower; can sound rude in formal contexts)

Verb forms:

• guna = neutral, fine in both casual speech and many semi-formal contexts
• menggunakan = more formal, e.g. writing, presentations

So:

• Saya guna sedikit gula...
  Polite enough in normal conversation.

• Saya menggunakan sedikit gula...
  More formal/polished.

• Aku guna sedikit gula...
  Informal, only with people you're close to.

For general safe usage, Saya guna... is perfectly acceptable.