Learn Hardcore Malay: Hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema, jadi saya tidak bau kari ayam yang ibu masak. - My nose is blocked when I have a cold, so I do not smell the chicken curry that Mother cooks.

State/result
- tersumbat = “blocked / clogged (already in that state)”
- So hidung saya tersumbat = “my nose is blocked / congested.”
Accidental / unintentional action (in other verbs)
- terjatuh = “to fall (accidentally)”
- tertinggal = “to be left behind / accidentally left behind”

In this sentence, tersumbat is describing a state, not an action: the nose is (in a) blocked (state). That’s why we don’t translate it as “my nose plugged something,” but “my nose is blocked.”

What is the difference between ketika, semasa, and apabila for “when”?

All three can be translated as “when,” but there are small differences in feel and common usage:

ketika
- Often a bit more neutral or slightly formal.
- Common in writing and in careful speech.
- Used with both states and actions.
- ketika selesema = “when (I have) a cold.”
semasa
- Very similar to ketika, also quite common in writing.
- Often used for “during (the time of)”:
  - semasa sakit = “while sick / when sick”
apabila
- Often used more with events or actions, especially in formal contexts.
- Feels closer to “when(ever)” in English:
  - Apabila saya sakit, saya berehat di rumah.
    “When(ever) I’m sick, I rest at home.”

In everyday speech, many speakers treat ketika and semasa as interchangeable in sentences like this. You could say:

Hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema…
Hidung saya tersumbat semasa selesema…

Both are acceptable. Apabila selesema also works, but feels a bit more like “whenever I have a cold.”

What exactly does selesema mean? Is it “cold” or “flu”? How is it different from demam?

In everyday Malay:

selesema (also spelled selsema)
- Usually refers to a cold or cold-like symptoms, especially:
  - runny/stuffy nose
  - sneezing
- Many people use it loosely, so it can sometimes overlap with mild “flu” in casual speech.
demam
- Literally “fever.”
- You can have demam without selesema, and selesema without demam.
More specific terms:
- influenza or flu may be used for actual influenza, especially in medical or formal contexts.

In the sentence:

ketika selesema ≈ “when I have a cold / when I’m down with a cold (stuffy nose, etc.).”

Why is it Hidung saya and not Saya punya hidung for “my nose”?

Malay usually expresses possession with [noun] + [pronoun], not with a word like “my” in front:

hidung saya = “my nose”
buku saya = “my book”
kereta mereka = “their car”

So:

Hidung saya tersumbat = “My nose is blocked.”

You might hear saya punya hidung, but:

saya punya [noun] is more colloquial and often used for emphasis or in informal speech:
- Ini saya punya buku. = “This is my book.”

Using saya punya hidung here would sound unusual and wordy. The natural, standard form is hidung saya.

Why does the sentence use tidak bau and not tidak boleh bau or tidak dapat bau?

Literally, saya tidak bau kari ayam is “I do not smell the chicken curry,” but in natural Malay this is understood as:

“I (can’t) smell the chicken curry.”

Native speakers often omit verbs like boleh (“can”) or dapat (“able to”) when the meaning is obvious from context, especially in speech:

Saya tidak bau kari ayam
≈ Saya tidak dapat bau kari ayam
≈ “I can’t smell the chicken curry.”

More explicit versions:

Saya tidak boleh bau kari ayam itu.
Saya tidak dapat menghidu bau kari ayam itu.

The given sentence is a very typical, slightly informal way to say it. In more formal writing, you’d more often see tidak dapat bau or tidak dapat menghidu bau.

Is the grammar saya tidak bau correct, or should it be saya tidak membau or saya tidak menghidu?

All of these are grammatically possible, but they differ in style:

saya tidak bau
- Very common in informal or neutral speech.
- Elliptical: really means “I (can’t) smell.”
- Sounds natural in conversation.
saya tidak dapat bau / saya tidak boleh bau
- Slightly clearer: “I’m not able to smell” / “I can’t smell.”
- Good for both speech and writing.
saya tidak menghidu bau kari ayam
- Uses the more formal verb menghidu (“to smell, to sniff”).
- Sounds more precise or formal, often used in careful or descriptive writing.
membau exists but is much less common in everyday speech than menghidu or simple bau used as a verb.

So the original saya tidak bau kari ayam is natural and commonly used in casual contexts.

What is the role of jadi in this sentence, and are there other ways to say “so / therefore”?

jadi here is a conjunction meaning “so / therefore / as a result.”

In the sentence:

Hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema, jadi saya tidak bau kari ayam…
= “My nose is blocked when I have a cold, so I can’t smell the chicken curry…”

Other common options with a similar meaning:

oleh itu – “therefore / thus” (more formal)
sebab itu – “that’s why / because of that” (neutral)
maka – “thus / hence” (literary, formal)

Examples:

…, oleh itu saya tidak dapat bau kari ayam.
…, sebab itu saya tidak bau kari ayam.

In everyday conversation, jadi is very common and sounds natural.

How does the part kari ayam yang ibu masak work grammatically? Why is yang used there?

This is a relative clause structure:

kari ayam = “chicken curry” (head noun phrase)
yang ibu masak = “that mother cooked”

So:

kari ayam yang ibu masak = “the chicken curry that (my) mother cooked.”

Breakdown:

yang introduces a clause that describes or specifies the noun before it.
ibu is the subject of the clause “cooked.”
masak is the verb “to cook.”

In English, the relative clause comes after the noun; Malay does the same:

English: “the chicken curry that my mother cooked”
Malay: kari ayam yang ibu masak

Without yang, the sentence would be unclear or ungrammatical. Yang marks the start of the descriptive clause attached to kari ayam.

Why is it kari ayam and not ayam kari for “chicken curry”?

In Malay noun–noun phrases, usually the main noun comes first, and the word after it describes or specifies it:

kari ayam
- literally “curry [of] chicken”
- main noun: kari (curry)
- qualifier: ayam (chicken)
- = “chicken curry”

Other examples:

nasi ayam = chicken rice
sup ayam = chicken soup

Ayam kari is not the usual way to say “chicken curry” as a dish. It might be understood, but it sounds odd or like you’re emphasizing the chicken that is “curry-like,” rather than the curry dish itself.

So the natural, standard phrase is kari ayam.

Why is it just ibu and not ibu saya? How do we know it means “my mother” and not “a mother”?

In Malay, close family terms are often understood as possessed by the speaker even without saya:

ibu – mother
ayah – father
emak / mak – mum (colloquial)
abang, kakak, adik – older brother, older sister, younger sibling

If a person talks about ibu in a personal context, listeners naturally interpret it as “my mother” unless there’s clear context otherwise.

So:

kari ayam yang ibu masak
is naturally understood as
“the chicken curry that my mother cooked.”

You can say ibu saya if you want to be explicit or contrast with someone else’s mother:

Kari ayam yang ibu saya masak lebih pedas.
“The chicken curry that my mother cooked is spicier.”

But in many everyday sentences, ibu alone is enough and sounds very natural.

How do we know if the sentence is in the past or present? There is no tense marking like in English.

Malay does not change verb forms for tense (no equivalent of “cook / cooked / will cook”). Time is understood from:

context
time words
adverbs

In this sentence:

Hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema, jadi saya tidak bau kari ayam…

It can mean:

“My nose is blocked when I have a cold, so I can’t smell the chicken curry…” (present/habitual)
“My nose was blocked when I had a cold, so I couldn’t smell the chicken curry…” (past)

If you want to be explicit, you can add time markers:

Semalam hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema, jadi saya tidak bau kari ayam yang ibu masak.
“Yesterday my nose was blocked when I had a cold, so I couldn’t smell the chicken curry my mother cooked.”
Setiap kali saya selesema, hidung saya tersumbat, jadi saya tidak bau kari ayam yang ibu masak.
“Every time I have a cold, my nose is blocked, so I can’t smell the chicken curry my mother cooks.”

The verb forms themselves do not change; you clarify the time with extra words.

Is the spelling selesema correct? I’ve also seen selsema. Are they different?

Both selesema and selsema are used in Malay, and both refer to a cold (runny/stuffy nose, etc.).

In many modern, standard references, selesema is preferred.
selsema is also widely recognized and used in everyday writing and speech.

They are not different in meaning in ordinary use; it’s mainly a matter of spelling preference and style. In your sentence, ketika selesema is perfectly acceptable and standard in many contexts.

Could we drop the second saya and say …jadi tidak bau kari ayam…? Would that still be correct?

Yes, you can drop the second saya, and native speakers often do this in informal speech when the subject is clear from context:

Hidung saya tersumbat ketika selesema, jadi tidak bau kari ayam yang ibu masak.

This would still be understood as:

“My nose is blocked when I have a cold, so (I) can’t smell the chicken curry my mother cooked.”

However:

Keeping saya (…, jadi saya tidak bau…) is clearer and slightly more standard.
Omitting it feels more casual and conversational.

Both versions are understandable; the original with saya is a bit safer for learners, especially in writing.