Learn Hardcore Malay: Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah. - The more slowly I chew with my mouth closed, the more clearly I taste the sweetness of the banana on my tongue.

Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah…
= The more slowly I chew…
…lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.
= …the more clearly I feel the banana’s sweetness on my tongue.

It’s a correlative pattern:
Lagi A, lagi B → The more A, the more B.

This is common and natural in Malay (especially spoken), similar in function to “semakin … semakin …” or “lebih … lebih …” in some contexts.

What’s the difference between “lagi perlahan” and “lebih perlahan” or “semakin perlahan”?

All three involve the idea of increasing degree, but they differ in feel and usage:

lagi perlahan
- In this structure “lagi A, lagi B”, “lagi” specifically forms “the more … the more …”.
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Can also mean “more/again/still” in other contexts, but here it’s clearly comparative.
lebih perlahan
- Literally “more slow(ly)”.
- Neutral comparative: slower / more slowly.
- You’d use it like: Saya mengunyah lebih perlahan. (I chew more slowly.)
semakin perlahan
- “Increasingly slow(ly)” / “getting slower and slower”.
- Emphasises a gradual change over time.
- E.g. Keretanya semakin perlahan. (His car is getting slower.)

In the exact pattern “the more … the more …”, the most idiomatic are:

Lagi perlahan … lagi jelas …
or more formal: Semakin perlahan … semakin jelas …

Why is there no special adverb form? Why is it just “perlahan” and not something like “perlahan-ly”?

Malay doesn’t usually mark adverbs differently from adjectives. The same word can be:

Adjective:
- Kereta itu perlahan.
  That car is slow.
Adverb:
- Saya mengunyah perlahan.
  I chew slowly.

So there’s no need for a separate “-ly” equivalent. Context and position tell you whether perlahan is describing a thing (adjective) or an action (adverb).

What’s the difference between “perlahan”, “lambat”, and forms like “perlahan-lahan” or “pelan-pelan”?

They’re related but used slightly differently:

perlahan
- “slow / slowly”
- Common for speed or manner:
  - Bercakap perlahan. (Speak slowly/softly.)
perlahan-lahan
- Reduplication adds nuance: “very slowly / gently / gradually”.
- Often more descriptive or careful:
  - Dia berjalan perlahan-lahan. (He walked very slowly / carefully.)
pelan-pelan
- Colloquial, often Indonesian-style, but understood in Malaysia.
- Similar to perlahan-lahan.
lambat
- More about lateness or delay, not just speed.
- Dia lambat. = He is late / slow (to arrive/do something).
- For “chew more slowly”, perlahan is more natural than lambat.

In this sentence, “perlahan” is the best choice, because it’s about how you chew, not about being late.

What exactly does “mengunyah” mean? Is it just “to eat”?

Mengunyah means “to chew” specifically.

makan = to eat (general)
- Saya makan pisang. (I eat a banana.)
mengunyah = to chew (the action of moving the food in your mouth with your teeth)
- Saya mengunyah pisang. (I chew the banana.)

In your sentence, mengunyah focuses on the chewing process, which makes sense when talking about how chewing speed affects taste.

What does “dengan mulut tertutup” literally mean, and why use “tertutup” instead of “tutup”?

Literally, “dengan mulut tertutup” means:

dengan = with
mulut = mouth
tertutup = closed

So: “with (my) mouth closed”.

About tertutup:

tutup = to close / closed (base form)
tertutup uses the prefix ter-, which often makes:
- a state: in a closed state
- or something that has been closed (often without saying by whom)

So mulut tertutup = “a mouth that is (in the state of being) closed”.

Saying “dengan mulut tutup” is possible but less natural and can sound a bit rough; “mulut tertutup” is the standard, idiomatic way.

Is the word order “Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah …” the only correct one? Can it be rearranged?

Other orders are possible, but they change the focus or style a bit.

The original:

Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.

This puts “Lagi perlahan …” at the front for emphasis, matching the pattern “Lagi A, lagi B”.

You could also say:

Saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup lagi perlahan, lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.
→ Still understandable, but the “lagi A, lagi B” pattern is less visually clear.
Semakin perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, semakin jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.
→ More formal, but same meaning.

For the “the more … the more …” sense, keeping “Lagi A, lagi B” at the start of each clause is the clearest and most natural.

What does “jelas” mean here? Is it like “clear” visually, or “clearly” as in perception?

Jelas can mean both “clear” and “clearly / distinctly”, depending on context:

Suara dia sangat jelas.
= His voice is very clear.
Saya faham dengan jelas.
= I understand clearly.

In your sentence:

lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah
= the more clearly I feel the banana’s sweetness on my tongue

Here jelas means “clearly / distinctly (in terms of sensation)” — not about sight, but about how distinctly you perceive the taste.

How should I understand “manis pisang” grammatically? Is it “sweet banana” or “the banana’s sweetness”?

“Manis pisang” can be understood as “the banana’s sweetness” here.

In Malay, adjectives can often be used nominally (as nouns):

manis = sweet (adjective)
manis (in some contexts) = sweetness (noun-like)

So:

manis pisang
literally: “sweet/sweetness (of) banana”

In this sentence, “saya rasa manis pisang di lidah” is best read as:

I feel/sense the banana’s sweetness on my tongue.

If you wanted to make the “sweetness” meaning very explicit, you could also say:

saya rasa kemanisan pisang di lidah
(I feel the sweetness of the banana on my tongue.)

But “manis pisang” is natural and concise.

Why is “di” used in “di lidah”? Could I use “pada” or leave it out?

Di is the standard preposition for physical location:

di lidah = on the tongue
di meja = on the table
di rumah = at home

So “di lidah” simply means “on my tongue” (with saya understood from earlier).

Could you use “pada”?

pada is more abstract or formal (“on/at/in relation to”), and in everyday speech for body parts “di” is far more natural.
manis pisang pada lidah is grammatical, but sounds more formal or slightly bookish.

Leaving it out entirely:

saya rasa manis pisang
= I taste the banana’s sweetness (but no explicit mention of the tongue)

So “di lidah” makes the location explicit and sounds natural.

Why is “saya” repeated in both clauses? Could it be omitted in the second part?

The sentence is:

Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, lagi jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.

Repeating “saya”:

keeps both clauses parallel (A: I chew, B: I feel),
and avoids any ambiguity.

You can omit it in the second clause if the subject is clearly the same:

Lagi perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, lagi jelas rasa manis pisang di lidah.

This is still natural; now “rasa manis pisang” is treated a bit more like a noun phrase (“the taste of banana sweetness”) rather than emphasizing “I feel…” as a verb.

Both are acceptable; the original just makes “I feel” explicit.

Is this sentence more formal or informal Malay? Are there more formal alternatives?

The original sentence sounds natural and neutral, okay for speech and informal writing. The use of “lagi … lagi …” is very common in spoken Malay.

A slightly more formal version might use “semakin”:

Semakin perlahan saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup, semakin jelas saya rasa manis pisang di lidah.

Or, rephrased with a conditional for a more textbook style:

Apabila saya mengunyah dengan mulut tertutup secara perlahan, saya semakin jelas merasai kemanisan pisang di lidah.

But for most everyday purposes, your original sentence is correct and idiomatic.