Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

I cut a banana with a small knife in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

• saya: I
• di: in
• dengan: with
• kecil: small
• dapur: the kitchen
• pisang: the banana
• pisau: the knife
• potong: to cut

Questions & Answers about Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.

Why is there no word for “am” or “do” before potong?

Malay normally doesn’t use a separate verb like “to be” (am/is/are) or “do” before action verbs.

• In English, you say: I am cutting / I cut / I do cut.
• In Malay, you just say: Saya potong (literally “I cut”).

Whether it means I am cutting, I cut, or I will cut depends on context and time expressions, not on auxiliary verbs. To make the time clearer, you add adverbs like:

• tadi – earlier
• sekarang – now
• nanti / akan – later / will

Example:

• Saya potong pisang sekarang. – I am cutting bananas now.
• Saya akan potong pisang. – I will cut the bananas.

How do I know if potong means “cut”, “am cutting”, or “will cut”?

The verb potong itself is not marked for tense. It’s “tenseless” and can cover past, present, or future. The tense or time is understood from:

1. Context of the conversation

   • If you’re in the kitchen with a knife in your hand, Saya potong pisang will naturally be understood as I am cutting bananas (right now).

2. Time expressions

   • tadi (earlier): Saya potong pisang tadi. – I cut bananas earlier.
   • sekarang (now): Saya potong pisang sekarang. – I am cutting bananas now.
   • nanti, kemudian, or akan (later / will):
     
     • Saya akan potong pisang. – I will cut bananas.

So Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur is a neutral statement: “I cut bananas with a small knife in the kitchen”, with tense decided by context.

What’s the difference between potong and memotong? Which one should I use?

Potong is the root (base form) meaning “to cut”.
Memotong is the meN- prefixed form of the same root. Both can mean “to cut”, but there are nuances:

• potong

  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Short, neutral, and fine in most situations.
  • Often used in imperative/commands: Potong pisang itu. – Cut that banana.

• memotong

  • Slightly more formal or “complete” verb form.
  • Common in writing, formal speech, and when you want to emphasize the action as a proper verb.
  • Example: Dia sedang memotong pisang. – He/She is cutting bananas.

In your sentence:

• Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur. – Completely natural in casual conversation.
• Saya memotong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur. – Also correct, a bit more formal or neutral-standard.

As a learner, you can safely use either; potong will sound very natural in spoken Malay.

Can I leave out saya and just say Potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur?

Yes, you can drop saya if the subject is clear from context, but it changes the feel:

• Saya potong pisang… – Explicitly “I cut the bananas…”.
• Potong pisang… by itself usually sounds like:
  • a command: “Cut the bananas…” (said to someone), or
  • a note/instruction: “Cut the bananas with a small knife in the kitchen.”

If you want to clearly say I cut bananas, keep Saya. Dropping the subject is common in conversation after it has been established:

• A: Siapa yang masak hari ini? – Who’s cooking today?
• B: Saya. Potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur. – Me. (I’ll) cut bananas with a small knife in the kitchen.

Here, Saya is stated once; the second sentence can omit it because it’s understood.

Does pisang mean “a banana” or “bananas”? How do I say it clearly?

Pisang is number-neutral. It can mean banana, a banana, or bananas, depending on context. Malay has no word like “a/an” and no plural -s on nouns.

To be more precise, Malay often uses classifiers (measure words):

• sebiji pisang – one banana (biji: classifier for round-ish items, fruit, etc.)
• dua biji pisang – two bananas
• beberapa biji pisang – several bananas
• banyak pisang – many bananas

In your sentence:

• Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.
  Could be understood as:
  • I cut a banana…
  • I cut the banana…
  • I cut bananas…

If it’s important, you can clarify:

• Saya potong dua biji pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur. – I cut two bananas with a small knife in the kitchen.

Why is it pisau kecil and not kecil pisau? Where do adjectives go?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

• pisau kecil – small knife (literally “knife small”)
• dapur besar – big kitchen
• rumah baru – new house

So, the natural order is:
noun + adjective

Saying kecil pisau is wrong in this context and would sound ungrammatical.

What’s the difference between pisau kecil and pisau yang kecil?

Both can be translated as “small knife”, but there is a nuance:

• pisau kecil

  • Simple noun + adjective.
  • Neutral: “a small knife / small knives”.

• pisau yang kecil

  • Adds yang, making it more like “the one that is small” or “the small one”.
  • Used for emphasis or to distinguish it from others:
    • Ambil pisau yang kecil, bukan yang besar. – Take the small knife, not the big one.

In your sentence, pisau kecil is natural and sufficient. You would only say pisau yang kecil if you were contrasting it with other knives.

What exactly does dengan do here? Is it always used for “with”?

In this sentence, dengan means “with (using)”, showing the instrument of the action:

• Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil…
  – I cut bananas with a small knife.

Common uses of dengan:

1. Instrument / tool

   • tulis dengan pensel – write with a pencil
   • makan dengan sudu – eat with a spoon

2. Manner / how something is done

   • bercakap dengan perlahan – speak slowly (literally: speak with slowness)

3. “with (together with someone)” (in many cases)

   • Saya pergi dengan kawan. – I go with a friend.

In very casual speech, people might use pakai instead of dengan for tools:

• Saya potong pisang pakai pisau kecil. – I cut bananas using a small knife. (informal)

There’s also menggunakan (“to use”), e.g. Saya memotong pisang menggunakan pisau kecil, which is more formal.

Why is it di dapur and not something like “pada dapur”? How is di used?

Di is the usual preposition for location (“at / in / on”).

• di dapur – in the kitchen / at the kitchen
• di rumah – at home
• di meja – on the table

Pada is also translated as “at/on/in”, but it’s more often used with:

• abstract things: pada masa itu – at that time
• certain set phrases: pada hari Isnin – on Monday (more formal; in everyday speech people often just say hari Isnin).
• people / pronouns (in more formal language):
  
  • berlaku adil pada semua orang – be fair to everyone.

For a physical location like dapur, di is the natural choice.
So: di dapur, not pada dapur.

Does di dapur mean “in the kitchen” or “at the kitchen”? Is there a difference?

Di dapur can cover both “in the kitchen” and “at the kitchen”. Malay di is quite flexible:

• Saya di dapur. – I am in the kitchen / I’m in the kitchen area.
• Context tells you whether you imagine being inside the room or just at that location in general.

In your sentence, di dapur is naturally understood as in the kitchen (the room where you cook). There’s no separate everyday preposition just for “inside” the kitchen unless you want to emphasize the interior, in which case you could say di dalam dapur, but that’s usually unnecessary.

Is saya always the right word for “I”? What about aku?

Both saya and aku mean “I”, but they differ in formality and relationship:

• saya

  • Polite, neutral, and safe in almost any situation.
  • Used with strangers, in formal situations, with older people, in business, etc.
  • Default choice for learners.

• aku

  • Informal, intimate.
  • Used among very close friends, siblings, or in casual speech when you’re sure it’s appropriate.
  • Can sound rude or too familiar if used with the wrong person.

Your sentence with aku:

• Aku potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur. – Very casual, said to a close friend or sibling.

As a learner, stick with saya unless you clearly know that aku fits the relationship and setting.

How do I make this sentence negative? Where do I put tidak?

To negate a verb like potong, you use tidak (not) before the verb:

• Saya tidak potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.
  – I do not cut / am not cutting / will not cut bananas with a small knife in the kitchen.

Word order:
Saya (subject) + tidak (negator) + potong (verb) + pisang (object) + dengan pisau kecil (instrument phrase) + di dapur (location).

If you want to negate only a part, you can emphasize differently, but the basic pattern is:
tidak + verb/adjective.

Can I move di dapur to the front, like Di dapur saya potong pisang…?

Yes, you can. Malay word order is flexible for adverbial phrases (like place and time), and moving them can shift emphasis:

• Saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil di dapur.
  – Neutral: I cut bananas with a small knife in the kitchen.

• Di dapur, saya potong pisang dengan pisau kecil.
  – Slight emphasis on the location: In the kitchen, I cut bananas with a small knife.
  – Often used in storytelling or explanations when you want to set the scene first.

Both are grammatical. The version in your original sentence is the most typical neutral order: subject – verb – object – (instrument) – place.