Saya bau kari ayam di dapur.

I smell chicken curry in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Saya bau kari ayam di dapur.

• saya: I
• di: in
• kari: the curry
• dapur: the kitchen

Questions & Answers about Saya bau kari ayam di dapur.

What does each word in Saya bau kari ayam di dapur literally mean?

Word by word, it breaks down like this:

• Saya – I / me (neutral, polite)
• bau – smell (can be a noun “smell” or a verb “to smell”)
• kari – curry
• ayam – chicken
• di – in / at / on (location preposition)
• dapur – kitchen

So a very literal gloss is: “I smell curry chicken in kitchen.”

Is bau a noun (“a smell”) or a verb (“to smell”) here?

In this sentence bau functions as a verb: to smell.

Malay often uses the same root word as both noun and verb, and you tell which one it is from context:

• Noun: bau = a smell, a scent
  
  • Ada bau yang pelik. – “There is a strange smell.”
• Verb: bau = to smell (perceive with the nose)
  
  • Saya bau kari ayam. – “I smell chicken curry.”

In your sentence, because Saya is a subject and there is an object (kari ayam), bau is naturally interpreted as a verb.

Why isn’t there a word for “am” or “can” like in “I am smelling” or “I can smell”?