Breakdown of Zoo itu besar dan bersih, jadi anak-anak berasa gembira.
Questions & Answers about Zoo itu besar dan bersih, jadi anak-anak berasa gembira.
In Malay, the typical order is Noun + itu to mean “the [noun] / that [noun]” in a specific sense.
- zoo itu = that zoo / the zoo (we both know which one)
- itu zoo is not natural; itu doesn’t work like an English demonstrative placed before the noun.
So Zoo itu besar literally is “That zoo is big”, but in context it’s usually translated as “The zoo is big” in English.
Malay doesn’t have a separate word for “the”. The word itu covers both:
- that (demonstrative, pointing to something)
- the (definite article, referring to a specific, known thing)
Context decides the best English translation. In this sentence, we’re just talking about a particular zoo that the speaker and listener know about, so “The zoo” sounds more natural than “That zoo” in English.
Malay adjectives usually come after the noun they describe:
- zoo besar = big zoo
- rumah bersih = clean house
- baju baru = new shirt
In your sentence, Zoo itu besar dan bersih literally means “The zoo that is big and clean”. When a noun is followed directly by adjectives, those adjectives function as the predicate, so it is understood as “The zoo is big and (is) clean.”
Malay doesn’t need a separate verb like “is”; it’s implied.
dan simply means “and” and joins two similar elements, just like in English:
- besar dan bersih = big and clean
- panjang dan sempit = long and narrow
- ayah dan ibu = father and mother
There’s nothing tricky here; it works almost exactly like “and” in English.
jadi has two main uses:
Conjunction (“so / therefore”) – as in your sentence:
- …bersih, jadi anak-anak berasa gembira.
= …is clean, so the children feel happy.
- …bersih, jadi anak-anak berasa gembira.
Verb (“to become” / “to turn into”):
- Dia jadi marah. = He/she became angry.
- Air jadi sejuk. = The water became cold.
In this sentence, jadi is a conjunction linking cause and result, not a verb meaning “become.”
Reduplication (repeating the word) is a common way in Malay to show plurality or a collection/group.
- anak = child / son / daughter
- anak-anak = children
Other examples:
- buku = book → buku-buku = books
- orang = person → orang-orang = people
Note:
- Plural can also be shown by context or numbers (tiga anak = three children).
- You don’t have to repeat the word every time to mean plural, but it’s very natural in a neutral sentence like this.
Both relate to children, but they’re used differently:
anak-anak
- Literally: children (one’s children, kids in general)
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Can refer to someone’s kids: anak-anak saya = my children.
kanak-kanak
- More formal, used in official contexts or to mean children as a social group.
- E.g. taman permainan kanak-kanak = children’s playground
buku kanak-kanak = children’s book
In your sentence, anak-anak is more natural: jadi anak-anak berasa gembira = so the children feel happy.
All are related to “to feel” or “to taste”, but they differ in usage and formality.
berasa
- More formal, often used for emotional or physical feelings.
- Common in writing and polite speech.
- anak-anak berasa gembira = the children feel happy.
rasa
- Basic root word meaning feeling / taste (noun) or to feel (verb in casual speech).
- Saya rasa penat. = I feel tired.
- Apa rasa kek ini? = What’s the taste of this cake?
merasa
- Often used for tasting or experiencing something.
- Saya merasa kek itu. = I taste that cake.
- Dia ingin merasa hidup di bandar. = He/she wants to experience life in the city.
In your sentence, berasa gembira is a neat, slightly more formal way to say “feel happy.”
Yes, you can say “jadi anak-anak gembira”, and it’s still correct and understandable:
- …jadi anak-anak gembira. = …so the children are happy.
Differences:
anak-anak gembira
- Treats gembira as a simple adjective/predicate: “the children are happy.”
- Shorter, more neutral.
anak-anak berasa gembira
- Emphasises the feeling: “the children feel happy / felt happy.”
- Slightly more expressive/formal.
Both are acceptable; the nuance is subtle.
Malay does not mark tense with verb changes like English does. There’s:
- no equivalent of -ed for past,
- no separate verb form for present/past.
So the sentence Zoo itu besar dan bersih, jadi anak-anak berasa gembira. can mean:
- The zoo is big and clean, so the children feel happy.
- The zoo was big and clean, so the children felt happy.
Context (surrounding sentences, time words like semalam = yesterday) tells you whether it’s past, present, or future.
Malay usually doesn’t use a separate “to be” verb (like is, am, are, was, were) before adjectives or nouns in simple statements.
The pattern is:
[Subject] + [adjective]
- Zoo itu besar. = The zoo is big.
- Dia penat. = He/She is tired.
[Subject] + [noun]
- Dia guru. = He/She is a teacher.
- Ini buku. = This is a book.
So “Zoo itu besar dan bersih” automatically means “The zoo is big and clean” without any extra word.
bersih basically means clean, but depending on context it can overlap with:
- tidy / neat / well-kept
- bilik yang bersih = a clean (and usually tidy) room
- pejabat yang bersih = a clean, well-maintained office
If you want to emphasise tidiness specifically, you might add another adjective:
- kemas = tidy / orderly
- bilik yang bersih dan kemas = clean and tidy room
zoo is indeed the standard, everyday Malay word, borrowed from English.
There are more descriptive phrases, usually in formal or poetic contexts:
- taman haiwan = animal park
- taman zoologi = zoological garden (more formal)
But in normal speech and writing, people simply say zoo:
- Kita pergi ke zoo esok. = We’re going to the zoo tomorrow.