Learn Hardcore Malay: Adik saya bertanya, “Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi?” - My younger sibling asks, “Can I see your book a bit later?”

Saya adik would be read as “I am (a) younger sibling” or just sound ungrammatical in this context. To say “my younger sibling,” you need adik saya.

Does adik mean “younger brother” or “younger sister”? How do I show the gender?

Adik by itself is gender-neutral: it simply means “younger sibling,” younger than the speaker.

If you want to specify gender, you can say:

adik lelaki saya = my younger brother
adik perempuan saya = my younger sister

In everyday speech, Malays often just say adik when the gender is obvious from context, or not important to mention.

Why is bertanya used instead of just tanya?

Both exist, but they differ in form and style:

tanya – base verb, often used in informal speech, sometimes needs an object:
- Dia tanya saya. = He/She asked me.
bertanya – intransitive verb, often a bit more formal or neutral:
- Dia bertanya, “...” = He/She asked, “...”

In your sentence:

Adik saya bertanya, “...”

This is a very natural, neutral way to report speech, especially in writing or storytelling. Informally, you might also hear:

Adik saya tanya, “Bolehkah…?”

What does the -kah in bolehkah do? Could I just say boleh saya lihat bukumu?

-kah is a particle that turns something into a yes/no question or adds a polite, formal feeling.

boleh = can / may / is allowed
bolehkah ≈ “may (I)…?” / “is it allowed (for me)…?” — polite, slightly formal

In speech, especially informal, you can definitely say:

Boleh saya lihat bukumu?
(May I see your book?)

Bolehkah feels a bit more polite and bookish, suitable in writing or careful speech. Both are correct.

In “Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu…?” who does saya refer to? The narrator or the younger sibling?

Inside the quotation marks, saya refers to the person who is speaking that quoted sentence.

Here:

Narrator: “My younger sibling asked, …” (Adik saya bertanya, …)
Quoted speech: “Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu…?”

So saya refers to the younger sibling (the one who is asking permission). This works just like in English:

My younger brother asked, “May I see your book?”

In English, I refers to the brother; in Malay, saya refers to adik saya in the same way.

What’s the difference between lihat, melihat, and tengok?

All relate to seeing/looking, but with nuances of style:

lihat – base verb, common and fairly neutral.
- Saya mahu lihat bukumu. = I want to see your book.
melihat – has the prefix meN-, often more formal or used in writing, or when the act of seeing is more deliberate or descriptive.
- Dia melihat pemandangan itu dengan kagum. = He/She looked at the scenery in awe.
tengok – very informal/colloquial, used a lot in everyday conversation.
- Boleh saya tengok bukumu? = Can I take a look at your book?

In your sentence, lihat is neutral and perfectly natural.

How does -mu in bukumu work? Is it the same as buku kamu?

Yes, bukumu and buku kamu both mean “your book,” but the form is different:

buku kamu = your book
- buku (book) + kamu (you)
bukumu = your book
- buku
  - -mu (enclitic “your”)

Malay has enclitic pronouns that attach to nouns:

buku
- -ku = bukuku = my book
buku
- -mu = bukumu = your book (informal “you”)
buku
- -nya = bukunya = his/her/their book OR “the book” (depending on context)

Bukumu is common in writing and also in speech, especially when addressing someone you’re familiar with. Buku kamu is also fine and clear.

Can I say “saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi boleh?” instead? How does it sound?

Yes, that’s a very natural informal way to ask:

Saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi boleh?
Literally: “I see your book later, can (I)?”

This structure is common in casual spoken Malay:

Statement + boleh? / tak? at the end:
- Saya pinjam buku ini boleh? = May I borrow this book?

Compared to “Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi?”, your version is:

more conversational
less formal/polite, though still not rude with the right tone and context

What exactly does sebentar lagi mean? Is it the same as “later”?

Sebentar lagi literally means “a short while more” and usually implies soon, in a little while, in a bit.

Nuances:

sebentar lagi – a short time from now; not a long delay.
nanti – “later,” can be short or long, depends on context.
sekejap lagi – very similar to sebentar lagi, often used colloquially (especially in Malaysia).

So Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi? is closer to:
“May I see your book in a little while / in a short while, not right now?”

Why is the order lihat bukumu, not bukumu lihat?

In Malay, the usual verb–object order is:

[Verb] + [Object]

So:

lihat bukumu = see your book
baca buku itu = read that book
makan nasi = eat rice

Bukumu lihat would be strange and ungrammatical in this context. The main verb lihat must come first, followed by what is being seen (bukumu).

Is this sentence polite? Would it sound okay if a younger sibling said this to an older sibling?

Yes, it is polite and appropriate:

Bolehkah saya lihat bukumu sebentar lagi?

Reasons:

bolehkah adds politeness and a slightly formal tone.
Using saya (rather than aku) is polite and neutral.
There is no rude or overly casual slang.

A younger sibling could definitely say this to an older sibling, to a teacher, or to someone they respect. In very casual family talk, they might instead say:

Nanti boleh saya tengok bukumu?
Nanti boleh adik tengok buku (abang/kakak)? (explicitly using adik and abang/kakak inside the question)

Can I replace sebentar lagi with nanti or kemudian? Will the meaning change?

You can replace it, but the nuance changes:

…lihat bukumu sebentar lagi?
= “…see your book in a little while / soon?”
…lihat bukumu nanti?
= “…see your book later?” (time is vague, could be soon or much later)
…lihat bukumu kemudian?
= “…see your book later/afterwards?” (more formal, often in writing; can sound a bit stiff in casual talk)

So the original sebentar lagi suggests a fairly short wait, not just “some time in the future.”