Learn Hardcore Malay: Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat dan cergas. - At that zoo, both the elephants and the tigers look healthy and energetic.

di = at / in / on (location preposition)
zoo = zoo
itu = that / the (literally that, but often functions like the when pointing to something specific)

So Di zoo itu is literally At that zoo, but it can also be understood as At the zoo (when both speaker and listener know which zoo is being referred to).

Malay doesn’t have articles like a or the, so itu (that) and ini (this) are often used to show that something is specific.

Why do we say kedua-dua gajah dan harimau instead of just kedua gajah dan harimau?

kedua-dua means both, and the repetition (dua-dua) is the standard, more explicit form.

kedua by itself can mean second or both depending on context, but it’s more ambiguous.
kedua-dua clearly means both (of them) and is the more natural choice in this sentence.

So:

kedua-dua gajah dan harimau = both the elephant(s) and the tiger(s)
If you said kedua gajah dan harimau, it would sound odd or incomplete to most native speakers in this context.

Are gajah and harimau singular or plural here?

In Malay, nouns usually do not change form to mark singular or plural. gajah can mean an elephant or elephants, and harimau can mean a tiger or tigers.

In this sentence, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau suggests:

either both the elephant and the tiger (one of each, and both look healthy),
or both the elephants and the tigers (the groups of elephants and tigers look healthy).

Which one is meant depends on the wider context (e.g. whether the speaker has been talking about specific individual animals or species in that zoo).

If you really wanted to stress plural groups, you could say something like:

kedua-dua kumpulan gajah dan harimau = both the group of elephants and the group of tigers.

How does Malay express “the” here, since there’s no article?

Malay has no articles like a/an/the. Instead, specificity or definiteness is shown in other ways:

itu = that (often works like the for known/specific things)
ini = this
context and shared knowledge between speakers

So in zoo itu:

zoo = zoo
itu = that / the

zoo itu = that zoo / the zoo (that we’re talking about or both know).

If you just said di zoo, it would be more like at a zoo / at the zoo (in general).

What exactly does kedua-dua mean, and are there related forms I should know?

kedua-dua means both (referring to two items together).

Some related forms:

dua = two
kedua = second / both (context-dependent, somewhat ambiguous)
kedua-dua = both (clear, explicit)
keduanya = both of them (pronoun-like; -nya = their/its)

Examples:

Kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat.
Both the elephants and the tigers look healthy.
Mereka berdua sihat.
Both of them are healthy.
Keduanya sihat.
Both (of them) are healthy.

In your sentence, kedua-dua is the natural choice before gajah dan harimau.

Why is kelihatan used instead of adalah or nothing at all, like in English “are healthy and active”?

kelihatan means appear / seem / look (to the eye).

So:

gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat dan cergas
= the elephants and tigers appear / look healthy and active (based on what we can see).

If you said:

gajah dan harimau adalah sihat dan cergas,
this would sound unnatural for a normal descriptive sentence. adalah is usually used to link a subject to a noun or noun phrase, not basic adjectives:
Natural: Harimau adalah haiwan liar.
The tiger is a wild animal.
Less natural: Harimau adalah liar. (sounds bookish/awkward)

For simple adjective-based descriptions, Malay typically:

either omits any linking verb
- Harimau liar. = Tigers are wild.
or uses verbs like kelihatan (appear), nampak / tampak (look/seem), jadi (become), etc., if you want to emphasise perception or change.

What is the difference between kelihatan, nampak, and tampak?

All three can be translated as seem / appear / look, but there are nuances:

kelihatan
- Slightly more neutral or formal.
- Often used in writing and polite speech.
- Focuses on how something appears (to be).
- Contoh: Dia kelihatan penat. = He/She looks tired.
nampak
- Very common in everyday informal speech.
- Can mean to see (actively) or seems/looks (stative).
- Contoh:
  - Saya nampak gajah itu. = I see that elephant.
  - Dia nampak penat. = He/She looks tired.
tampak
- Similar to nampak, but can feel a bit more formal or literary depending on region.
- Contoh: Bangunan itu tampak tua. = The building looks old.

In your sentence, kelihatan fits well because it’s neutral and describes the visual impression of the animals.

Why are there two adjectives, sihat dan cergas? Are they just synonyms?

They are related, but not identical:

sihat = healthy (not sick, in good health)
cergas = energetic, lively, active, alert

Putting them together:

sihat dan cergas = healthy and energetic / fit and active

The pair gives a fuller, more natural description, especially for animals (or people) that not only are not sick, but are also moving actively and looking lively.

You can use them separately:

Gajah itu sihat. = The elephant is healthy.
Gajah itu cergas. = The elephant is active/energetic.

Is the word order Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau… fixed, or could I say Kedua-dua gajah dan harimau di zoo itu…?

Both orders are grammatically correct; the difference is mainly in emphasis:

Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat dan cergas.
- Slightly emphasises the location first:
  At that zoo, both the elephants and tigers look healthy and active.
Kedua-dua gajah dan harimau di zoo itu kelihatan sihat dan cergas.
- Slightly emphasises the animals first, with di zoo itu narrowing down which elephants and tigers.

In natural speech and writing, both patterns appear. Starting with Di zoo itu is a common way to set the scene.

Is the comma after itu necessary in Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau…?

The comma is optional but stylistically common.

Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau…
- The comma shows a pause after the location phrase, similar to English:
  At that zoo, both the elephants and tigers…

You can also write:

Di zoo itu kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat dan cergas.

This is still correct; it just removes the visual cue for a pause. Many writers include the comma for clarity and rhythm.

Is zoo the usual Malay word, or is there another word I should know?

zoo is the standard, widely used Malay word for zoo. It’s a loanword but fully accepted and common.

You might also see:

taman haiwan = animal park (less common as an official name)
taman zoologi = zoological park (more formal/technical)

In everyday speech and in most writing, zoo is perfectly natural.

Can I say di dalam zoo itu instead of di zoo itu? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Di dalam zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sihat dan cergas.

di dalam = inside / in the interior of.

Subtle difference:

di zoo itu = at that zoo (could mean generally at the zoo, including its grounds/area).
di dalam zoo itu = inside that zoo, more explicitly within the zoo’s interior, as opposed to outside.

In most everyday contexts, di zoo itu is enough and more natural unless you specifically want to stress the idea of being inside.

How would I say “Both the elephants and the tigers in that zoo look very healthy and active” in Malay?

You can modify the original sentence by adding an intensifier like sangat or amat (very):

Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan sangat sihat dan cergas.
Di zoo itu, kedua-dua gajah dan harimau kelihatan amat sihat dan cergas.

Both sangat and amat mean very, with sangat being extremely common in everyday speech.