Learn Hardcore Malay: Anak kecil itu berlari di taman. - That small child runs in the park.

So anak kecil literally means “small child” or “little child”, and it’s a very natural way to say “a small child” (or “a little kid”) in Malay.

Another common, slightly more informal option is budak kecil (“little kid”), but anak kecil is completely normal and neutral.

Why is the adjective kecil after anak? In English we say “small child”, not “child small”.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun:

anak kecil = small child
baju merah = red shirt
rumah besar = big house

So the pattern is typically:
noun + adjective (Malay) vs adjective + noun (English).

What exactly does itu do here? Does anak kecil itu mean “that small child” or “the small child”?

itu is a demonstrative that literally means “that”, but it’s also often used to mark that something is specific/known, like “the” in English.

So anak kecil itu can mean:

“that small child” (if you’re pointing or contrasting)
“the small child” (if it’s clear which child from context)

Without itu, anak kecil would feel more like “a small child” or “small children” in a general sense.

Can you drop itu? What’s the difference between anak kecil and anak kecil itu?

Yes, you can drop itu, and the meaning changes slightly:

Anak kecil itu berlari di taman.
→ A specific small child (that one we both know about) is running in the park.
Anak kecil berlari di taman.
→ A small child is running in the park, or (depending on context) small children run/are running in the park (more general, not specific).

So itu makes the noun phrase definite/specific.

What is the difference between lari and berlari? Why does the sentence use berlari?

Both relate to running, but:

lari: the root word, can be verb or noun (run, to run).
berlari: the ber- prefix + lari, more clearly a verb “to run / to be running”.

In many everyday sentences, lari and berlari can both be used:

Anak kecil itu lari di taman.
Anak kecil itu berlari di taman.

Both are understandable. berlari often sounds a bit more complete/standard, especially in writing or more careful speech.

How do we know if berlari means “is running”, “was running”, or “ran”? There is no tense ending.

Malay verbs are not marked for tense like English verbs. berlari itself is neutral for time.

The time is understood from:

context, or
time words like semalam (yesterday), sekarang (now), nanti (later), etc.

So this sentence can be translated in several natural ways, depending on context:

The small child is running in the park.
The small child ran in the park.
The small child runs in the park.

To make “right now” very explicit, Malay might add sedang:

Anak kecil itu sedang berlari di taman.
→ The small child is (currently) running in the park.

Could Anak kecil itu berlari di taman also mean “The small children are running in the park”? There’s no plural marker.

Yes, in principle it could, because Malay usually does not mark plural on the noun:

anak = child / children (depending on context)

So:

Anak kecil itu berlari di taman.
could be understood as
- “The small child is running in the park.”
- or “The small children are running in the park.”

Most listeners will assume singular from itu (“that/the”) unless the context clearly talks about several children. If you really want to show plural, you might say:

Anak-anak kecil itu berlari di taman.
(here anak-anak is clearly plural)

What does di mean, and why is it di taman and not something else?

di is a preposition meaning “at / in / on” (location, not movement):

di taman = in/at the park
di rumah = at home
di sekolah = at school

So berlari di taman = running in the park (the action happens there).

If you want to show movement towards the park, Malay usually uses ke (“to”):

Anak kecil itu berlari ke taman.
→ The small child ran to the park (from somewhere else).

Does taman always mean “park”? Can it also mean “garden” or “yard”?

taman most commonly means:

park (public park), or
garden (especially a decorative garden)

It can also appear in names of housing areas or neighborhoods:

Taman Melati, Taman Universiti, etc. (like “Melati Garden / Melati Park” estate)

So di taman is usually understood as “in the park”, unless the context makes “garden” more likely.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Could I also say budak kecil itu?

The sentence is neutral and fine in both spoken and written Malay.

anak kecil itu: neutral, a bit more general/standard.
budak kecil itu: more colloquial/informal, very common in everyday speech (“that little kid”).

Both are acceptable, but anak is slightly “cleaner” for textbooks and formal writing.

How do you say explicitly “The small child is running in the park right now”?

You can keep the same structure and add sedang to show an ongoing action:

Anak kecil itu sedang berlari di taman.

This strongly suggests “The small child is (currently) running in the park.”