Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

This weekend, I will just rest at home.

Breakdown of Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

• saya: I
• di: at
• berehat: to rest
• rumah: the house
• hujung minggu ini: this weekend
• sahaja: only

Questions & Answers about Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

Why is there no word like “will” in the Malay sentence?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense, and there is no mandatory equivalent of “will”.

In “Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.”, the time phrase “Hujung minggu ini” (this weekend) already tells us it is about the future, so “saya berehat” is understood as “I will rest” or “I’m going to rest.”

If you want to make the future meaning very explicit, you can add “akan”:

• Hujung minggu ini, saya akan berehat di rumah sahaja.
  = This weekend, I will rest at home only.

But “akan” is optional here; the original sentence is already natural.

What does “hujung minggu” literally mean, and is it just “weekend”?

Literally:

• hujung = end
• minggu = week

So hujung minggu = “end of (the) week”, which corresponds to “weekend.”

In practice, “hujung minggu” is the standard Malay word for weekend, not just “the end of a week” in a literal sense. So:

• Hujung minggu ini = this weekend
• Setiap hujung minggu = every weekend

Why is “ini” placed after “hujung minggu” and not before it?

In Malay, demonstratives like “ini” (this) and “itu” (that) normally come after the noun:

• buku ini = this book
• rumah itu = that house
• hujung minggu ini = this weekend

Putting “ini” before the noun (e.g. “ini hujung minggu”) would be either wrong or mean something different (more like “this is a weekend”), and not what is intended here.

Do we need a preposition like “pada” before “hujung minggu ini”?

You can use “pada”, but it is not required here.

Both are acceptable:

• Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.
• Pada hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

“Pada” roughly corresponds to “on / at” for time expressions, so:

• pada hujung minggu ini ≈ on/at this weekend

However, in everyday Malay, time expressions at the start of the sentence often drop “pada”, especially when short and clear, so the original version (without pada) is very natural.

What’s the difference between “berehat” and “rehat”?

• rehat is the base word meaning “rest” (often as a noun: a rest, a break).
• berehat is ber- + rehat, used as a verb: “to rest” / “to have a rest.”

In standard Malay, you say:

• Saya berehat. = I rest / I am resting.
• Saya perlukan rehat. = I need (a) rest.

In casual spoken Malaysian Malay, people sometimes say “saya rehat”, dropping ber-, but for correct, standard Malay, “berehat” as a verb is preferred, especially in writing or formal speech.

Does “saya berehat” mean “I rest”, “I am resting”, or “I will rest”?

It can mean all of these, depending on context, because Malay verbs are not marked for tense or aspect.

• With a future time word:
  • Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat…
    → I will rest / I’m going to rest this weekend.
• With a present time word:
  • Sekarang saya berehat.
    → I am resting now.
• With a past time word:
  • Tadi saya berehat.
    → I rested just now.

In the sentence given, “Hujung minggu ini” makes it future in meaning.

What is the difference between “di rumah” and “ke rumah”?

• di = at / in / on (location)
• ke = to / towards (direction)

So:

• di rumah = at home / in the house (staying there)
  → saya berehat di rumah = I rest at home.
• ke rumah = to (the) house / to home (moving there)
  → saya pergi ke rumah = I go to the house / I go home.

In the sentence:

• saya berehat di rumah sahaja = I’m (only) resting at home, not going anywhere.

What does “sahaja” mean here, and is it like English “only” or “just”?

Yes. “sahaja” means “only / just / merely”.

In this sentence:

• Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.
  = This weekend, I’m just resting at home.
  = This weekend, I’ll only rest at home.

It shows there is nothing more “special” or additional; the plan is simply to rest at home, and that’s it.

Synonyms you’ll hear often:

• hanya
• cuma

For example:

• Saya hanya berehat di rumah.
• Saya cuma berehat di rumah.

All of these are very close in meaning to “sahaja” here.

Can “sahaja” be placed in other positions in this sentence, and does the meaning change?

Yes, it can move, and the emphasis shifts slightly.

1. Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.
   → Emphasis on place:
   “This weekend I rest only at home (not anywhere else).”

2. Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat sahaja di rumah.
   → Emphasis on the activity:
   “This weekend I just rest at home (I don’t do other activities there).”

3. Hujung minggu ini, saya sahaja berehat di rumah.
   → Emphasis on the person:
   “This weekend, only I rest at home (others don’t).”

In everyday use, (1) and (2) are common and usually understood almost the same, but if you pay attention, the focus is slightly different as shown above.

Is the comma after “Hujung minggu ini” necessary?

It is not strictly required, but it is good, clear writing.

• Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.
  → Clear separation of the time phrase from the main clause.

You will also see it without a comma, especially in informal writing:

• Hujung minggu ini saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

Both are acceptable. The comma mainly helps readability.

Can I drop “saya” and just say “Hujung minggu ini, berehat di rumah sahaja”?

You usually should not drop “saya” here in standard Malay.

Malay is not as “subject-dropping” as some other languages; a clear subject pronoun is normally used, especially in simple sentences like this. Without “saya”, “berehat di rumah sahaja” sounds like a fragment (who is resting?).

You might omit “saya” only when it is very obvious from the context (for example, in a bullet-point list under your name), but as a standalone sentence, you should keep:

• Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.

What’s the difference between “saya” and “aku” in this kind of sentence?

Both mean “I / me”, but they differ in formality and relationship:

• saya

  • Polite, neutral, and safe in almost all situations.
  • Used with strangers, in formal speech, with older people, in writing, etc.

• aku

  • Informal / intimate.
  • Used with close friends, siblings, or in some songs, poems, etc.
  • May sound rude if used with someone you should respect.

So:

• Hujung minggu ini, saya berehat di rumah sahaja.
  → Neutral/polite, suitable anywhere.

• Hujung minggu ini, aku berehat di rumah sahaja.
  → Casual/intimate, only with people you are close to.

Is there a more formal or more complete way to say the same thing?

Yes. To sound a bit more formal or explicit, you could say:

• Pada hujung minggu ini, saya akan berehat di rumah sahaja.

Changes:

• pada added → explicitly marking time (“on this weekend”).
• akan added → explicitly marking future (“will rest”).

The meaning is effectively the same, but this version feels a little more formal or careful than the short original.