Learn Hardcore Malay: Di antara dua bukit hijau itu, ada sebuah lembah yang sangat sunyi. - Between those two green hills, there is a very quiet valley.

In this sentence, Di antara dua bukit hijau itu is talking about a physical place (the space between the two hills), so di antara is used rather than antara alone.

Why is it dua bukit hijau itu and not dua hijau bukit itu?

In Malay, the normal order inside a noun phrase is:

Number + Noun + Adjective + Demonstrative (ini/itu)

So:

dua = two (number)
bukit = hill (noun)
hijau = green (adjective)
itu = that/those (demonstrative)

Put together naturally: dua bukit hijau itu.

The order dua hijau bukit itu is ungrammatical in standard Malay.

What is the function of itu at the end of dua bukit hijau itu?

Itu literally means that/those, but here it mainly marks that the hills are specific/known in the context.

So:

dua bukit hijau = two green hills (could be any two)
dua bukit hijau itu = those two green hills (the listener is expected to know which ones, or they are visible/previously mentioned)

Malay often places ini (this/these) or itu (that/those) at the end of the noun phrase, unlike English.

Why do we use ada here, and what does it do in the sentence?

Ada in this sentence is an existential verb, meaning there is / there are.

The basic pattern is:

Ada + noun phrase = There is/are + noun phrase

So:

ada sebuah lembah = there is a valley

Malay often uses ada like English uses there is/are to introduce the existence of something in a place or situation.

(Elsewhere, ada can also mean to have or to be present, but here it is existential.)

Could we leave out ada and just say Di antara dua bukit hijau itu, sebuah lembah yang sangat sunyi?

You can sometimes drop ada in informal or poetic language, but:

With ada, the sentence is clear and standard: there is a valley.
Without ada, it sounds more like a noun phrase description rather than a full, neutral sentence.

For normal prose or everyday speech, including ada is more natural and clearly marks it as a complete statement about existence.

What is sebuah, and why do we need it before lembah?

Sebuah is a classifier (measure word) plus the number one:

se- = one (short form of satu)
buah = a general classifier for many inanimate objects, including geographic features like lembah (valley), bukit (hill), rumah (house), etc.

So sebuah lembah = one valley / a valley.

Malaysian Malay often uses a classifier + number to sound natural. Saying just lembah is possible, but it sounds more generic or abstract. Sebuah lembah is the normal way to say a (single) valley.

Could we say satu lembah instead of sebuah lembah?

Yes, satu lembah is grammatically correct and understandable. However:

sebuah lembah sounds more natural and typical in neutral narrative style.
satu lembah can sound a bit more emphatic on the number one, or a bit more casual.

For a descriptive sentence like this, sebuah lembah is the most idiomatic choice.

What does yang do in lembah yang sangat sunyi?

Yang introduces a relative clause or a descriptive phrase about a noun.

Here:

lembah = valley
yang sangat sunyi = that is very quiet

So lembah yang sangat sunyi literally means:

the valley that is very quiet / a valley which is very quiet

In fluent English we often reduce it to a very quiet valley, but the Malay structure explicitly uses yang to link the description to lembah.

Could we remove yang and say sebuah lembah sangat sunyi?

No, not in this structure. Yang is needed to connect the descriptive phrase sangat sunyi to the noun lembah inside the same noun phrase.

sebuah lembah yang sangat sunyi = a valley that is very quiet (correct)
sebuah lembah sangat sunyi sounds like two separate pieces: a valley / (it is) very quiet, and is not a standard noun phrase.

To describe a noun with an adjective or longer phrase after the noun, Malay normally uses yang.

What does sangat mean, and where does it go in relation to sunyi?

Sangat is an intensifier meaning very.

It usually comes before the adjective:

sunyi = quiet
sangat sunyi = very quiet
sangat tinggi = very tall
sangat cantik = very beautiful

So yang sangat sunyi = that is very quiet.

Is sunyi the same as senyap or diam? Why choose sunyi here?

All three relate to quietness/silence, but they have slightly different nuances:

sunyi: quiet, deserted, lonely (emphasizes absence of activity/people; can feel a bit lonely)
senyap: silent, no sound (emphasizes soundlessness)
diam: still, not moving, not speaking (applies more to people or things that are not acting or talking)

For a valley with a calm, possibly lonely atmosphere, sunyi is the most natural choice. It suggests a peaceful, empty, maybe slightly lonely valley.

Why does the Malay sentence start with Di antara dua bukit hijau itu, instead of starting with Ada sebuah lembah like English?

Malay word order is quite flexible with location phrases.

Two common patterns are:

[Location phrase], [main clause]
- Di antara dua bukit hijau itu, ada sebuah lembah yang sangat sunyi.
- Literally: Between those two green hills, there is a valley that is very quiet.
[Main clause] [location phrase]
- Ada sebuah lembah yang sangat sunyi di antara dua bukit hijau itu.
- Literally: There is a very quiet valley between those two green hills.

Both are correct. Starting with Di antara… puts more emphasis on the place; starting with Ada sebuah lembah… puts more emphasis on the existence of the valley. The sentence given is a common narrative style, setting the scene with the location first.

Is bukit singular or plural here? How do we know it’s “two hills” and not “two hill”?

Malay nouns normally do not change form for singular/plural. Bukit can mean hill or hills, depending on context.

Here, dua already tells you it’s two, so:

dua bukit = two hill(s) → interpreted as two hills

The number word (dua) is what indicates plurality, not a change in the noun.

Can antara be used without di in a similar sentence?

Yes, but the nuance changes.

Di antara: emphasizes a physical location in the space between.
Antara (without di) is more common for relationships, choices, comparisons, or slightly more abstract uses (e.g. antara kamu dan saya = between you and me; antara lain = among others).

In a purely spatial, scenic description like this, di antara is the most natural choice because you are literally talking about something in the space between two hills.