Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk.

In the kitchen, Mother also wears thin gloves when washing the dishes.

Breakdown of Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk.

• juga: also
• di: in
• ketika: when
• dapur: the kitchen
• ibu: the mother
• memakai: to wear
• sarung tangan: the glove
• nipis: thin
• membasuh: to wash
• pinggan mangkuk: the dishes

Questions & Answers about Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk.

What does “di dapur” literally mean, and do I need to translate it as “in the kitchen” or “in a kitchen”?

Literally, di = at / in, and dapur = kitchen, so di dapur = in the/at the kitchen.

Malay normally does not mark the difference between “the kitchen” and “a kitchen”. Context decides whether you should translate it as:

• “In the kitchen” (most natural in this sentence, because we usually assume it’s her usual kitchen at home), or
• “In a kitchen” (if you were talking more generally).

So di dapur is grammatically just “in kitchen”, and English speakers add the/a when translating, based on context.

Why is “ibu” used instead of a pronoun like “dia”? Does “ibu” mean “my mother” here?

Ibu literally means “mother”. It can function in a few ways:

1. As a common noun:

   • ibu saya = my mother
   • ibu mereka = their mother

2. As a “name-like” title for your own mother (very common in spoken Malay):
   If you are talking about your own mother to someone close, you can just say:

   • Ibu sedang tidur. = Mother is sleeping. / Mum’s sleeping.
     The “my” is understood from context, even though it’s not stated.

3. As a respectful form of address to an older woman (especially in Indonesia, less so in Malaysia).

In your sentence, Ibu most naturally means “(my) mother / mum”. The possessive “my” is implied, not stated.
You could say Dia juga memakai…, but that would sound like “She also wears…” and would lose the specific “mother” nuance.

What is the function and position of “juga” in this sentence? Could I move it somewhere else?

Juga means “also / too / as well”.

In “Ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis…”, placing juga after the subject ibu emphasizes that the mother is also doing this, compared to someone else or another action.

Some possible positions:

• Ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis…
  = Mother also wears thin gloves… (most natural)

• Ibu memakai juga sarung tangan nipis…
  Grammatically possible but sounds awkward or poetic; not typical everyday speech.

• Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis…
  This is the original, and it’s perfectly natural.

Keep juga near the element you want to emphasize as “also”, usually after the subject.

What’s the difference between “memakai” and “pakai”? Can I say “ibu juga pakai sarung tangan”?

Pakai is the base verb meaning “to wear / to use”.
Memakai is the meN- prefix form, which is more formal / complete.

• memakai – more formal, common in writing, formal speech:

  • Ibu memakai sarung tangan.

• pakai – more informal, very common in everyday conversation:

  • Ibu pakai sarung tangan.

In everyday spoken Malay, “Ibu juga pakai sarung tangan nipis…” is completely natural.
In written or more formal styles, “memakai” sounds better.

Why is the adjective “nipis” (thin) placed after the noun in “sarung tangan nipis”? Could I say “nipis sarung tangan”?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• sarung tangan nipis
  
  • sarung tangan = gloves
  • nipis = thin
    → thin gloves

So the normal pattern is:

noun + adjective
sarung tangan + nipis = thin gloves

Saying “nipis sarung tangan” is incorrect in standard Malay; that order doesn’t work for ordinary descriptions like this.

Some exceptions exist for certain fixed expressions or literary style, but as a learner, it’s safest to always put the adjective after the noun.

What’s the nuance of “ketika” here? How is it different from “bila”, “apabila”, or “semasa”?

All of these can translate roughly as “when”, but with different tones:

• ketika

  • Slightly more formal / written.
  • Often used like “when / while / at the time (that)”.
  • ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk = when washing the dishes.

• semasa

  • Also formal-ish, similar to “while / during the time that”.
  • semasa membasuh… = while washing…

• apabila

  • More formal version of bila, often used in writing.
  • apabila dia membasuh… = when she washes…

• bila

  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • Can mean “when” (time) or “whenever”.
  • bila dia basuh pinggan… = when she washes the dishes…

Your sentence is neutral/formal with ketika. In casual speech, you might hear:

• …bila ibu basuh pinggan…

What is the difference between “membasuh” and “basuh / cuci”? Which is more natural?

The base verb is basuh = to wash.
The meN- form is membasuh, more formal or “complete”.

You will hear:

• membasuh pinggan mangkuk

  • Standard, formal, used in textbooks, writing, news.

• basuh pinggan mangkuk

  • Common, less formal, spoken Malay.

Cuci also means “to wash / to clean”, and in many everyday situations it can replace basuh:

• cuci pinggan = wash the dishes
• cuci baju = wash clothes

In everyday conversation, “basuh pinggan” or “cuci pinggan” are probably more common than “membasuh pinggan”, but all are correct.

What does “pinggan mangkuk” actually mean? Why are there two words?

Literally:

• pinggan = plates
• mangkuk = bowls

When combined as pinggan mangkuk, it means “dishes / tableware” in a general sense: plates, bowls, and sometimes by extension, cups, etc.

It’s similar to saying “pots and pans” in English: two nouns combined to refer to a broader category.

So:

• membasuh pinggan mangkuk = washing the dishes (all the used plates/bowls, etc.), not just plates.

Why isn’t there any plural marker for “sarung tangan” or “pinggan mangkuk”? How do I know if they are singular or plural?

Malay usually doesn’t mark plural explicitly. One form can mean singular or plural, depending on context:

• sarung tangan

  • a glove or gloves
  • in practice, it often means the pair: gloves.

• pinggan mangkuk

  • dish / dishes / tableware

If you really need to make it explicitly plural, you can:

1. Use a number or quantity word:

   • dua pasang sarung tangan = two pairs of gloves
   • banyak pinggan mangkuk = many dishes

2. Occasionally use reduplication (more in literary or stylistic contexts), but for these words it’s less common; numbers/quantifiers are preferred.

In your sentence, it’s naturally understood as:

• sarung tangan nipis = thin gloves (a pair)
• pinggan mangkuk = the dishes

How is tense shown here? How do we know if it’s “wears”, “is wearing”, or “wore”?

Malay verbs do not change form to show tense. Memakai, membasuh etc. are tense-neutral.

Tense is determined by:

1. Time adverbs, e.g.:

   • semalam (yesterday),
   • sekarang (now),
   • nanti (later).

2. Context or surrounding sentences.

So:

• Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk.

Could be translated as:

• In the kitchen, mother *wears thin gloves when washing the dishes.* (habit)
• In the kitchen, mother *is also wearing thin gloves while washing the dishes.* (current, narrative)
• In the kitchen, mother *also wore thin gloves when washing the dishes.* (past story)

Without extra context, English speakers usually choose a present habitual translation: wears… when she washes….

Why isn’t there a pronoun like “dia” before “membasuh”? Should it be “…ketika dia membasuh pinggan mangkuk”?

Both forms are possible, but they have slightly different feels:

1. ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk

   • Literally: when washing the dishes.
   • The subject (ibu) is understood from the main clause.
   • Quite natural and slightly more concise.

2. ketika dia membasuh pinggan mangkuk

   • Literally: when she washes the dishes.
   • The subject is explicitly repeated.
   • Also correct, and sometimes clearer, especially in longer or more complex sentences.

In your sentence, because “ibu” is the only logical subject, leaving out “dia” is fine and very natural.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Ibu memakai sarung tangan nipis juga ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk di dapur”?

Some re-orderings are grammatical but differ in naturalness and emphasis.

1. Di dapur, ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk.

   • Very natural.
   • First sets the location (in the kitchen), then describes what she does.

2. Ibu juga memakai sarung tangan nipis ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk di dapur.

   • Also natural.
   • Location comes at the end; still OK.

3. Ibu memakai sarung tangan nipis juga ketika membasuh pinggan mangkuk di dapur.

   • Grammatically possible, but juga sounds slightly misplaced.
   • It could sound like “also” is modifying the wearing of thin gloves as one of several actions, but it’s less typical phrasing.

As a learner, it’s safest to keep:

• [location] + subject + juga + verb phrase
  → Di dapur, ibu juga memakai…

Is “sarung tangan” a single word or two words, and what does it literally mean?

It’s written as two words:

• sarung = cover, sheath, casing
• tangan = hand

So sarung tangan literally means “hand cover”, and together they mean “glove(s)”.

It functions as a compound noun, similar to English “handbag” or “teacup”, but written as two words in Malay.