Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya suka gambar pelangi di atas daun merah musim luruh dalam kalendar saya. - I like the picture of a rainbow above red autumn leaves in my calendar.

Saya = I / me
suka = like
gambar = picture / photo
pelangi = rainbow
gambar pelangi = picture of a rainbow
di atas = on / on top of / above
daun = leaf / leaves
merah = red
daun merah = red leaf / red leaves
musim = season
luruh = fall (as in things falling off) → together musim luruh = autumn / fall (season)
musim luruh = autumn (season)
dalam = in / inside
kalendar = calendar
kalendar saya = my calendar

So the structure is basically:

I + like + picture (of) rainbow + on top of + red autumn leaf/leaves + in + my calendar.

Why is gambar pelangi written in that order, not pelangi gambar?

In Malay, when you have two nouns together, the main thing usually comes first, and the describing noun comes after it.

gambar pelangi
- gambar (picture) is the main noun
- pelangi (rainbow) explains what kind of picture
  → “picture of a rainbow”

If you said pelangi gambar, it would sound very odd or wrong; it would be interpreted (if at all) as something like “a rainbow of pictures”, which isn’t what you want.

This pattern is very common:

gambar kucing = picture of a cat
baju sekolah = school uniform (literally: shirt/clothes of school)
tiket bas = bus ticket

So: [main noun] + [explaining noun], not the other way round.

Why isn’t there a word for a or the (articles) in this sentence?

Malay does not normally use articles like a, an, the.

Whether something is a thing or the thing is understood from:

context
extra words (like satu = one, beberapa = several)
or just left vague

So:

gambar pelangi can mean a picture of a rainbow or the picture of a rainbow, depending on the context.
daun merah musim luruh can mean a red autumn leaf or the red autumn leaf or red autumn leaves in a general sense.

If you really want to make it clear you mean one picture, you can say:

Saya suka satu gambar pelangi… = I like one picture of a rainbow…
Saya suka sebuah gambar pelangi… (using the classifier sebuah for objects)

But in normal speech, you usually just say gambar pelangi and let context do the work.

How do I know if daun here means leaf or leaves?

Malay usually doesn’t mark plural with an s or a separate form the way English does.

daun can mean leaf or leaves.
Context tells you whether it’s singular or plural, or it can stay general.

If you want to clearly say plural, you have options:

daun-daun = leaves (reduplication to show plurality)
beberapa helai daun merah = several red leaves
- beberapa = several
- helai = classifier for thin/flat things, like leaves, paper, cloth

So your phrase:

daun merah musim luruh
can be understood as:
- a red autumn leaf
- the red autumn leaf
- red autumn leaves (in general, like “autumn red leaves”)

In a sentence like this, the exact singular/plural meaning is often not very important.

Why is merah after daun instead of before, like in English?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

daun merah = red leaf (literally: “leaf red”)
kereta besar = big car
rumah baru = new house

So the pattern is:

[noun] + [adjective]
daun (leaf) + merah (red) → daun merah

If you put merah daun, that would be wrong or at least confusing; it doesn’t follow normal Malay word order.

How does daun merah musim luruh work? Why are there so many words after daun?

The phrase is:

daun merah musim luruh

Breakdown:

daun = leaf
merah = red (adjective)
musim luruh = autumn / fall (season)

Malay usually stacks modifiers after the noun, in this order:

Noun
Adjective(s)
Additional modifiers (like time, season, place, etc.)

So:

daun (leaf)
merah (red) → makes daun merah = red leaf
musim luruh (autumn) → now daun merah musim luruh ≈ red autumn leaf / autumn red leaf

A more “spelled-out” version could be:

daun merah pada musim luruh
= red leaf in autumn / red leaf during autumn

But dropping pada here is still understandable and quite natural in some styles.

What exactly does di atas mean? Is it “on” or “above”? When do I use it?

di atas literally means at the top and is used for:

on (top of)
above / over

In your sentence:

gambar pelangi di atas daun merah
= a picture of a rainbow on a red leaf
(or you can interpret it as a rainbow above a red leaf, depending on the picture)

Some comparisons:

di atas meja = on the table
buku di atas kerusi = the book on the chair
kapal terbang di atas rumah = the airplane above the house

You can sometimes shorten it to atas in casual speech, but di atas is the more formal/neutral form.

Why is it dalam kalendar saya and not using some other preposition like di or pada?

dalam means in / inside, and it’s the natural choice when something is inside or within something else.

dalam kalendar saya = in my calendar / inside my calendar

Compare:

dalam beg saya = in my bag
dalam kotak = in the box

di is more general “at / in / on” for locations:

di sekolah = at school
di rumah = at home

You could say di kalendar saya, and people would still understand you, but:

dalam kalendar saya feels more precise for something printed inside or appearing within the pages of the calendar.

pada is used more for abstract locations or times:

pada hari Isnin = on Monday
pada halaman pertama = on the first page

For this sentence, dalam kalendar saya is the best, natural choice.

Why is saya used both at the beginning (Saya suka…) and at the end (…kalendar saya)?

Saya does two different jobs here:

Subject pronoun (I)
- Saya suka… = I like…
Possessive pronoun (my) after the noun
- kalendar saya = my calendar (literally: calendar I)

In Malay, possession is normally shown by:

[thing] + [owner]

So:

kalendar saya = my calendar
rumah mereka = their house
buku Ali = Ali’s book

You can’t say saya kalendar for “my calendar”; that would sound like “I calendar”.
The correct order is always noun + possessor: kalendar saya.

How do we know the tense of suka here? Is it “liked”, “like”, or “will like”?

The verb suka itself does not change for tense.

Saya suka can mean:
- I like
- I liked
- I will like / I would like

The exact meaning comes from:

context, or
additional time words/markers, for example:
- tadi = earlier, just now
- semalam = yesterday
- akan = will
- sudah / telah = already (often used for past)

Examples:

Saya suka gambar ini.
= I like this picture. (present/general feeling)
Tadi, saya suka gambar itu.
= Earlier, I liked that picture.
Esok saya akan suka gambar baru dalam kalendar saya.
= Tomorrow I will like the new picture in my calendar.

In your sentence, with no extra markers, it’s most naturally understood as “I like (in general)”.

What’s the difference between suka and sukakan? Should it be Saya sukakan gambar…?

Base form:

suka = to like

You will also see sukakan, but for everyday sentences like this, suka is usually enough and more natural.

Rough guide:

Saya suka gambar pelangi…
= I like the rainbow picture… (very natural, standard)
Saya sukakan gambar pelangi…
- can be used, often for emphasis or in slightly more formal/written style
- sometimes used when you want to highlight the object

For learners, you can safely use:

Saya suka [object]

That will sound natural in almost all everyday situations.

Is musim luruh the only word for “autumn”? I’ve seen musim gugur too.

Both exist, but:

musim luruh
- more common in Malaysia / Brunei Malay
- used in many Malay-as-taught courses
musim gugur
- more common in Indonesia (Indonesian language)
- also understood in Malaysia, but sounds more Indonesian

Both mean autumn / fall (season).

In your sentence:

daun merah musim luruh
would be typical Malaysian Malay.

In Indonesian-style usage, it might more naturally be:

daun merah musim gugur

Is there a more “expanded” or slightly more natural way to say this sentence in Malay?

Your sentence is understandable and acceptable:

Saya suka gambar pelangi di atas daun merah musim luruh dalam kalendar saya.

Some possible slightly more explicit variants (still natural):

Add pada before musim luruh:
- Saya suka gambar pelangi di atas daun merah pada musim luruh dalam kalendar saya.
  → I like the picture of a rainbow on a red leaf in autumn in my calendar.
Emphasize plural leaves:
- Saya suka gambar pelangi di atas daun-daun merah musim luruh dalam kalendar saya.
  → I like the picture of a rainbow on the red autumn leaves in my calendar.
Be very explicit and slightly more formal:
- Saya suka gambar pelangi di atas daun merah pada musim luruh yang ada dalam kalendar saya.
  → I like the picture of a rainbow on a red autumn leaf that is in my calendar.

But for everyday, natural Malay, your original sentence is fine and clear in context.