Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh.

I wash dirty clothes in the washing machine.

Breakdown of Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh.

• saya: I
• di: in
• kotor: dirty
• baju: the clothes
• mesin basuh: the washing machine
• membasuh: to wash

Questions & Answers about Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh.

Why doesn’t the sentence have a word like am or an -ing ending for washing?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense or aspect.
Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh can mean:

• I wash the dirty clothes in the washing machine (habitual)
• I am washing the dirty clothes in the washing machine (right now)
• I washed the dirty clothes in the washing machine (past)

To be more specific, Malay adds extra words instead of changing the verb:

• Saya sedang membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh. = I am washing … (right now)
• Saya sudah / telah membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh. = I have washed …
• Semalam saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh. = Yesterday I washed …

What is the difference between basuh and membasuh?

• basuh is the root verb wash.
• membasuh is meN- (active verb prefix) + basuh, making it sound more complete or standard as a transitive verb.

In practice:

• Saya membasuh baju. – Standard, neutral.
• Saya basuh baju. – Very common in everyday speech, slightly more casual.

So you will hear both, but grammar books usually present membasuh as the base form.

baju looks singular. How can it mean clothes (plural) here?

Malay usually does not mark plural the way English does. baju can mean:

• a shirt / a piece of clothing
• clothes (plural)

The number is understood from context. If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can say:

• baju-baju kotor – dirty clothes (plural emphasized by reduplication)
• semua baju kotor – all the dirty clothes
• banyak baju kotor – many dirty clothes

But in normal conversation, plain baju kotor is enough.

Does baju mean shirt or clothes?

It can mean either, depending on context:

• Everyday conversation: baju often means clothes in general.
• When you need to distinguish, you might say:
  
  • baju T – T‑shirt
  • baju kemeja – shirt (with buttons, collar)
  • pakaian – clothes (more general/formal than baju)

In Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh, it is naturally understood as dirty clothes.

Why is it baju kotor and not kotor baju? In English the adjective comes first.

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun:

• baju kotor – dirty clothes
• rumah besar – big house
• kereta merah – red car

So the normal order is Noun + Adjective.
kotor baju is not grammatical in standard Malay.

How do I say my dirty clothes or the dirty clothes?

For my dirty clothes, put the possessive pronoun after the noun phrase:

• baju kotor saya – my dirty clothes
• If you want to stress plurality: baju-baju kotor saya

For the dirty clothes, Malay usually relies on context, but you can use:

• baju kotor itu – that / those dirty clothes (often works like the dirty clothes)

Word order pattern:

• [Noun + Adjective + Possessor / Demonstrative]
  
  • baju kotor saya
  • baju kotor itu

What exactly does di mean in di mesin basuh?

di is a preposition meaning at / in / on (location).
So di mesin basuh means at the washing machine or in the washing machine, depending on context.

Some related prepositions:

• di – at / in / on (general location)
• dalam – inside (emphasizes being inside something)
• atas – on top of
• bawah – under / below

Can I say dalam mesin basuh instead of di mesin basuh?

Yes, both are natural, but there is a nuance:

• di mesin basuh – at / in the washing machine (general location)
• dalam mesin basuh – inside the washing machine (emphasizes interior)

For this sentence, both are commonly used:

• Saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh.
• Saya membasuh baju kotor dalam mesin basuh.

Most speakers won’t feel a big difference in everyday use.

I see di can also be a passive prefix (like dibasuh). How do I tell di the preposition from di- the prefix?

Look at spacing and function:

1. Preposition di (separate word, before a noun phrase):

   • di mesin basuh – at the washing machine
   • di rumah – at home
   • di sekolah – at school

2. Passive prefix di- (attached to a verb, no space):

   • dibasuh – is/was washed
   • dibaca – is/was read
   • ditulis – is/was written

Compare:

• Baju kotor dibasuh di mesin basuh.
  
  • dibasuh = passive verb (was washed)
  • di mesin basuh = preposition + noun (at the washing machine)

Can I drop Saya and just say Membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh?

You can drop Saya if the subject is clear from context, especially in casual speech or in lists/captions:

• As a full sentence in conversation, Saya membasuh … sounds more complete.
• In messages, notes, or when answering What are you doing?, you might just say:
  
  • Membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh. – (I’m) washing dirty clothes in the washing machine.

So it is possible, but remember that without Saya, the subject is only understood from context, not stated.

How would people say this more casually in everyday conversation?

Some common casual variants:

• Aku basuh baju kotor dalam mesin basuh.
• Aku tengah basuh baju dalam mesin basuh. – I’m in the middle of washing clothes…
• Tengah basuh baju kat mesin basuh. – Very informal; kat = spoken form of di / dekat.

Key changes:

• Saya → aku (more casual, intimate)
• membasuh → basuh (shorter, everyday)
• di → kat (slangy spoken form)
• Add tengah to emphasise ongoing action (similar to in the middle of / -ing right now).

What is the difference between membasuh baju in Malay and mencuci baju / mesin cuci in Indonesian?

Malay (as spoken in Malaysia) and Indonesian are closely related but use some different everyday words:

• Malay:

  • membasuh baju – to wash clothes
  • mesin basuh – washing machine

• Indonesian:

  • mencuci baju – to wash clothes
  • mesin cuci – washing machine

In Malaysia you will hear basuh / membasuh more often; in Indonesia, cuci / mencuci is more common. Both sides usually understand both verbs, but each has its own usual preference.

How do I clearly say I am washing the dirty clothes now and I washed the dirty clothes yesterday?

You add time/aspect words:

1. I am washing the dirty clothes now.

   • Saya sedang membasuh baju kotor sekarang.
     
     • sedang – marks an ongoing action (currently doing)
     • sekarang – now

2. I washed the dirty clothes yesterday.

   • Semalam saya membasuh baju kotor di mesin basuh.
   • Or: Saya sudah membasuh baju kotor semalam.
     
     • semalam – yesterday
     • sudah – already (completed action)

The verb membasuh itself does not change; the time/aspect words carry the tense and aspect meaning.