Learn Hardcore Malay: Gunting dan pembaris saya simpan di laci supaya anak kecil tidak boleh mencapainya. - I keep the scissors and ruler in the drawer so that the small child cannot reach them.

Gunting dan pembaris saya simpan di laci...
Literally: Scissors and ruler I keep in the drawer...
This structure highlights gunting dan pembaris (the scissors and ruler).

You can also say:

Saya simpan gunting dan pembaris di laci...

Both are grammatical. The second is closer to English word order and is very common. The original version just emphasizes what is being kept in the drawer.

Could I say Saya simpan gunting dan pembaris di laci supaya anak kecil tidak boleh mencapainya instead? Is it still correct?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct and very natural:

Saya simpan gunting dan pembaris di laci supaya anak kecil tidak boleh mencapainya.

Meaning: I keep the scissors and ruler in the drawer so that the small child can’t reach them.

The difference is mainly in emphasis:

Gunting dan pembaris saya simpan... → emphasises the scissors and ruler.
Saya simpan gunting dan pembaris... → neutral, straightforward statement.

What is the exact function of supaya here? How is it different from untuk or kerana?

Supaya introduces a purpose or intended result, similar to “so that” or “in order that” in English.

...saya simpan di laci supaya anak kecil tidak boleh mencapainya.
→ ...I keep (them) in the drawer so that the small child can’t reach them.

Comparisons:

supaya / agar
- Both mean so that / in order that.
- Agar is a bit more formal/literary, but they’re very close in meaning.
untuk
- Means for / to (do something), focuses more on purpose in a general sense, not on a clause with its own subject.
- E.g. Saya simpan duit untuk beli rumah. = I save money to buy a house.
kerana / karena (Ind.)
- Means because. It gives a reason, not a purpose/result.
- E.g. Saya simpan gunting kerana anak kecil. = I put the scissors away because of the child.

In your sentence, we are talking about an intended result (the child cannot reach them), so supaya is the natural choice.

Why is it anak kecil without any word like “the” or “a”? How do we know if it’s the small child or a small child?

Malay normally has no articles like “a” or “the”. Context supplies that information.

anak kecil = small child / little child in general.
In a real situation, listeners usually know which child is being talked about (e.g. the speaker’s toddler), so in English we tend to translate it as “the small child” or “my small child”.

If you want to be explicitly definite or specific, you can add words:

anak kecil itu = that small child / the small child (already known in context)
anak kecil saya = my small child

But in everyday speech, anak kecil is often enough, and English speakers will naturally interpret it as the child when the context is clear.

Why is tidak used instead of bukan in tidak boleh mencapainya?

In Malay:

tidak negates verbs and adjectives.
bukan negates nouns or entire noun phrases.

In your sentence:

boleh mencapainya is a verb phrase (can reach it/them).
So we use tidak:
- tidak boleh mencapainya = cannot reach it/them.

Examples:

Dia tidak tinggi. = He is not tall. (adjective)
Dia bukan doktor. = He is not a doctor. (noun)

What does boleh add in tidak boleh mencapainya? Is it ability, permission, or both?

Boleh is flexible and can mean:

can / be able to
may / be allowed to

In tidak boleh mencapainya, both readings are possible, and context decides:

Physical ability: cannot reach it/them (too high, too far).
Prohibition: is not allowed to reach/touch them.

In the context of keeping scissors and a ruler away from a small child, there is usually an overlap:
you want the child to be unable to reach them for safety reasons, and by putting them away you also effectively don’t allow access. So tidak boleh works well for that idea.

Can you break down mencapainya? What does the -nya refer to?

Yes, mencapainya can be analysed as:

meN-
- capai
  - -nya
    - capai = to reach
    - mencapai = to reach (transitive verb with the meN- prefix)
    - -nya = third-person object pronoun (him/her/it/them, depending on context)

So mencapainya = to reach it / to reach them.

Here, -nya refers back to gunting dan pembaris (the scissors and the ruler). Malay doesn’t mark singular vs plural or gender here; -nya is neutral.

You could also say:

tidak boleh mencapai gunting dan pembaris itu
→ more explicit, but mencapainya is shorter and very natural.

Why do we use mencapainya with meN-? Could we just say capai?

In standard Malay, when a verb takes a direct object, we normally use the meN- form for an active construction:

mencapai (sesuatu) = to reach (something)

So:

tidak boleh mencapainya is the standard active pattern.

In everyday spoken Malay, you might hear capai used directly, especially in colloquial styles:

Dia tak boleh capai. = He/She can’t reach (it).

But in neutral/standard written form, tidak boleh mencapainya is preferred and feels more complete and formal.

Is there any difference between di laci and dalam laci?

Both can be used, but there is a nuance:

di laci
- Literally “at the drawer / in the drawer”, with di as a general location preposition (at / in / on).
- Common and natural in everyday use.
dalam laci
- Literally “inside the drawer”.
- Emphasises the interior.

You can also combine them:

di dalam laci = in(side) the drawer

In practice:

Saya simpan gunting di laci.
Saya simpan gunting dalam laci.
Saya simpan gunting di dalam laci.

All three would usually be understood as in the drawer, with slight differences in how strongly you stress “inside” the space.

What is the difference between simpan and menyimpan? Why does the sentence use simpan?

Both come from the same root simpan (to keep/store):

simpan – base form of the verb
menyimpan – meN- prefixed form (more formally transitive)

In actual usage:

In colloquial and everyday Malay, the base form after a pronoun is extremely common:
- Saya simpan duit.
- Dia simpan buku itu.
In more formal or written Malay, you’ll often see menyimpan in the same contexts:
- Saya menyimpan duit.

So you could say:

Gunting dan pembaris saya simpan di laci... (natural, conversational)
Gunting dan pembaris saya menyimpan di laci... (ungrammatical – you’d need saya menyimpan before the object)
Saya menyimpan gunting dan pembaris di laci... (formal/standard)

In the given sentence, simpan matches a neutral–informal style and sounds very natural with the fronted object.