Learn Hardcore Malay: Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun. - No matter what the test result is, my mother is still proud if I study diligently.

Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

No matter what the test result is, my mother is still proud if I study diligently.

Breakdown of Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Malay grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Malay now

Questions & Answers about Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

What does walau apa pun literally mean, and how is it functioning in this sentence?

Literally, walau apa pun is something like “even whatever it is” / “no matter what (it is)”.

walau = even though / although
apa = what
pun = a particle that adds emphasis or a sense of “even / at all”

Put together, walau apa pun introduces a clause that means “no matter what …”.

In the sentence:

Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga…

walau apa pun keputusan ujian = no matter what the test result is.
It’s a concessive clause, like English “Even if the test result is anything at all…” or “Regardless of the test result…”.

What is the difference between walau apa pun and walaupun?

Both relate to the idea of “even though / although”, but they’re used differently.

walaupun is a single word meaning “although / even though”.
- Example: Walaupun keputusan ujian teruk, ibu saya masih bangga.
  = Although the test result is bad, my mother is still proud.
walau apa pun literally breaks down to “even whatever it is” and is more like “no matter what…”.
- Example: Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga.
  = No matter what the test result is, my mother is still proud.

So:

walaupun
- a specific fact:
  Walaupun saya gagal, ibu saya masih bangga.
  (Although I failed, my mom is still proud.)
walau apa pun
- a general possibility:
  Walau apa pun yang berlaku, saya akan cuba lagi.
  (No matter what happens, I will try again.)

In your sentence, we’re talking about any possible result, so walau apa pun is more natural than walaupun.

Why is it apa pun and not written together as apapun, and how is it different from apa-apa?

Malay learners often mix these up. Here’s the difference:

apa pun (two words)
- apa = what
- pun = particle (emphasis, “even / at all”)
- Together it often means “whatever / anything” in structures like walau apa pun, apa pun yang berlaku, etc.
- Example: Walau apa pun keputusan ujian…
  = No matter what the test result is…
apapun (one word)
- You do see apapun in informal writing/texting and some published texts, but standard formal Malay usually prefers apa pun as separate words in this type of structure.
- For learning purposes, stick to apa pun.
apa-apa (reduplication)
- Means “anything / any sort of thing / something or other”.
- Example: Kalau kamu perlukan apa-apa, beritahu saya.
  = If you need anything, tell me.

In your exact pattern walau apa pun, the standard spelling is apa pun as two words.

Is walau the same as walaupun or meskipun?

They are closely related but not identical in usage:

walaupun = even though / although
meskipun = even though / although (very similar to walaupun, often interchangeable)
walau by itself is like a shorter walaupun, but:
- On its own, walau is more literary or feels slightly incomplete unless it’s part of a larger expression (like walau apa pun, walau bagaimanapun).

So:

Walaupun keputusan ujian teruk, ibu saya masih bangga.
Meskipun keputusan ujian teruk, ibu saya masih bangga.

Both are fine; both mean “Although the test result is bad, my mother is still proud.”

In your sentence, walau appears specifically in the set phrase walau apa pun, which is very natural and common.

Why is there no word like “is/are” (a copula) in “ibu saya masih bangga”?

Malay normally does not use a verb like “to be” (is/are/am) before adjectives.

ibu saya bangga = my mother is proud
makanan itu sedap = that food is delicious
bilik ini besar = this room is big

You simply put the subject + adjective, and the “is/are” meaning is understood from context.

In your sentence:

ibu saya = my mother
masih = still
bangga = proud

So ibu saya masih bangga is literally “my mother still proud”, but is understood as “my mother is still proud”. No extra “is” word is needed.

How do we know what tense this sentence is in? There are no past/present/future markers.

Malay doesn’t have verb endings for tense like English. Instead, it relies on:

Time expressions (e.g. semalam = yesterday, esok = tomorrow)
Aspect words (e.g. sudah / telah = already, sedang = in the process of, akan = will)

In your sentence:

Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

There is no explicit time marker, so the meaning can be:

general / timeless:
No matter what the test result is, my mother is (always) proud if I study diligently.
Or understood as about the future (e.g. upcoming exam results):
No matter what the test result will be, my mother will still be proud if I study diligently.

Context (conversation, situation) normally tells you whether it’s about a specific future exam or a general attitude.

What’s the difference between jika and kalau here?

Both mean “if”, but they differ in tone:

jika
- More formal, often used in writing, speeches, official contexts.
- Very appropriate in standard written Malay.
kalau
- More informal / conversational, very common in everyday speech.
- Also understood everywhere, and not “wrong”; just less formal.

In your sentence:

… ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

You could say:

… ibu saya masih bangga kalau saya belajar dengan tekun.

That would sound more casual, suitable for spoken Malay among family or friends.
For textbooks, essays, and exams, jika is slightly preferred.

Can I move the walau apa pun clause to the end, like in English: “My mother is still proud if I study diligently, no matter what the test result is”?

Yes, you can change the order. Both of these are grammatical:

Original:
- Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.
Alternative:
- Ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun, walau apa pun keputusan ujian.

Both mean basically the same thing.

In Malay:

It’s very common to put a dependent clause first, especially with walau / walaupun / jika / kalau / kerana, etc.
But you can also put it at the end, especially in speech.

The important part is keeping the internal word order of each clause correct; the clause order is flexible.

What does belajar dengan tekun literally mean, and can I say it in another way?

Literally:

belajar = to study
dengan = with
tekun = diligent, persistent, steady, painstaking

So belajar dengan tekun = “to study with diligence” or “to study diligently”.

Alternative but similar expressions:

belajar rajin-rajin = study very diligently / study hard
belajar bersungguh-sungguh = study earnestly / with full effort
belajar dengan rajin = study diligently

You could say:

… jika saya belajar bersungguh-sungguh.
… jika saya belajar rajin-rajin.

All are natural, each with slightly different nuance, but belajar dengan tekun is perfectly good and sounds somewhat neutral-formal.

Why is it keputusan ujian and not keputusan ujian itu or something more specific?

keputusan ujian means “the test result(s)” in a general or context‑specific way.

keputusan = result / decision / outcome
ujian = test

Malay often omits articles like “the/a” that English requires. Whether we translate as “the test result” or “test results” depends on context.

You could make it more specific:

keputusan ujian itu = that test result
keputusan ujian saya = my test result
keputusan ujian kali ini = the result of this test

But if it’s already clear from context which exam is meant, keputusan ujian alone is natural and not vague for Malay speakers.

Why don’t we say keputusan-keputusan if English often says “results” (plural)?

Malay doesn’t always mark plurality the way English does.

keputusan can mean “result” or “results” depending on context.
Plural marking (like keputusan-keputusan) is usually used only when you really want to emphasize many separate results.

In your sentence:

Walau apa pun keputusan ujian…

Malay sees keputusan ujian as a single outcome (the whole set of scores, the exam outcome). English often prefers the plural “results”, but Malay doesn’t need to pluralize it.

You would say keputusan-keputusan in contexts like:

Kita akan mengkaji keputusan-keputusan daripada beberapa ujian.
= We will analyze the results from several tests.

Here, there are clearly many separate results, so plurality is highlighted.

Why is saya repeated twice? Can we drop the second saya?

In the sentence:

… ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

We have:

ibu saya = my mother
saya belajar = I study

You cannot normally drop the second saya in standard Malay, because:

Without saya, belajar dengan tekun would not have a clear subject.
Malay does not have verb endings to show “I/you/he”, so the pronoun is important.

So:

jika saya belajar dengan tekun = if I study diligently
jika belajar dengan tekun = if [someone / people] study diligently (more general, impersonal)

If you said:

… ibu saya masih bangga jika belajar dengan tekun.

it would sound like a general statement “if (one) studies diligently”, not specifically “if I study diligently”.

What does masih add to the meaning? Could we leave it out?

masih means “still” / “continue to”.

ibu saya bangga = my mother is proud
ibu saya masih bangga = my mother is still proud (the pride continues despite something)

In your sentence:

… ibu saya masih bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

masih emphasizes that despite the exam result, as long as you study diligently, her pride continues.

If you remove masih:

Walau apa pun keputusan ujian, ibu saya bangga jika saya belajar dengan tekun.

It’s still grammatical, but the nuance shifts slightly:

With masih: She remains proud, even in the face of potentially bad results.
Without masih: Simply states the condition under which she is proud, without highlighting continuity or contrast.

Both are correct; masih just adds that “even then / still” flavor.