Learn Hardcore Malay: Selepas doktor berkata paru-paru saya sihat, saya rasa sangat lega. - After the doctor says my lungs are healthy, I feel very relieved.

Paru-paru saya sihat literally = “my lungs healthy” → understood as “my lungs are healthy”.
In this kind of sentence pattern, you normally don’t add anything like adalah or ialah before an adjective.

You can use adalah with nouns (e.g. “Dia adalah doktor” = “He/She is a doctor”), but not in front of adjectives in standard usage. So “paru-paru saya adalah sihat” sounds unnatural in most contexts.

What exactly does “paru-paru” mean, and why is it repeated with a hyphen?

Paru-paru means “lungs”.

The base word paru is not commonly used on its own in everyday speech.
The reduplication with a hyphen (paru-paru) is a common Malay way to indicate plural or a paired body part (lungs, kidneys, eyes, etc.).

So paru-paru saya = “my lungs”, not “my lung”. The repetition is a normal part of the word, not emphasis.

Why is it “paru-paru saya” and not “saya punya paru-paru” for “my lungs”?

Both exist, but they differ in style and register:

Paru-paru saya
- More neutral/standard and common in writing and careful speech.
- Structure: [noun] + [possessor] → “lungs my”.
Saya punya paru-paru
- More informal/colloquial, especially in some dialects or casual conversation.
- Structure: [possessor] + punya + [noun] → “my own lungs”.

In most standard sentences like this one, paru-paru saya is the natural choice.

Is “doktor” here “a doctor” or “the doctor”? Why no article?

Malay has no articles like “a” or “the”.

Doktor by itself can mean “a doctor” or “the doctor”, depending on context.
In this sentence, from an English point of view we’d normally read it as “the doctor” (the specific doctor who examined you), but Malay leaves that to context, not grammar.

If you need to be very specific, you add extra words:

doktor itu = that/the specific doctor
doktor saya = my doctor

Why is it “Selepas doktor berkata …” and not “Selepas doktor berkata bahawa …” (“After the doctor said that …”)?

You can say:

Selepas doktor berkata bahawa paru-paru saya sihat, …

Here bahawa corresponds to English “that” introducing a reported clause.

However, Malay often drops “bahawa” in everyday sentences when the meaning is clear:

Selepas doktor berkata paru-paru saya sihat, …

This is completely natural and common. Adding bahawa makes it slightly more formal, but both are correct.

What is the difference between “berkata” and “cakap” here?

Both relate to speaking, but their tone and usage differ:

Berkata
- More formal/literary.
- Often used in writing, news, narration, or more careful speech.
- Roughly like “to say / stated”.
Cakap (or bercakap)
- More informal / everyday.
- Common in casual conversation.
- Like “to speak / talk / say”.

You could say:

Selepas doktor cakap paru-paru saya sihat, …
This sounds more casual, like spoken conversation.

The original berkata feels slightly more neutral/formal, good for written examples.

Why “Selepas doktor berkata …, saya rasa …” instead of “Saya rasa … selepas doktor berkata …”? Does the order change the meaning?

Both orders are grammatically correct and mean the same thing:

Selepas doktor berkata paru-paru saya sihat, saya rasa sangat lega.
- Time clause (after the doctor said…) comes first.
- This slightly emphasizes the time/condition.
Saya rasa sangat lega selepas doktor berkata paru-paru saya sihat.
- Main clause (I felt very relieved) comes first.
- This slightly emphasizes the feeling.

Malay is flexible like English here: the comma in version 1 simply helps readability when the time clause comes first.

How do we know “berkata” is past (“said”), since there’s no tense marker?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense (no -ed, -s, etc.). Time is usually understood from:

Context (e.g. you’re telling a story of what happened earlier).
Time words, if needed:
- tadi (a while ago), semalam (yesterday), minggu lepas (last week), etc.

So berkata on its own just means “say / said”; English speakers supply the past tense “said” here because of the logical context: the doctor’s statement clearly happened before you felt relieved.

What is the difference between “rasa”, “berasa”, and “merasa”?

All come from the root rasa (“to feel”, “taste”, “sense”), but they are used a bit differently:

rasa
- Very common and versatile.
- Used for emotions: Saya rasa sangat lega = I feel very relieved.
- Also used for opinions: Saya rasa dia betul = I think he/she is right.
berasa
- More formal/literary in many dialects.
- You can say Saya berasa sangat lega, which is also correct; it sounds a bit more formal or bookish.
merasa
- Often used for physical feeling/tasting: Saya merasa sakit (I feel pain), Saya mahu merasa kek itu (I want to taste that cake).
- In many modern contexts people just say rasa instead.

In this sentence, saya rasa sangat lega is the most natural, neutral way to say “I feel very relieved.”

Could we say “saya berasa sangat lega” instead of “saya rasa sangat lega”? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Saya berasa sangat lega.

The meaning is the same: I feel very relieved.

Differences:

rasa → more everyday/neutral, extremely common in speech and writing.
berasa → slightly more formal or literary, or preferred in some regional and formal styles.

For most learners, saya rasa sangat lega is the safest, most natural default.

What is the nuance of “sangat” in “sangat lega”? How does it compare to other words for “very”?

Sangat means “very” and is widely used:

sangat lega = very relieved
Neutral, acceptable in both spoken and written Malay.

Other common intensifiers:

amat lega – very relieved (more formal / careful style).
sungguh lega – truly / really relieved (a bit stronger/emotional).
lega sekali – very/extremely relieved (often written or slightly formal).
terlalu lega – too relieved (can imply “excessively”).

In everyday Malay, sangat is a good default for “very” that works in many registers.

What exactly does “lega” express? Is it emotional, physical, or both?

Lega mainly expresses relief, often emotional but can include physical relaxation:

After hearing good news: Saya rasa sangat lega.
→ I feel (emotionally) relieved.
After finishing an exam: Akhirnya siap juga, lega rasanya.
→ Finally done, what a relief.

It can cover:

relief from worry, fear, anxiety, or
relief from pressure, burden, or discomfort.

So in this sentence, lega is the natural word for the feeling you have after hearing your lungs are healthy.

Is “saya” here formal or informal? Could I use “aku” instead?

Saya is:

Polite and neutral.
Suitable for talking to the doctor, writing, or speaking to people you don’t know well.
Default pronoun for many learners.

Aku is:

Informal/familiar, used with close friends, siblings, or in casual situations.
Using aku to refer to yourself to the doctor might sound too casual unless you are already very close.

So:

Saya rasa sangat lega. → polite/neutral, good choice here.
Aku rasa sangat lega. → more intimate/casual; natural in an internal monologue or talking to friends.