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Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.

Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.
Those spicy noodles are very delicious.
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Questions & Answers about Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.

In the sentence Mi pedas itu sedap sekali, where is the verb “is”? Why don’t we need a word that means “is”?

Malay usually doesn’t use a separate verb equivalent to English “is / am / are” when linking a subject to an adjective.

  • Mi pedas itu = that spicy noodles / those spicy noodles (subject)
  • sedap sekali = very delicious (predicate/adjective phrase)

So Malay simply puts them together:

  • Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.
    = Those spicy noodles are very delicious.

The “link” between subject and adjective is understood from the structure; you don’t need a separate verb.

You can see words like ialah or adalah, but these are mostly used with nouns, not with simple adjectives like sedap.

  • Dia ialah guru. = He/She is a teacher.
  • Mi pedas itu sedap sekali. (no copula needed)
What exactly does mi mean here? Is it singular or plural? Is it the same as mee?

mi is a loanword from Chinese (Hokkien mī) and refers to noodles, especially wheat noodles (as in mi goreng, fried noodles).

About number and spelling:

  • Number: Malay normally does not mark singular/plural on the noun itself.

    • mi can mean noodle or noodles, depending on context.
    • In this sentence, mi pedas itu naturally means those spicy noodles (a dish/portion of noodles).

  • Spelling:

    • Official spelling (in both Malay and Indonesian): mi
    • You’ll often see mee on menus or in informal contexts in Malaysia/Singapore, but mi is the standard form.

So mi here is best understood as “noodles (as a dish)” rather than a single strand.

Why is it mi pedas and not pedas mi? Why does the adjective come after the noun?

In Malay, the usual order is Noun + Adjective, the opposite of English.

  • English: spicy noodles → Adjective + Noun
  • Malay: mi pedas → Noun + Adjective

More examples:

  • baju merah = red shirt
    • baju (shirt) + merah (red)
  • rumah besar = big house
    • rumah (house) + besar (big)

So mi pedas literally means “noodles spicy”, but that’s just how adjectives normally follow nouns in Malay.

What does itu mean in mi pedas itu, and why is it placed at the end instead of before the noun like English “that”?

itu basically means “that / those”.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this/these) and itu (that/those) usually come after the noun phrase:

  • mi pedas itu = that spicy noodles / those spicy noodles
  • buku itu = that book
  • kereta merah itu = that red car

So the order is:

Noun + (Adjective) + Demonstrative
mi + pedas + itu = that spicy noodles

Compare with:

  • English: that spicy noodles → Demonstrative + Adjective + Noun
  • Malay: mi pedas itu → Noun + Adjective + Demonstrative

Also note: itu here is like a determiner (“that/those”), not “it” as a pronoun.

Could the sentence also be Mi itu pedas? How would the meaning change?

Yes, Mi itu pedas is grammatically correct, but it means something slightly different:

  • Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.

    • Literally: that spicy noodles are very delicious
    • Focus: a specific dish/type called spicy noodles (that particular one)

  • Mi itu pedas.

    • Literally: that noodles is/are spicy
    • Focus: that noodles (those noodles) and you’re describing them as spicy.

So:

  • Mi pedas itu: emphasizes “the spicy noodles (over there/that we’re talking about)”
  • Mi itu pedas: emphasizes “those noodles (they happen to be spicy)”

Your original sentence is about how tasty that spicy noodle dish is, not just stating that “those noodles are spicy.”

What does sedap mean exactly? Is it only for food?

sedap is usually best translated as “tasty, delicious”, and it’s most commonly used for food and drinks.

Typical uses:

  • Makanan ini sedap. = This food is delicious.
  • Kopinya sedap. = The coffee is tasty.

It can also carry a broader sense of pleasant / enjoyable (to the senses):

  • Sedap didengar. = Pleasant to hear.
  • Lagu ini sedap. = This song is nice (to listen to).

However, outside of food and sensory context, Malay speakers might use other words like:

  • bagus / baik = good
  • hebat = great, impressive
  • indah = beautiful (for scenery, art, language, etc.)

In your sentence, sedap clearly refers to taste: “very delicious/tasty.”

Why do we say sedap sekali instead of sekali sedap? Where does sekali usually go in the sentence?

When sekali is used to mean “very / extremely” (as an intensifier), it usually comes after the adjective it modifies.

Word order:

  • Adjective + sekali

Examples:

  • sedap sekali = very delicious
  • mahal sekali = very expensive
  • cantik sekali = very beautiful

Putting sekali before the adjective (e.g. sekali sedap) is not standard when you mean “very delicious”.

So:

  • Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.
    • Those spicy noodles are very delicious.
I learned that sekali can also mean “once / one time.” How do I know it means “very” here and not “once”?

sekali has two common meanings:

  1. “once / one time / one occasion”
  2. “very / extremely” (as an adverb of degree)

You figure out which meaning is intended from position and context:

  1. “once / one time”

    • Often with verbs:
      • Saya pergi sekali. = I went once.
      • Tolong baca sekali lagi. = Please read (it) one more time.

  2. “very / extremely”

    • After an adjective:
      • sedap sekali = very delicious
      • panas sekali = very hot
      • susah sekali = very difficult

In Mi pedas itu sedap sekali, sekali follows the adjective sedap, so it clearly means “very”, not “once.”

Can I replace sekali with sangat in this sentence? Is Mi pedas itu sangat sedap correct?

Yes, that’s correct and natural:

  • Mi pedas itu sangat sedap.
    = Those spicy noodles are very delicious.

Both sekali and sangat can mean “very”, but:

  • sangat usually comes before the adjective:
    • sangat sedap, sangat mahal, sangat panas
  • sekali usually comes after the adjective:
    • sedap sekali, mahal sekali, panas sekali

In everyday speech, you’ll also hear terlalu (“too”), amat, begitu, etc., but for “very”, sangat and sekali are the most common in neutral style.

Why is there no plural marker like “-s” for noodles? How do Malays show plural if they need to?

Malay generally does not mark plural on the noun. Context is usually enough:

  • mi = noodle / noodles
  • buku = book / books
  • kereta = car / cars

If you want to explicitly show plurality, you can:

  1. Use a number + classifier:

    • dua mangkuk mi = two bowls of noodles
    • tiga buku = three books

  2. Reduplicate the noun (more common for people/things you want to emphasize as “many”):

    • buku-buku = books
    • kanak-kanak = children

In your sentence, mi pedas itu naturally refers to one portion of spicy noodles (a dish), which in English we refer to in the plural (“noodles”), but Malay doesn’t need to mark it.

Is Mi pedas itu sedap sekali formal, or is it more casual? How would a friend actually say this?

The sentence Mi pedas itu sedap sekali is grammatically standard and neutral. You could say it in everyday conversation and people would understand you perfectly.

In casual speech, especially in Malaysia/Singapore, you might hear variants like:

  • Mi pedas tu sedap gila.

    • itu → tu (colloquial short form)
    • sedap gila = super delicious (slangy; literally “crazy delicious”)

  • Mee pedas tu sedap sangat.

    • mee is an informal/common spelling seen on menus.

For polite but still natural everyday Malay, you can safely stick with:

  • Mi pedas itu sedap sekali.
  • Mi pedas itu sangat sedap.
How do I pronounce mi pedas itu sedap sekali? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Syllable breakdown and rough pronunciation (using English-like spelling):

  • mi = “mee”
  • pedas = “puh-dahs” (both vowels like the ‘a’ in about; pe-das)
  • itu = “ee-too” (i like “see”; clear t)
  • sedap = “suh-dahp” (se-dap)
  • sekali = “suh-kah-lee” (se-ka-li; all vowels clear)

Notes:

  • Every syllable is clearly pronounced; Malay is very phonetic.
  • No silent letters: you hear almost every vowel and consonant.
  • Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:
    • PE-das, I-tu, se-DAP, se-KA-li

So spoken smoothly:

mi pe-DAS I-tu se-DAP se-KA-li