Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan. - I keep one invitation card in my notebook as a memory.

In this sentence, Saya simpan satu kad jemputan… = I keep / kept an invitation card…
The verb root is simpan; the meN- form is menyimpan.

Both simpan and menyimpan are acceptable here:

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan…
Saya menyimpan satu kad jemputan…

Differences:

In everyday spoken Malay, the bare root simpan is very common and sounds natural.
Menyimpan is a bit more formal/complete, and is very natural in writing or formal speech.
In this sentence, using simpan does not change the meaning; it just sounds a bit more casual/neutral.

Why is this sentence translated in the past (I kept), when there’s no past tense marker in Malay?

Malay normally does not mark tense (past/present/future) with verb endings like English does. Instead, tense is understood from:

Context (what you’re talking about)
Optional time words: semalam (yesterday), tadi (earlier), akan (will), nanti (later), etc.

So:

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
- Could be understood as:
  - I keep an invitation card… (habitual/present)
  - I kept an invitation card… (past)

In many teaching contexts, this kind of sentence is often interpreted as a specific past event, so it gets translated as “I kept an invitation card…”. But grammatically, the Malay sentence itself is tense-neutral; the time reference comes from context, not from verb changes.

Why is satu used before kad jemputan? Is it necessary?

Satu literally means one, and here it works like the English “a / one”.

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan…
= I kept *one invitation card… or I kept **an invitation card…*

Is it necessary?

You can omit it: Saya simpan kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
Without satu, it’s more like saying “I keep invitation cards in the notebook…” (more generic or plural-sounding).
With satu, it clearly focuses on a single card.

So satu helps make it clear that you’re talking about one specific item.

Should it be satu kad or something like sekeping kad / sehelai kad?

Malay often uses classifiers/measure words before nouns, especially for counting.

For flat, thin objects (like paper, photos, cards), you might see:

sekeping – a (flat) piece of something (e.g. photo, paper, card)
sehelai – a sheet, a piece (cloth, paper, leaves, etc.)

So, more “textbook-perfect” versions could be:

Saya simpan sekeping kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
Saya simpan sehelai kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.

Using just satu kad is still very common and natural, especially in casual language. Classifiers make the Malay sound more idiomatic and precise, but satu kad is not wrong.

What exactly is kad jemputan? Why is the order “kad jemputan” and not “jemputan kad”?

Kad jemputan is a noun–noun compound:

kad = card
jemputan = invitation (a noun derived from the verb jemput = to invite)

So kad jemputan = invitation card.

Word order in Malay noun phrases is typically:

Head noun + describing noun
→ kad jemputan (card [of] invitation)
similar to “card of invitation” → “invitation card”

That’s why it’s:

kad jemputan, baju tidur (sleeping clothes = pyjamas), kereta api (train), etc.
Not jemputan kad – that would sound wrong to a native speaker.

What does dalam mean here, and how is it different from di dalam?

Dalam means in / inside.

dalam buku nota = in the notebook / inside the notebook

di dalam is a combination:

di = at / in / on (general location preposition)
dalam = in / inside

Together: di dalam = inside (of), often slightly more explicit/formal.

In this sentence:

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota…
Saya simpan satu kad jemputan di dalam buku nota…

Both are correct. Nuance:

dalam alone is fine in everyday speech and writing.
di dalam can feel a bit more explicit or slightly formal, but the meaning is the same here.

What is buku nota exactly? Why not just say buku or use the English loanword notebook?

Buku nota is a compound noun:

buku = book
nota = notes

So buku nota = notebook (a book for notes).

Alternatives:

buku alone = book (general); it doesn’t clearly mean “notebook”.
notebook (English loanword) is also used in informal speech, especially in Malaysia, but buku nota is the standard Malay term.

So dalam buku nota specifically means in (my/the) notebook, not just any book.

What does sebagai kenangan mean, and why do we use sebagai instead of untuk?

Sebagai kenangan literally means as a memory / as a keepsake / as a memento.

sebagai = as / in the capacity of
kenangan = memory, remembrance

So:

…sebagai kenangan.
→ …as a memento.

Why not untuk?

untuk = for / in order to
- untuk kenangan = for remembrance / for memory (grammatically possible)

But there’s a nuance:

sebagai kenangan emphasizes the role/function of the object:
“I keep it as a keepsake.”
untuk kenangan sounds more like for the sake of remembrance, more abstract.

In everyday usage, sebagai kenangan is the most natural phrase for something you keep as a keepsake / souvenir.

Can I change the word order to “Saya simpan satu kad jemputan sebagai kenangan dalam buku nota”?

Yes, that alternative is grammatically correct:

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
Saya simpan satu kad jemputan sebagai kenangan dalam buku nota.

Both are understandable.

Nuance:

The original order (dalam buku nota before sebagai kenangan) flows very naturally:
- First: where you put it (in the notebook)
- Then: why you put it (as a memento)
Putting sebagai kenangan earlier is still okay, but many speakers prefer the original order in this kind of sentence.

So you can rearrange, but the given order sounds slightly more natural.

Why is saya used and not aku? What’s the difference?

Both mean “I / me”:

saya = I (polite, neutral; standard in most situations)
aku = I (more informal / intimate; used with close friends, family, or in songs/poetry)

Here:

Saya simpan satu kad jemputan… uses saya, which is:
- Polite
- Standard in writing
- Safe to use with anyone (teachers, strangers, colleagues, etc.)

If you say:

Aku simpan satu kad jemputan…

…it sounds more casual and personal, and is only appropriate if you’re speaking to someone you’re very close to, and the relationship allows aku–kau or similar informal pronouns.

Is this sentence talking about a single event or a general habit? How would I say “I keep an invitation card in my notebook as a memento” (habitually)?

As written, the Malay sentence is tense-neutral and could be taken as:

A specific event: I kept an invitation card…
A general habit: I (always) keep an invitation card…

To make it clearly habitual, you can add an adverb of frequency:

Saya selalu simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
= I always keep an invitation card in the notebook as a memento.
Saya biasanya simpan satu kad jemputan…
= I usually keep an invitation card…

To make it clearly past, add a past time word:

Semasa majlis itu, saya simpan satu kad jemputan dalam buku nota sebagai kenangan.
= During that event, I kept an invitation card in the notebook as a memento.

How is jemputan formed, and what’s the difference between jemput and jemputan?

jemput = to invite (verb)
jemputan = invitation (noun)

-an is a common suffix in Malay that turns verbs into nouns:

jemput → jemputan (invite → invitation)
datang (to come) → kedatangan (arrival)
undang (to invite/summon) → undangan (invitation)

So:

kad jemputan = invitation card
You might also see surat jemputan = invitation letter

Is there any difference between kad jemputan and kad undangan?

Both can mean invitation card, but:

jemputan and undangan are near-synonyms in this context:
- jemput / jemputan = invite / invitation
- undang / undangan = summon / invite / invitation

Usage:

kad jemputan is very common in everyday speech and writing.
kad undangan also exists and may sound a bit more formal in some contexts.

For practical purposes, you can treat kad jemputan as the default, natural phrase for “invitation card” in this kind of sentence.