Selepas makan, bapa saudara saya memberi ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati.

After eating, my uncle gives a short speech that touches the heart.

Breakdown of Selepas makan, bapa saudara saya memberi ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati.

• makan: to eat
• selepas: after
• yang: that
• saya: my
• memberi: to give
• pendek: short
• hati: the heart
• bapa saudara: the uncle
• ucapan: the speech
• menyentuh: to touch

Questions & Answers about Selepas makan, bapa saudara saya memberi ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati.

What does Selepas makan literally mean, and why is there no subject like kami?

Selepas makan literally means after eating.

• Selepas = after
• makan = to eat / eating

Malay often omits the subject when it is clear from context. So:

• Selepas makan ≈ After (we) ate / after eating

If you really want to include the subject, you can say:

• Selepas kami makan – after we ate
• Selepas saya makan – after I ate

But in everyday Malay, Selepas makan is very natural and not incomplete.

Is there any difference between selepas and lepas?

They mean the same (after), but differ in formality:

• selepas – more standard / formal
• lepas – more informal, common in speech

In your sentence, both are possible:

• Selepas makan, bapa saudara saya… (more neutral/standard)
• Lepas makan, bapa saudara saya… (more casual/spoken)

What exactly does bapa saudara mean? Is it any uncle?

Bapa saudara is a general term for uncle (your parents’ brother).

More specifically:

• bapa saudara – uncle (can be paternal or maternal, depending on context)
• bapa saudara sebelah bapa – uncle on my father’s side
• bapa saudara sebelah ibu – uncle on my mother’s side

In everyday speech, many people also say:

• pakcik – uncle (also used politely for older men, not only relatives)

In your sentence, bapa saudara saya clearly means my uncle (a blood relative).

Why is it bapa saudara saya instead of saya bapa saudara, when in English we say my uncle?

In Malay, possessive pronouns like saya usually come after the noun:

• bapa saudara saya – my uncle
• rumah saya – my house
• telefon saya – my phone

The pattern is: [thing] + [owner], not [owner] + [thing].

Putting saya before bapa saudara (saya bapa saudara) would sound wrong and confusing.

Why is it memberi ucapan and not just beri ucapan or something else?

The base verb is beri (give). With the meN- prefix it becomes memberi (to give), which is the standard form in sentences.

• memberi ucapan – to give a speech / give a short address

In casual speech you might hear beri ucapan, but in standard Malay, memberi ucapan is more correct.

You can also say:

• berucap – to give a speech (literally “to speech”)
  
  • Bapa saudara saya berucap. – My uncle gave a speech.

Both memberi ucapan and berucap are natural; memberi ucapan is a bit more explicit (literally “give a speech”).

What does ucapan mean here, and why use pendek instead of another word?

Ucapan means speech / address / remarks (something spoken formally or semi‑formally).

• ucapan pendek – a short speech

About pendek:

• pendek – short (physical length or duration)
• ringkas – brief, concise (focus on not many words / very to-the-point)

You could say:

• ucapan pendek – a short speech (not long in time)
• ucapan ringkas – a brief, concise speech

Both are correct; pendek is more general and very common. Sekejap (a moment / for a while) is usually used for time expressions, not to modify ucapan directly.

What is the role of yang in ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati?

Yang introduces a relative clause, similar to that/which in English.

Structure:

• ucapan pendek – a short speech
• yang menyentuh hati – that touched (the) heart / that was touching

So:

• ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati ≈ a short speech that was touching / that moved everyone

In Malay, yang is the standard way to link a noun to a descriptive clause.

What does menyentuh hati really mean? Is it only literal?

Literally:

• menyentuh – to touch
• hati – heart (also “liver” anatomically, but emotionally it means “heart”)

So menyentuh hati literally is to touch the heart.

Figuratively, it means:

• touching
• moving
• emotionally affecting

In your sentence:

• ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati = a short, touching speech / a short speech that moved everyone.

It does not sound weird or overly poetic in Malay; it is a very common expression.

What is the difference between hati and jantung, since both can mean heart?

Anatomically:

• hati – liver
• jantung – heart (the organ that pumps blood)

Emotionally and metaphorically, hati is the “heart”:

• sakit hati – hurt (feelings) / offended
• menyentuh hati – touching, moving
• dari lubuk hati – from the bottom of the heart

So menyentuh hati uses hati because it talks about emotions, not the physical organ.

Can I move selepas makan to the end of the sentence? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can:

• Selepas makan, bapa saudara saya memberi ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati.
• Bapa saudara saya memberi ucapan pendek yang menyentuh hati selepas makan.

Both mean the same: After the meal, my uncle gave a short, touching speech.

Differences:

• Time phrase at the beginning (Selepas makan, …) is very common in Malay to set the scene, a bit like After eating, … in English.
• At the end (… selepas makan) also sounds natural and might feel slightly more neutral.

No important change in meaning; it’s mostly a matter of style and emphasis.