Learn Hardcore Malay: Bukankah majlis seperti ini lebih menyeronokkan apabila semua saudara-mara hadir? - Isn’t an event like this more fun when all the relatives are present?

Bukankah is a combination of bukan (a negator used mainly with nouns and adjectives) and the particle -kah, which turns the sentence into an emphasized question.

In this sentence, Bukankah majlis seperti ini… roughly means:

"Isn't an event like this…?"
It carries the feeling: "You agree with me, right?" or "Surely…?"

Differences:

bukan
- Basic negator: "not / is not".
- Used in statements, not questions.
- Example: Majlis seperti ini bukan membosankan. = "An event like this is not boring."
tidak
- Negator mainly for verbs and adjectives.
- Example: Majlis seperti ini tidak membosankan. = "This kind of event is not boring."
bukankah
- Negative question, expecting agreement.
- Example: Bukankah majlis seperti ini lebih menyeronokkan…? = "Isn't an event like this more fun…?"

You could also see tidakkah in more formal Malay:

Tidakkah majlis seperti ini…?
Similar meaning, but bukankah is more common in this kind of "surely…?" statement about nouns/adjectives.

What is the role of -kah in bukankah?

-kah is a question/emphasis particle attached to a word, often used in more formal or written Malay.

Functions of -kah:

Marks a question in a formal or literary style.
Adds emphasis or focus to the word it attaches to.

In bukankah:

bukan
- -kah → bukankah
It creates an emphasized negative question: "Is it not…?", "Isn't it…?"

You will also see -kah attached to other words:

Apakah ini? = "What is this?"
Bilakah kamu datang? = "When are you coming?"

In everyday speech, Malays often drop -kah and use intonation or particles like ke/kan instead:

Bukan ke majlis macam ni lagi seronok…? (colloquial)

What exactly does majlis mean here? Is it like "party", "event", or "ceremony"?

Majlis is a rather general and slightly formal word meaning something like:

gathering, event, function, or ceremony.

In context:

Majlis seperti ini = "an event/occasion like this"
It could refer to things like:
a wedding reception
a family gathering
a formal dinner
a religious or community event

Compared to other words:

parti – a "party" in the Western sense (birthday party, office party).
perhimpunan – a gathering/assembly (often formal or organized, like a school assembly).
kenduri – specifically a feast, often with a religious or traditional element.

So majlis is more general and fits anything from a semi-formal family gathering to quite formal events.

Why is there no word like "is" or "are" (a copula) in majlis seperti ini lebih menyeronokkan?

Malay normally does not use a verb like "to be" (am/is/are) between a subject and an adjective.

Structure:

Majlis seperti ini = "An event like this" (subject)
lebih menyeronokkan = "more enjoyable / more fun" (predicate)

So Majlis seperti ini lebih menyeronokkan literally is:

"An event like this more enjoyable."

There is no need for a separate word for "is".
Words like adalah / ialah can sometimes act like "is", but they are:

optional,
often used before nouns, not adjectives,
more common in formal writing or for emphasis.

Here, Majlis seperti ini adalah lebih menyeronokkan is grammatical but sounds more formal/marked. The natural version is the one in your sentence without adalah.

What does seperti ini mean, and how is it different from macam ini or begini?

Seperti ini literally means "like this" or "such as this".

In the phrase:

majlis seperti ini = "an event like this / this kind of event"

Comparisons:

seperti ini
- More neutral or slightly formal.
- Suits both spoken and written Malay.
- Used when making comparisons/likeness: "like this, similar to this".
macam ini
- More colloquial, very common in everyday speech.
- Roughly the same meaning as seperti ini in most contexts.
- In casual speech you would often hear: majlis macam ni.
begini
- Means "like this" but used more as a standalone deictic word (pointing at how something is).
- Often not followed directly by a noun.
- Example: Majlis begini lebih menyeronokkan. = "Events like this are more fun."

All of these can work, with differences mainly in formality and style:

Formal/neutral: majlis seperti ini, majlis begini
Colloquial: majlis macam ni

How is lebih menyeronokkan formed, and could I say lebih seronok instead?

Lebih menyeronokkan is made from:

lebih = "more" (comparative marker)
seronok = "fun, enjoyable, delighted"
meN-…-kan (here: menyeronokkan) = causative form: "to make [someone] feel seronok" / "to be enjoyable" (often feels more "intense" or "active")

So:

lebih seronok = "more fun" (adjective)
lebih menyeronokkan = "more enjoyable / more fun (in a way that makes people feel delighted)"

In actual usage:

Both lebih seronok and lebih menyeronokkan are common and acceptable.
lebih seronok sounds simpler and more colloquial:
- Bukankah majlis seperti ini lebih seronok apabila…?
lebih menyeronokkan can sound a bit more formal or descriptive, focusing on the event as something that "gives" enjoyment.

In many contexts, they are interchangeable with only a slight nuance difference.

What does the suffix -kan do in menyeronokkan?

The meN-…-kan pattern (like in menyeronokkan) usually marks:

a transitive verb: something that acts on an object, or
a causative sense: "to cause/make something to be X".

Base word:

seronok = fun/pleasant, or to feel happy/enjoy oneself.

With meN-…-kan:

menyeronokkan ≈ "to make (someone) feel happy/entertained", "to be enjoyable"
Example: Persembahan itu sangat menyeronokkan. = "That performance was very entertaining."

In your sentence, lebih menyeronokkan functions adjectivally ("more enjoyable"), but it still comes from that causative pattern. The idea is that this kind of event creates more enjoyment.

What is the difference between apabila, bila, ketika, and semasa?

All of these relate to time and can often be translated as "when", but they differ in formality and nuance:

apabila
- Formal/standard.
- Common in writing, speeches, and careful spoken Malay.
- Neutral meaning: "when" (for time).
- Example: Lebih seronok apabila semua saudara-mara hadir.
bila
- Colloquial in many contexts; also used formally as a question word ("when?").
- In everyday speech, people often say bila instead of apabila:
  - …lagi seronok bila semua saudara-mara datang.
- As a question: Bila kamu datang? = "When are you coming?"
ketika
- Means "when" or "at the time when".
- Often used for "at the moment when something happened", sometimes more literary:
  - Ketika semua saudara-mara hadir, suasana menjadi meriah.
semasa
- Similar to "during" / "while".
- Emphasizes the period of time:
  - Semasa semua saudara-mara hadir, suasana sangat meriah. = "During the time when all the relatives were present, the atmosphere was very lively."

In your sentence, apabila is a natural choice for standard Malay.
Colloquial version: bila semua saudara-mara datang/hadir.

What does saudara-mara mean, and why is it written with a hyphen?

Saudara-mara means "relatives" or "extended family members".

saudara by itself can mean:
- sibling, or
- a general "fellow person" (depending on context).
The reduplication saudara-mara broadens the meaning to:
- relatives in general,
- extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.).

The hyphen marks reduplication (penggandaan) in writing:

Base word: saudara
Reduplicated: saudara-mara

Malay often uses reduplication to indicate:

plurality or variety,
an extended or collective sense.

Other examples:

orang-orang = people
pekerja-pekerja = workers
rumah-rumah = houses

So saudara-mara is the standard fixed form meaning "relatives" (not just "many saudara").

Does saudara-mara include in-laws, or just blood relatives?

In practice, saudara-mara tends to include:

extended family: uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc.
and often also relatives by marriage, depending on context and culture.

In a family gathering context:

semua saudara-mara is usually understood as "all the relatives" in a broad sense – the whole extended family, including in-laws who are socially considered part of the family.

If you want to be very broad, including all family members:

kaum keluarga, sanak saudara, or ahli keluarga may also be used, but saudara-mara is very common and natural for "relatives" in this kind of sentence.

Why is it semua saudara-mara hadir and not something like semua saudara-mara adalah hadir or with a plural marker?

Several points here:

No "to be" verb needed
- As mentioned earlier, Malay usually doesn’t use "is/are" between a noun and an adjective or certain verbs.
- hadir here is a verb/adjective meaning "present" (at an event).
- So semua saudara-mara hadir = "all the relatives are present" (literally: "all relatives present").
Plurality is already indicated
- semua = "all".
- saudara-mara is already a plural-collective form.
- Because of semua and the reduplication, adding extra plural marking is unnecessary.
Why not "adalah hadir"?
- adalah is not needed and would sound unnatural here.
- adalah is rarely used before adjectives or basic verbs in this type of clause.
- The natural pattern is: (Subject) + hadir.

So the phrase is complete and grammatical as:

apabila semua saudara-mara hadir = "when all the relatives are present".

What is the difference between hadir and datang in this context?

Both relate to people being at an event, but with slightly different focuses:

datang = "to come"
- Emphasizes the act of coming/arriving.
- Example: Semua saudara-mara datang. = "All the relatives came."
hadir = "to be present / to attend"
- Emphasizes presence/attendance, often more formal.
- Very common in event-related language (invitations, announcements).
- Example: Semua saudara-mara hadir. = "All the relatives are present / attended."

In your sentence:

apabila semua saudara-mara hadir = "when all the relatives are present (at the event)"
You could also say (more colloquially): …apabila semua saudara-mara datang = "…when all the relatives come."

Both are correct, but hadir sounds slightly more formal and event-oriented.