Learn Hardcore Malay: Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi. - That highway is crowded in the morning.

Lebuh raya literally comes from lebuh (broad road) + raya (big / main / great). Together it means a major expressway or highway, usually with multiple lanes and often tolled.

Comparisons:

lebuh raya / lebuhraya: expressway / motorway / highway (fast, limited access)
jalan raya: main road, trunk road, big public road (not necessarily an expressway)
highway (loanword in Malay): also used in speech, especially highway for big roads

So Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi is best read as That highway / expressway is congested in the morning.

Why is it lebuh raya itu and not itu lebuh raya? Does the word order matter?

Yes, the word order changes the function of itu.

lebuh raya itu
- Noun + itu
- Means that highway / the highway (a specific one)
- This is a noun phrase: (which highway?) → that one
itu lebuh raya
- itu at the front often works more like that (thing) is…
- In the right context it would mean that is a highway (pointing at something), i.e. a full sentence, not just a noun phrase.

In your sentence, Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi, you need lebuh raya itu as the subject: that highway / the highway. Putting itu in front would change the structure and meaning.

Is itu more like English that or more like the?

Itu can behave a bit like both, depending on context:

Demonstrative “that” (pointing / distinguishing):
- lebuh raya itu = that highway (as opposed to another one nearby)
Definite article “the”:
- In many real situations, itu just marks something as specific/known:
  - lebuh raya itu sesak ≈ the highway is congested (the listener knows which one)

Malay does not have a direct equivalent of the. Instead, words like itu (that) and ini (this) are often used to show that something is specific.

Where is the verb is in this sentence? Why is there no adalah?

Malay usually does not need a separate word for is / am / are when the predicate is an adjective or a noun.

Lebuh raya itu sesak.
Literally: That highway congested.
Natural English: That highway is congested.

The adjective sesak itself functions as the predicate “is congested”.

About adalah:

adalah is mainly used in more formal writing or when the predicate is a noun phrase, e.g.
- Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk…
With simple adjective predicates like sesak, adalah is usually omitted in normal speech.
- Lebuh raya itu adalah sesak is grammatical but sounds stiff / overly formal and a bit unnatural in everyday conversation.

What does sesak mean exactly? Is it only used for traffic?

Sesak means crowded, packed, congested, cramped. It is not limited to traffic.

Common uses:

trafik sesak / jalanan sesak – traffic is congested
bas itu sesak – the bus is packed
bilik ini sesak – this room is cramped / stuffy (too many people or too little space)
sesak nafas – short of breath / having difficulty breathing

In Lebuh raya itu sesak, context makes it clear you are talking about traffic congestion on the highway.

I know Indonesian uses macet for a traffic jam. Can I say macet in Malay instead of sesak?

In standard Malay (especially in Malaysia):

The common words are:
- sesak – crowded / congested
- jem (from English jam) – traffic jam (very common in speech)
- kesesakan lalu lintas – traffic congestion (formal)

Macet is Indonesian, not standard Malaysian Malay. Many Malaysians will understand it (because of media and similarity to Indonesian), but it sounds foreign / Indonesian, not local.

For natural Malaysian Malay, prefer:

Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi.
Or in casual speech: Highway tu jem waktu pagi.

What does pada mean here? Can I drop it and just say waktu pagi or pagi?

Pada is a preposition that often corresponds to at / on / in when talking about time.

pada waktu pagi = at / in the morning

You have options:

Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi.
– Standard, slightly more formal.
Lebuh raya itu sesak pada pagi.
– Also correct; pada
- pagi is common.
Lebuh raya itu sesak waktu pagi.
– More colloquial; pada dropped.
Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi hari.
– Very explicit/formal, emphasising the morning time of day.

In everyday speech, you will very often hear the shorter:

Lebuh raya itu sesak waktu pagi.
Lebuh raya itu sesak pagi-pagi. (more colloquial, “early in the morning”)

So yes, you can drop pada, especially in casual speech, but keeping it is safest for standard Malay.

What is the difference between pada waktu pagi, pada pagi, waktu pagi, and setiap pagi?

They all relate to the morning but with slightly different nuances:

pada waktu pagi – in the morning (time)
- Neutral, slightly formal; just states the time of day.
pada pagi – in the morning
- Similar meaning; a bit shorter and quite common.
waktu pagi (without pada) – (the) morning time
- Feels a bit more colloquial if used as a time adverb:
  - Lebuh raya itu sesak waktu pagi.
setiap pagi – every morning
- Adds the idea of habit / regularity:
  - Lebuh raya itu sesak setiap pagi. = The highway is congested every morning.

So:

Your sentence: one specific time frame in general: in the morning
setiap pagi: emphasises regularly, every day

Can I move the time phrase? Is Lebuh raya itu pada waktu pagi sesak acceptable?

Normal word orders:

Lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi.
Pada waktu pagi, lebuh raya itu sesak.

Both are natural: Malay can put the time expression at the start or the end.

Lebuh raya itu pada waktu pagi sesak is grammatically possible, but it sounds:

a bit unusual in everyday speech
like you are strongly emphasising “in the morning (specifically) it is congested”, maybe contrasting it with another time (but not at night etc.)

For standard, neutral style, it is better to keep:

time at the end: …sesak pada waktu pagi
or time at the beginning: Pada waktu pagi, …sesak.

How do I say The highway was congested this morning or will be congested tomorrow morning in Malay? There is no tense marking, right?

Malay does not change the verb/adjective form for tense. Instead it adds time words.

Using your pattern:

The highway was congested this morning.
- Lebuh raya itu sesak pagi tadi.
  - pagi tadi = this morning (earlier today)
The highway will be congested tomorrow morning.
- Lebuh raya itu akan sesak pada pagi esok.
- Or: Lebuh raya itu akan sesak esok pagi.
  - akan = will (future marker)
  - esok pagi / pagi esok = tomorrow morning

Notice sesak never changes for past or future; only context words (tadi, esok, akan) show the time.

How do I say The highway is not congested in the morning? Where does not go?

To negate an adjective in Malay, use tidak before the adjective.

So:

Lebuh raya itu tidak sesak pada waktu pagi.
= The highway is not congested in the morning.

Pattern:

[Subject] + tidak + [adjective] + (time phrase)

Examples:

Bas itu tidak sesak pada waktu pagi. – The bus is not crowded in the morning.
Jalan ini tidak sibuk waktu pagi. – This road is not busy in the morning.

How would I make it plural, like The highways are congested in the morning? Does lebuh raya change form?

Malay usually does not mark plural on the noun itself. Lebuh raya can mean highway or highways, depending on context.

To make the plural meaning clear, you can:

Use a quantifier:
- Semua lebuh raya sesak pada waktu pagi.
  = All the highways are congested in the morning.
Use reduplication (more formal / written):
- Lebuh raya-lebuh raya itu sesak pada waktu pagi.
  = Those highways are congested in the morning.

In everyday speech, semua lebuh raya is more natural than reduplication if you really need to stress plural. Otherwise, context usually tells you whether lebuh raya is singular or plural.

Is pagi used only as “morning”, or can it be used in greetings like Selamat pagi?

Pagi is primarily the noun morning, but it also appears in greetings and time expressions.

Common uses:

pagi – morning
- pada waktu pagi – in the morning
- pagi tadi – this morning
- esok pagi – tomorrow morning
Selamat pagi. – Good morning.
- Here Selamat ≈ “good / safe / well-being”, and pagi is morning.
- Literally: Safe/Good morning.

So pagi works both as a time word and inside the standard greeting Selamat pagi.