Learn Hardcore Malay: Bayaran tol itu mahal.

Bayaran – a noun meaning payment (from the verb bayar, to pay).
tol – a noun meaning toll; here it modifies bayaran, so bayaran tol ≈ toll payment / toll fee.
itu – a demonstrative meaning that; here it functions like that / the and makes the phrase bayaran tol itu definite: that toll payment / the toll payment.
mahal – an adjective meaning expensive; it is the predicate of the sentence.

So the structure is: [Subject] Bayaran tol itu + [Predicate] mahal.

What is the difference between bayar and bayaran?

bayar is a verb: to pay.
- Example: Saya bayar tol. – I pay the toll.
bayaran is a noun formed by adding -an to the verb: payment / fee / charge.
- Example: Bayaran tol itu mahal. – The toll payment is expensive.

The suffix -an is very common in Malay for turning a verb into a related noun.

Why is it tol and not something like toll or another word?

tol is a loanword from English toll, adapted to Malay spelling and pronunciation:

Spelled tol (no double consonant).
Pronounced roughly like tole in toll, but without the English diphthong; just a clear tohl.

In Malay, tol is treated as an ordinary noun meaning the fee you pay to use a road, bridge, etc.

What exactly does itu mean here: that or the?

itu literally means that (as in that thing over there), but in many contexts it works like the English definite article the.

So Bayaran tol itu mahal can be understood as:

That toll payment is expensive (if you have a specific toll in mind), or
The toll payment is expensive (more general, but still definite).

Malay does not have a separate word for the, so itu often fills that role when you want to make a noun phrase specific.

Why is it bayaran tol itu and not itu bayaran tol?

In Malay, itu usually comes after the noun (or noun phrase) it refers to, not before it:

rumah itu – that house / the house
kereta itu – that car / the car
bayaran tol itu – that toll payment / the toll payment

itu bayaran tol is not the normal way to say that toll payment in standard Malay.

If you put itu in front (itu bayaran tol), it tends to sound like you are starting a new clause, e.g. Itu bayaran tol, bukan cukai. – That is the toll payment, not tax. Here itu is more like that (thing), not a determiner.

Why is there no word for “is” in Bayaran tol itu mahal?

Malay usually does not use a verb like English to be (is / am / are) before an adjective. The pattern is:

Subject + Adjective

So:

Bayaran tol itu mahal. – literally That toll payment expensive.
Rumah itu besar. – That house big.
Kereta saya baru. – My car new.

There is a word adalah / ialah, but it is mostly used:

in more formal contexts, and
usually when the complement is a noun phrase, not a simple adjective.

For example:

Masalah utama adalah kekurangan dana. – The main problem is lack of funds.

You would not normally say Bayaran tol itu adalah mahal in everyday speech; it sounds unnatural or overly formal.

Can Bayaran tol itu mahal refer to more than one toll payment, or is it strictly singular?

Malay does not mark plural with -s like English. Bayaran tol itu can be:

singular: that toll payment / the toll payment, or
plural/collective: those toll payments / the toll payments (if context shows you mean several).

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you have options like:

Bayaran-bayaran tol itu mahal. – Those toll payments are expensive. (reduplication for plural, more formal/bookish)
Semua bayaran tol itu mahal. – All those toll payments are expensive.

But in normal conversation, plain bayaran tol itu is flexible; context tells the listener whether you mean one or more.

Is mahal only used for prices, or can it be used more broadly?

Primarily, mahal means expensive in terms of money:

Telefon itu mahal. – That phone is expensive.

But it can also be used metaphorically, similar to English:

Masa sangat mahal. – Time is very precious / valuable.

In your sentence, mahal clearly refers to the cost of the toll payment.

How can I make the sentence stronger, like “very expensive” or “too expensive”?

Common intensifiers with mahal:

sangat mahal – very expensive
amat mahal – very/quite expensive (formal or careful speech)
terlalu mahal – too expensive (excessive)
mahal sekali – very expensive (literally expensive once, idiomatic intensifier)

Examples:

Bayaran tol itu sangat mahal. – The toll payment is very expensive.
Bayaran tol itu terlalu mahal. – The toll payment is too expensive.

How would I make the sentence negative: “The toll payment is not expensive”?

Use tidak (not) before the adjective:

Bayaran tol itu tidak mahal. – The toll payment is not expensive.

Structure: Subject + tidak + Adjective.

Is there a difference between Bayaran tol itu mahal and Harga tol itu mahal?

Both can be used in everyday speech, but there is a small nuance:

Bayaran tol itu mahal. – Literally The toll payment is expensive.
- Slight emphasis on the act/amount of payment you make.
Harga tol itu mahal. – Literally The toll price is expensive.
- Emphasis on the price itself as a number set by someone.

In practice, many speakers use them interchangeably when complaining about toll costs.

How do you pronounce Bayaran tol itu mahal?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-like spelling):

Bayaran – bah-yah-rahn (3 syllables: ba-ya-ran; r is tapped, like in Spanish)
tol – tohl (short, clear o)
itu – ee-too (2 syllables: i-tu)
mahal – mah-hahl (2 syllables: ma-hal)

Word stress in Malay is usually light and tends to fall on the second-last syllable, but it’s much flatter than English stress. The whole sentence flows smoothly as:

ba-YA-ran TOL I-tu MA-hal (all fairly even, no big pitch jumps).