Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.

The doctor at that health center is very expert.

Breakdown of Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• di: at
• sangat: very
• doktor: the doctor
• pusat kesihatan: the health center
• pakar: expert

Questions & Answers about Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.

In English we say “The doctor at that health center is very skilled.” Where is the verb “is” in the Malay sentence?

Malay often leaves out the verb “to be” when linking a subject to an adjective or a noun.

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
  Literally: Doctor at health centre that very expert.

There is no separate word for “is/are” here. The structure is simply:

• Subject: Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu
• Description: sangat pakar

You could add adalah between them:

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu adalah sangat pakar.

…but in this sentence it sounds a bit heavier/formal or slightly emphatic. The natural everyday version is without a verb: Doktor … sangat pakar.

Does doktor mean “the doctor” or “the doctors”? Is it singular or plural?

On its own, doktor is number‑neutral: it can mean “doctor” or “doctors” depending on context.

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
  Can be understood as:
  • The doctor at that health center is very skilled, or
  • The doctors at that health center are very skilled.

To make it clearly singular, you can add a word like:

• Seorang doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
  = One / a doctor at that health center is very skilled.

To make it clearly plural, you can say:

• Para doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar. (more formal)
• Doktor-doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar. (reduplication)

Both mean “The doctors at that health center are very skilled.”

What does di mean in this sentence, and how is it used?

Di is a preposition meaning roughly “at / in / on” (location marker).

In this sentence:

• di pusat kesihatan itu = at that health center

Structure:

• di
  • place
• di
  • pusat kesihatan itu

Examples with di:

• di rumah – at home / in the house
• di sekolah – at school
• di Kuala Lumpur – in Kuala Lumpur

So di is always followed by a location noun (or noun phrase).

What does pusat kesihatan itu literally mean, and why is itu at the end?

Breakdown:

• pusat = center
• kesihatan = health
• pusat kesihatan = health center
• itu = that / the (specific one already known)

So pusat kesihatan itu literally is:

• “that health center” / “the health center (that we’ve mentioned / both know about)”

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

• rumah itu – that house
• kereta ini – this car
• pusat kesihatan itu – that health center

This is different from English, which puts “this/that” before the noun.

What exactly does pakar mean here? Is it an adjective (skilled) or a noun (expert/specialist)?

Pakar can function as both:

1. As a noun: “expert / specialist”

   • Dia seorang pakar. – He/She is an expert.
   • Pakar bedah – surgeon (surgery specialist)

2. As an adjective: “expert, highly skilled, very proficient”
   In your sentence it functions like an adjective:

   • Doktor … sangat pakar.
     = The doctor is very expert / very skilled / highly specialized.

So the sense is that the doctor is highly competent or specialized, not just “okay at their job.”

What does sangat mean, and how is it different from other words like amat or terlalu?

Sangat is an adverb meaning “very” (neutral, common, and safe to use).

• sangat pakar = very skilled / very expert
• sangat baik = very good
• sangat sibuk = very busy

Comparisons:

• amat – also “very”, a bit more formal/literary.
  
  • Doktor itu amat pakar.
• sungguh – really / truly / indeed (adds emphasis, can sound a bit expressive).
  
  • Doktor itu sungguh pakar.
• begitu – so / that (much) (often descriptive, slightly emotional).
  
  • Doktor itu begitu pakar. – The doctor is so skilled.
• terlalu – too / excessively (usually negative or “too much”).
  
  • Doktor itu terlalu pakar. – Sounds odd; like “too expert,” rarely used this way.

For neutral “very”, sangat is the standard choice.

Could I change the word order, like “Doktor itu di pusat kesihatan sangat pakar”? Does that change the meaning?

You can change the order slightly, and the meaning stays similar, but the focus changes.

1. Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
   Natural, neutral focus. The whole phrase
   “doktor di pusat kesihatan itu” = “the doctor(s) at that health center” is the subject.

2. Doktor itu di pusat kesihatan sangat pakar.
   This sounds a bit less natural in standard Malay. It can be understood as:

   • “That doctor, at the health center, is very skilled.”

   It may sound like you’re emphasizing “that doctor” specifically (as opposed to some other doctors).

Most of the time, the original order is preferred:

• [Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu] sangat pakar.

How would I make this sentence clearly past or future? Do I conjugate anything?

Malay verbs and adjectives do not conjugate for tense. You show time using time expressions (yesterday, later, already, etc.).

Your sentence has no verb to conjugate anyway, so you just add a time word:

• Dulu, doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
  In the past, the doctor(s) at that health center were very skilled.

• Sekarang, doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar.
  Now, the doctor(s) at that health center are very skilled.

• Pada masa depan, doktor di pusat kesihatan itu pasti sangat pakar.
  In the future, the doctor(s) at that health center will surely be very skilled.

So you don’t change doktor or pakar; you add time words like dulu (formerly), sekarang (now), nanti (later), esok (tomorrow).

How do I make this sentence negative, like “not very skilled”?

To negate adjectives and most verbs in Malay, you use tidak.

So:

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu tidak sangat pakar.
  Literally: The doctor at that health center is not very expert.

However, this sounds a bit unnatural; Malay would more typically say:

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu tidak begitu pakar.
  = The doctor(s) at that health center are not that skilled.

Or, to soften it:

• Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu kurang pakar.
  = The doctor(s) at that health center are less skilled / not very skilled.

Patterns:

• tidak + adjective
  
  • tidak pakar – not skilled / not an expert
  • tidak baik – not good
  • tidak tinggi – not tall

What’s the difference between sihat and kesihatan in pusat kesihatan?

• sihat is an adjective: healthy
  
  • Saya sihat. – I’m healthy.
• kesihatan is a noun: health
  It’s formed with the prefix–suffix ke- … -an, which often turns adjectives into abstract nouns.

So:

• sihat → kesihatan (healthy → health)
• Pusat kesihatan = health center

Other similar patterns:

• baik (good) → kebaikan (goodness)
• bersih (clean) → kebersihan (cleanliness)

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would people actually say this in conversation?

Doktor di pusat kesihatan itu sangat pakar. is in neutral, standard Malay. It’s suitable for:

• writing (articles, reports, essays)
• formal speech
• polite conversation

In casual spoken Malay, someone might say roughly the same idea with slightly different wording, for example:

• Doktor kat pusat kesihatan tu memang pakar.
  
  • di → kat (colloquial at)
  • itu → tu (colloquial that)
  • memang pakar – “really is expert”

But your original sentence sounds natural and correct in standard Malay.

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation (stressed fairly evenly; Malay has simple, clear vowels):

• Doktor – DOK-tor

  • o as in soft, both times; r lightly rolled or tapped.

• di – dee

  • i as in see.

• pusat – POO-sat

  • u as in food; a as in father; final t is a plain /t/.

• kesihatan – kǝ-see-HAH-tan

  • ke-: like a very short, weak kǝ
  • si: see
  • ha: hah
  • tan: tahn

• itu – EE-too

  • i = ee; u = oo.

• sangat – SAHNG-at

  • sang: like sung but with a as in father and a clear ng
  • at: ut / aht (short).

• pakar – PAH-kar

  • pa: pah
  • kar: like car with a light r.

Malay spelling is very phonetic: once you know the vowel sounds and a few consonant rules (ng, ny, sy, etc.), most words are read as written.