Learn Hardcore Malay: Doktor di hospital kerajaan itu sangat profesional. - The doctor at that public hospital is very professional.

Doktor … sangat profesional.
Literally: Doctor(s) … very professional.
There is no separate word for “are” here.
This is normal and correct. In simple “A is B” sentences where B is an adjective or noun, Malay usually has no linking verb.

So “Doktor di hospital kerajaan itu sangat profesional.” naturally means
“The doctors at that government hospital are very professional.” without any explicit “are”.

Is doktor singular or plural here?

Doktor in Malay does not change form for singular or plural.

It can mean “a doctor / the doctor” or “doctors / the doctors” depending on context.
In this sentence, because we’re talking about how they generally are, the natural reading is plural:
“The doctors at that government hospital are very professional.”

If you really needed to force a plural feeling, you could use:

para doktor – a group of doctors (more formal / written)
doktor-doktor – doctors (repeated word; can sound a bit “list-like”)

But usually just doktor is enough and context gives the number.

What exactly does hospital kerajaan mean? Is it “king’s hospital” or “government hospital”?

In modern usage, kerajaan most often means “government” (not literally “kingdom” here).

hospital kerajaan = government hospital, i.e., a public hospital run by the state.
Historically kerajaan can relate to “kingdom / rule”, but in today’s Malaysia/Indonesia it very commonly means “the government (as an institution)”.

So hospital kerajaan is not about royalty here; it’s about being state-run / public.

Why is itu at the end of hospital kerajaan itu instead of before hospital, like “itu hospital kerajaan”?

Malay places demonstratives like itu (that) and ini (this) after the whole noun phrase, not before it.

Structure: [noun + descriptor(s)] + itu / ini
Example from the sentence:
- hospital (noun)
- kerajaan (descriptor: government)
- itu (that)

So: hospital kerajaan itu = “that government hospital”

Compare:

rumah besar itu – that big house
guru bahasa Inggeris itu – that English teacher

Using itu hospital kerajaan is ungrammatical in standard Malay.

What does di mean here, and how is it different from ke or pada?

di is a preposition that usually means “at / in / on” (location).

di hospital kerajaan itu = “at / in that government hospital”

Difference from other prepositions:

di – static location: at / in / on
- di rumah – at home
- di sekolah – at school
ke – movement towards a place: to
- ke hospital – to the hospital
pada – often “on / at” but more abstract or for time, people, or occasions
- pada hari Isnin – on Monday
- pada Ali – to Ali / on Ali (depending on context)

So in your sentence, di is correct because we’re talking about where the doctors are, not movement.

What does sangat mean, and can it go anywhere else in the sentence?

Sangat is an intensifier meaning “very”.

sangat profesional = very professional

Typical position: before an adjective:

sangat baik – very good
sangat besar – very big

You’ll also see it after the adjective, especially in more casual speech:

profesional sangat – also “very professional”, but this can sound more informal / emphatic.

Other similar words:

amat – also “very”, a bit more formal/literary
terlalu – “too (much)” (can be negative): terlalu mahal – too expensive
sungguh – truly/indeed, also used like “very” in some contexts.

Can profesional in Malay also be a noun like in English, e.g., “a professional”?

Yes, profesional can be both:

Adjective – as in your sentence:
- sangat profesional – very professional
Noun – a professional / professionals
- Dia seorang profesional. – He/She is a professional.
- Mereka ialah para profesional muda. – They are young professionals.

In your sentence, profesional is clearly used as an adjective describing doktor.

Could we change the word order to “Di hospital kerajaan itu, doktor sangat profesional”?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and quite natural.

Doktor di hospital kerajaan itu sangat profesional.
Focus starts with “the doctors”.
Di hospital kerajaan itu, doktor sangat profesional.
Focus starts with “at that government hospital”.

Both mean the same thing; the second one just emphasizes the location a bit more. The comma is optional in normal writing but often used to show the pause.

Do we need para before doktor to show that it’s plural, like para doktor?

No, para is optional and often sounds more formal or written.

doktor di hospital kerajaan itu – perfectly fine in everyday speech/writing
para doktor di hospital kerajaan itu – highlights that it’s a group, often in formal texts, speeches, news, etc.

In most everyday contexts, doktor alone is enough and will be understood as plural from context.

Why is Doktor capitalized but kerajaan and hospital are not?

Malay capitalization rules are close to English but with some differences:

The first word of a sentence is capitalized:
- Doktor – capital D because it starts the sentence.
Common nouns like doktor, hospital, kerajaan are normally not capitalized in the middle of a sentence.
Proper nouns (names of people, countries, specific institutions) are capitalized:
- Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kerajaan Malaysia, Dr. Ali

If doktor appeared in the middle of a sentence and wasn’t part of a name, it would be doktor, not Doktor.