Learn Hardcore Malay: Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.

The hyphen marks full reduplication (repeating the word). In practice, saudara-mara is a fixed expression meaning “relatives / extended family”.

Since saudara-mara is already plural, why do we still use ramai (which also suggests “many”)?

Yes, saudara-mara already has a plural/collective sense, but ramai adds the idea of quantity—that there were many relatives, not just “relatives in general.”

Saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
→ Relatives attended the wedding. (just states their presence)
Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
→ Many relatives attended the wedding. (emphasizes a large number)

So saudara-mara = who (type of people), ramai = how many (a lot).

What is the difference between hadir and datang?

Both can relate to “coming” or “attending,” but they differ in nuance and formality:

datang = “to come” (more general, neutral)
- Dia datang lewat. = He/She came late.
hadir = “to be present / to attend” (more formal, used for events, ceremonies, meetings)
- Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
  = Many relatives attended that wedding.

In a sentence about a formal event like a wedding, hadir sounds more formal and appropriate than datang.

Why is it hadir ke perkahwinan itu and not hadir di perkahwinan itu?

Both ke and di can appear with hadir, but:

ke = to / towards (focuses on movement/going to the event)
di = at / in (focuses on location/being present at the event)

In many formal sentences, hadir ke is very common and idiomatic:

Ramai tetamu hadir ke majlis itu. = Many guests attended the event.

You might also see:

Ramai tetamu hadir di majlis itu. = Many guests were present at the event.

In your sentence, ke emphasizes the idea of attending/going to that wedding.

What does perkahwinan mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Perkahwinan means “marriage” or “wedding (ceremony)”, depending on context.

It’s formed from the root kahwin (to marry) with the prefix per- and suffix -an:

kahwin = to marry
per + kahwin + an → perkahwinan = marriage / wedding

In this sentence, with hadir ke perkahwinan itu, it clearly refers to the wedding (event).

What does itu do in perkahwinan itu?

Itu is a demonstrative meaning “that”.

perkahwinan itu = that wedding / the wedding

Malay doesn’t use articles like “the” and “a,” so itu can function similarly to “that” and often gives a specific or previously mentioned sense:

Rumah itu = that house / the house
Perkahwinan itu = that wedding / the wedding just mentioned or known to both speaker and listener.

Why is there no word for “were” or “did” in the sentence? How is tense shown?

Malay does not conjugate verbs for tense like English does. There is no separate word for “was/were/did” here.

Tense is usually understood from context or from optional time markers (like sudah, akan, tadi, semalam, etc.).

Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
Depending on context, can mean:
- Many relatives attended that wedding. (past)
- Many relatives are attending that wedding. (present, with context)
- Many relatives will attend that wedding. (future, with context)

If you want to be explicit about past, you might say:

Ramai saudara-mara telah/sudah hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
= Many relatives have already attended that wedding.

The sentence has no pronoun like “they.” Is that normal in Malay?

Yes, it’s very normal. Malay often omits pronouns if they’re not necessary for clarity.

Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
Literally: “Many relatives attended that wedding.”
Implicit subject = “many relatives”; you don’t need they.

You could add mereka (they), but it becomes a bit redundant:

Ramai saudara-mara mereka hadir… would typically mean “Many of their relatives attended…”, adding a possessive nuance. Usually, the simple original sentence is best.

Why is the word order Ramai saudara-mara hadir and not Saudara-mara ramai hadir?

Both word orders are possible, but the nuance changes slightly.

Ramai saudara-mara hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
- Focuses first on “many” → we’re emphasizing the number.
- Natural and common in neutral description.
Saudara-mara ramai hadir ke perkahwinan itu.
- Puts saudara-mara first, then qualifies them with ramai.
- Can sound slightly more descriptive (“The relatives — many of them — attended”).

The first version is more straightforward and common when simply saying “Many relatives attended the wedding.”

Is saudara-mara formal, informal, or neutral? Are there other ways to say “relatives”?

Saudara-mara is neutral and widely used in both spoken and written Malay.

Other common ways to refer to relatives:

keluarga = family (usually closer family, but can be wider by context)
ahli keluarga = family members
kaum keluarga = family/relatives (more literary/formal)

But for “relatives” in a general sense, saudara-mara is very natural.

Is perkahwinan formal? Could I use kahwin instead?

Perkahwinan is more formal and is the standard noun for “wedding” or “marriage,” especially in writing, announcements, invitations, and news.

Kahwin is the verb “to marry / get married.” Informally, people may also say:

majlis kahwin (informal)
majlis perkahwinan (more formal)

In your sentence, perkahwinan itu is perfectly natural and slightly formal, which matches the use of hadir.

Can I say Ramai saudara-mara datang ke perkahwinan itu instead? Is it still correct?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and understandable:

Ramai saudara-mara datang ke perkahwinan itu.
= Many relatives came to that wedding.

The difference is nuance:

hadir → emphasizes attendance/presence (more formal)
datang → emphasizes the act of coming (more general/neutral)

For a written sentence that sounds slightly more polished or formal, hadir is usually preferred.