Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Buat stays the same for past, present, and future. Context (or extra time words) tells you the time.

Your sentence Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah can mean:

I do history exercises at home. (habitual / general fact)
I did history exercises at home. (if the time has already been established as past)
I will do history exercises at home. (if the time has already been established as future)

To be more explicit, Malay often adds time expressions:

Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah setiap hari.
I do history exercises at home every day.
Tadi saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
Earlier I did history exercises at home.
Nanti saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
Later I will do history exercises at home.

How would I say “I am doing my history homework at home right now”?

To show an action happening right now, you can add sedang (in the middle of doing) and a time word if needed:

Saya sedang buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
I am doing history exercises at home.

If you want to emphasize “right now”:

Saya sedang buat latihan sejarah di rumah sekarang.
I am doing my history homework at home right now.

Sedang marks a continuous / ongoing action, similar to English -ing in this context.

What is the difference between buat and membuat here? Which is more natural?

Both are correct, but there is a difference in tone and style:

buat
- Short, informal, everyday speech
- Very common in conversation
- Example: Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
membuat
- More formal / standard
- Common in writing, exams, formal speech
- Example: Saya membuat latihan sejarah di rumah.

In casual spoken Malay, buat is very natural. In formal writing (essays, exams), membuat often sounds better.

Does latihan sejarah mean “history exercises” or “history homework”? Is that natural?

Literally, latihan sejarah is history exercise(s) or history practice.

In a school context, it can easily be understood as history homework, because the exercises you do at home are typically homework.

However, the more typical term for homework in Malay is:

kerja rumah (literally: house work, but means school homework)

So:

Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
I do history exercises at home.
Saya buat kerja rumah sejarah di rumah.
I do my history homework at home.

Both are understandable; latihan sejarah focuses more on the exercise/task itself, while kerja rumah sejarah clearly means homework for history.

Why is it latihan sejarah and not sejarah latihan? How does noun order work?

In Malay, the main noun usually comes first, and the describing noun comes after it.

Pattern:
[general noun] + [specific/qualifying noun]

latihan sejarah = exercises of history
(exercises related to history)

If you reversed it to sejarah latihan, it would literally mean something like the history of exercises, which is not what you want here.

More examples:

buku sejarah = history book (book of history)
guru matematik = math teacher (teacher of mathematics)
kelas Bahasa Melayu = Malay language class (class of Malay language)

Can I omit saya and just say Buat latihan sejarah di rumah?

Yes, you can omit saya if the subject is clear from context. Malay often drops pronouns when they are understood.

Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
I do history exercises at home.
Buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
(You) do history exercises at home.
or
(I) do history exercises at home.

Without saya, this sounds more like a command/instruction (for example, from a teacher: “Do your history exercises at home.”).

If you definitely mean I, keep saya unless the context already makes it obvious.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral?

Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah sounds neutral and slightly informal:

Saya is the standard polite I, suitable in almost all situations.
buat (instead of membuat) leans toward spoken / informal style.

In everyday speech: perfectly natural.
In formal writing (essays, official documents): many writers would prefer:

Saya membuat latihan sejarah di rumah.

What is the difference between di rumah and ke rumah?

Both di and ke are common prepositions, but they express different ideas:

di rumah = at home / in the house (location)
- di means “at/in/on” (where something is).
- Example: Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
  I do history exercises at home.
ke rumah = to the house / to home (movement towards)
- ke means “to/towards” a destination.
- Example: Saya balik ke rumah.
  I go back home / I return to the house.

So your sentence must use di rumah because you are talking about where you do the exercises, not moving to the house.

How would I say “I usually do my history homework at home”?

You can add a frequency adverb like biasanya (usually):

Saya biasanya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
I usually do history exercises at home.

Or, using a more explicit “homework” word:

Saya biasanya buat kerja rumah sejarah di rumah.
I usually do my history homework at home.

How do I say this politely to a teacher, for example, “I do my history homework at home”?

You can keep saya, and if you want a slightly more formal tone, use membuat and kerja rumah:

Saya membuat kerja rumah sejarah di rumah.
I do my history homework at home.

This sounds polite and appropriate in a classroom or with teachers.

What is the difference between saya and aku in a sentence like this?

Both mean I, but they differ in politeness and context:

saya
- Polite, neutral, standard
- Safe to use with teachers, strangers, older people, in formal situations
- Example: Saya buat latihan sejarah di rumah.
aku
- Informal, intimate
- Used with close friends, siblings, or in casual speech (depends on region and social norms)
- Example: Aku buat latihan sejarah di rumah.

For a learner, it is safest to use saya until you clearly understand the social context.