Learn Hardcore Malay: Kalau saya ponteng kerja tanpa alasan, saya kena denda oleh bos. - If I skip work without a reason, I will be punished by the boss.

kalau = very common, informal–neutral.
jika = a bit more formal, common in writing, news, official documents.
sekiranya = even more formal/literary; often used in writing, notices, announcements.

All three can usually replace each other without changing the core meaning:

Kalau saya ponteng kerja...
Jika saya ponteng kerja...
Sekiranya saya ponteng kerja...

In casual speech, kalau is by far the most common choice.

What does ponteng kerja mean exactly? Is ponteng only for work?

Ponteng is a verb meaning to skip / to be absent on purpose without permission.

ponteng kerja = to skip work / play truant from work
ponteng sekolah = to skip school / play truant
ponteng kelas = to skip class

So:

ponteng = the act of purposely not going (when you’re supposed to).
kerja = work, job.

Together, ponteng kerja is a common, natural phrase: to skip work (without valid reason).

It’s quite informal but widely used, including in everyday speech and even in media.

What does tanpa alasan mean, and is it different from tanpa sebab?

Tanpa alasan literally means “without a reason/excuse”.

tanpa = without
alasan = reason, excuse

Nuance:

In this context, alasan often has a slight flavour of “excuse / justification” rather than a neutral “reason”.
tanpa alasan = without any (good) reason / without any excuse.

You might also see:

tanpa sebab – “without cause / without reason”. Sebab is more neutral “cause”.
tanpa apa-apa alasan – “without any reason at all”.

In this sentence, tanpa alasan is very natural and idiomatic.

What exactly does kena mean in saya kena denda? Is it “must”, “have to”, or “get”?

Kena is tricky because it has a few common uses. In this sentence:

saya kena denda ≈ I get fined / I will be fined / I receive a penalty.

Here, kena suggests experiencing / suffering something done to you, often negative:

Dia kena marah. = He got scolded.
Kami kena tipu. = We were cheated.
Mereka kena tangkap. = They were arrested / got caught.

Informally, kena is also used to mean “must / have to”:

Saya kena pergi sekarang. = I have to go now.

So:

In saya kena denda, it’s not “I must fine (someone)”.
Instead, it’s more like a passive “I get fined / I am fined”.

The context makes it clear: the boss is doing the punishing, and you are on the receiving end.

Is kena denda like a passive voice? How does it compare to an active sentence?

Yes, kena denda functions similarly to a passive construction where you’re the one affected.

Sentence in the prompt:

Saya kena denda oleh bos.
= I get fined by my boss / I am fined by my boss.

Active version:

Bos denda saya. or Bos akan mendenda saya.
= The boss fines me / will fine me.

Comparison:

Saya kena denda (oleh bos):
- Focus on me and what happens to me.
- Implicit sense of “I suffer this action”.
Bos denda saya:
- Focus on the boss doing the action.
- More straightforward active voice.

Both are grammatical; kena denda is very common in speech to highlight being on the receiving end.

Why is there no word for “will” (like akan) even though the meaning is future?

Malay often leaves tense (past/present/future) implicit and relies on context.

Saya kena denda oleh bos.
Can mean:
- I get fined (general rule)
- I will get fined (in that situation)
- I got fined (if context is past)

If you want to be very explicit about future, you can add akan:

Kalau saya ponteng kerja tanpa alasan, saya akan kena denda oleh bos.

This is still correct but sounds a bit heavier/more formal. In everyday speech, people usually drop akan when the future meaning is obvious from context (such as in conditional “if” clauses talking about consequences).

What is the role of oleh bos here? Can it be left out?

Oleh marks the agent (doer) in a passive-like structure.

oleh = by
bos = boss

So:

Saya kena denda oleh bos.
= I get fined by my boss.

Yes, it can be left out if it’s clear who is doing the fining:

Kalau saya ponteng kerja tanpa alasan, saya kena denda.
= If I skip work without a reason, I get fined. (who fines you is implied)

In natural speech, people often omit oleh + agent when it’s obvious from context.

Is bos standard Malay, or is it slang? Are there more formal alternatives?

Bos (from English boss) is very common and widely understood in Malay. It’s used in:

Everyday conversation
Workplaces
Even some media

However, it is informal–neutral. More formal words include:

majikan = employer
ketua = leader, head
pengurus = manager

So in a formal written context, you might see:

Saya akan didenda oleh majikan.
rather than oleh bos.

Pronunciation is roughly [bos], just like English “boss” but usually shorter and without the long vowel.

What does kerja mean here, and why not di tempat kerja or something similar?

Kerja is a noun meaning work / job / employment, but in daily speech it also stands for “going to work / being at work”.

ponteng kerja = skip work / not show up at work

You could make it more explicit:

ponteng dari kerja
ponteng pergi kerja
ponteng di tempat kerja

…but those sound less natural or more wordy. The compact phrase ponteng kerja is the normal, idiomatic way to say absent yourself from work without permission.

Can I replace saya with aku in this sentence? Does it change the politeness level?

Yes, grammatically you can:

Kalau aku ponteng kerja tanpa alasan, aku kena denda oleh bos.

Differences:

saya = polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (work, strangers, formal).
aku = informal, more intimate; used with friends, close family, sometimes among young colleagues who are on very familiar terms.

In a work-related sentence about your boss, saya is the safer and more typical choice, especially when speaking politely or generally about rules.