Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.

Breakdown of Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.

saya
I
membuat
to make
lebih
more
daripada
from
komen
the comment
blog
the blog
positif
positive
pembaca
the reader
bermotivasi
motivated
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Questions & Answers about Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.

What is the difference between dari and daripada, and why is daripada used here?

Malay has two very similar prepositions: dari and daripada. Both can translate as from, but they’re used in slightly different ways.

Very broadly:

  • dari is often used for:

    • physical origin: Saya datang dari London. – I come from London.
    • time: Dari pagi sampai malam. – From morning until night.
    • direction / movement: Dia berjalan dari rumah ke sekolah.
  • daripada is often used for:

    • people as the source of something:
      Hadiah ini daripada ibu saya. – This gift is from my mother.
    • comparisons: Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya. – He is taller than me.
    • more abstract sources (ideas, feedback, emotions from someone, etc.)

In your sentence:

Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.
Positive comments from blog readers make me more motivated.

The source of the comments is people (the blog readers), so daripada is more natural than dari here.

If you used dari, it would still be understood and many natives do say it in casual speech, but daripada is the “textbook correct” and more formal option when referring to people as the source.

Is komen positif singular or plural? Does it mean one comment or many comments?

Malay nouns don’t change form for singular vs plural, so komen can mean comment or comments depending on context.

  • komen positif can be:
    • a positive comment
    • positive comments

In your sentence, the English translation would naturally be plural:

Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.
Positive comments from blog readers make me more motivated.

If you really wanted to emphasize plurality, you could say:

  • Banyak komen positif daripada pembaca blog...Many positive comments from blog readers...
  • Komen-komen positif daripada pembaca blog... – positive comments (reduplicated form suggests plurality)

But in normal usage, komen positif is enough, and context does the work.

What exactly does membuat mean here, and can I replace it with something else?

membuat literally means to make or to cause.

In this sentence:

...membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.
...makes me more motivated.

So the structure is:

  • komen positif = subject
  • membuat = verb “makes/causes”
  • saya = object “me”
  • lebih bermotivasi = complement describing the result, “more motivated”.

You can replace membuat with some near-synonyms, for example:

  • menjadikan
    Komen positif ... menjadikan saya lebih bermotivasi.
    Very close in meaning; slightly more formal / written style.
  • memberi saya lebih motivasi
    Komen positif ... memberi saya lebih motivasi. – literally “give me more motivation”.
  • mendorong saya untuk lebih bermotivasi
    “encourage me to be more motivated” (a bit more descriptive).

But membuat saya lebih bermotivasi is completely natural and common.

What is the role of the prefix ber- in bermotivasi? Is bermotivasi a verb or an adjective?

The prefix ber- often indicates having or being in a certain state/condition.

  • motivasi = motivation
  • bermotivasi = (literally) having motivation / being motivated

Functionally, bermotivasi works more like an adjective here, describing a state:

  • Saya bermotivasi. – I am motivated.
  • Dia sangat bermotivasi. – He/She is very motivated.

So in:

...membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.

lebih bermotivasi = more motivated (comparative form).

You can think of bermotivasi as “to be (in a state of) motivated,” but in translation it’s best treated as an adjective.

Why is there no “to be” verb (like is/am/are) in this sentence?

Malay normally does not use a verb like “to be” (is/am/are) in simple “A is B” statements.

English:

  • Positive comments make me more motivated – we still see “make”.

Malay structure:

  • Komen positif daripada pembaca blog – subject
  • membuat – verb “make”
  • saya – object “me”
  • lebih bermotivasi – complement “more motivated”

If you had a purely descriptive sentence like:

  • Saya bermotivasi. – I am motivated.
    (There’s no separate “am”; bermotivasi carries the state.)

Words like ialah/adalah exist, but they’re used in more specific, often formal or definitional contexts, not in normal subject–verb–complement sentences like this.

Could I say dari instead of daripada here without sounding wrong?

In everyday conversation, many Malaysians do use dari where daripada would be more “correct” from a textbook point of view:

  • Komen positif dari pembaca blog...

This would still be easily understood and is quite common in casual speech or informal writing (social media, chats).

However:

  • In formal writing, daripada is preferred for human/abstract sources.
  • In exams / textbooks, daripada is the safer, “standard” choice.

So: dari is not terrible here in informal use, but daripada is the recommended form.

Why is it pembaca blog, not pembaca blog saya? Does it mean “my blog readers” or just “blog readers in general”?

Literally:

  • pembaca blog = blog readers
  • pembaca blog saya = the readers of my blog

The sentence as given:

Komen positif daripada pembaca blog...

is slightly ambiguous in isolation. It can mean:

  • readers of my blog (usually implied from context, e.g. we’re talking about my blog), or
  • blog readers in general (less likely in this kind of personal sentence).

If you want to be explicit:

  • Komen positif daripada pembaca blog saya...
    Positive comments from the readers of my blog...

Both are grammatical. Leaving out saya is common when the owner is already clear from context.

Is komen a Malay word or a loanword from English? Are there more formal alternatives?

komen is a loanword from English comment and is fully natural in modern Malay, especially in:

  • online contexts (blogs, social media)
  • informal and semi-formal speech

More formal or native-sounding alternatives include:

  • ulasan – review / comment (often more formal, can be longer/more detailed)
  • maklum balas – feedback
  • komen positif daripada pembaca blog (very common and fine)
  • maklum balas positif daripada pembaca blog (a bit more formal)

In the sentence you’re learning, komen positif is the most natural choice in typical blog-related language.

Could I say yang in this part, like komen positif yang daripada pembaca blog?

No, yang is not natural in that exact spot.

  • yang is usually used to introduce a relative clause or to focus/identify something:
    • Pembaca blog yang memberi komen positif...
      The blog readers who give positive comments...
    • Komen positif yang saya terima...
      The positive comments that I receive...

But in your original phrase:

Komen positif daripada pembaca blog...

daripada pembaca blog already works as a simple prepositional phrase “from blog readers”. You don’t need yang there, and adding it (komen positif yang daripada...) sounds ungrammatical.

Is lebih bermotivasi the only way to say “more motivated”? Are there more natural alternatives?

lebih bermotivasi is correct and clear, and is used especially in somewhat formal or semi-formal writing.

Other very natural options include:

  • lebih bersemangat – more spirited/enthusiastic
    Komen positif ... membuat saya lebih bersemangat.
  • lebih terdorong – more driven/pushed (less common, more literary)
  • lebih rajin – more diligent (slightly different nuance)

You might also see lebih termotivasi, influenced by Indonesian or English “more motivated”:

  • Komen positif ... membuat saya lebih termotivasi.

In Malaysia, lebih bermotivasi and lebih bersemangat are both very natural, with bersemangat sounding a bit more colloquial and emotionally vivid.

What register is saya here? Could I use aku instead?
  • saya is polite/neutral, used in:

    • formal writing and speech
    • talking to strangers, older people, or in professional contexts
    • general public communication (like a blog post addressing readers)
  • aku is informal/intimate, used:

    • with close friends
    • sometimes in creative writing, songs, or very personal blog posts

So in your sentence:

Komen positif daripada pembaca blog membuat saya lebih bermotivasi.

Using saya is appropriate because you’re addressing readers in a polite, general way.

If your blog persona is very casual and close to the audience, you could say:

  • ...membuat aku lebih bermotivasi.

That would sound more intimate/informal, like talking to close friends. But saya is the “default safe” choice.

Is this sentence natural in both Malaysian and Indonesian, or does Indonesian use different words?

The sentence is fully natural Malaysian Malay.

In standard Indonesian, people would typically say:

  • Komentar positif dari pembaca blog membuat saya lebih termotivasi.

Main differences:

  • komen (Malay) → komentar (Indonesian standard)
  • daripada (Malay, formal for “from” + people) → dari (more common in Indonesian)
  • bermotivasi (Malay) → termotivasi is more common in Indonesian for “motivated”.

So, if you’re learning Malaysian Malay, your original sentence is good and natural. If you switch to an Indonesian context, you might adjust some words as shown.