Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.

I have never skipped work.

Breakdown of Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.

• saya: I
• kerja: the work
• tidak: not
• pernah: ever
• ponteng: to skip (work/classes)

Questions & Answers about Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.

Why do we need both tidak and pernah here? Doesn’t pernah already mean “ever”?

In Malay, pernah by itself just means ever / at some time before.

• Saya pernah ponteng kerja.
  = I have (at some time) skipped work.

To say never, you normally combine tidak (not) with pernah (ever):

• Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.
  = I have never skipped work.
  (literally: I not ever skip work)

So:

• pernah = ever / once / at some point
• tidak pernah = never / not ever

You cannot say Saya pernah ponteng kerja and mean I never skip work. That would actually mean the opposite: you have skipped work before.

Where is the word “have” in this sentence? How does Malay say “I have never skipped work”?

Malay doesn’t use a separate word like English “have” (as an auxiliary) to form the present perfect.

Instead, Malay uses:

• time words (like sudah, dah = already; belum = not yet), and
• aspect words like pernah (= ever / has ever)

In Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja, there is no direct word for English “have”. The “have … ever” idea is carried by pernah in combination with tidak.

So:

• Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.
  = I have never skipped work.
  (lit. I not ever skip work)

Malay relies on pernah and context, not on an auxiliary verb like have.

Does this sentence mean “I have never skipped work” or “I never skip work”? Is there a difference in Malay?

Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja can cover both English ideas, and the exact nuance depends on context:

1. I have never skipped work (up to now).

   • This is the most direct reading, because pernah refers to past experience.
   • You’re talking about your life / work history so far.

2. I never skip work (as a general habit).

   • It can also be understood as a statement of habit, especially if you’re talking about your character or work ethic.

Malay doesn’t mark tense the way English does. The same sentence can be understood as:

• a life experience statement (“I’ve never done this”), or
• a habit statement (“I don’t do this at all”),

and listeners figure out which one from the broader conversation.

What is the difference between tidak, tak, and bukan? Could I say Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja?

• tidak

  • Standard, neutral not for verbs and adjectives.
  • Correct in this sentence.

• tak

  • Informal / spoken short form of tidak.
  • Very common in everyday speech.
  • In this sentence, Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja is perfectly natural in casual conversation.

• bukan

  • Used mainly to negate nouns and pronouns, or to say “is not / are not / am not (something)”.
  • Example: Itu bukan rumah saya. = That is not my house.
  • You cannot say Saya bukan pernah ponteng kerja here; that’s ungrammatical.

So for this sentence:

• Formal / neutral: Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja.
• Casual: Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja.

What exactly does ponteng mean, and how formal or informal is it?

ponteng is a verb meaning to skip / to play truant / to be absent on purpose, usually from:

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

Nuance:

• It’s informal and quite colloquial, widely used in everyday Malaysian speech.
• It often carries the idea of deliberately not attending, not just accidentally missing.

More neutral or formal alternatives:

• tidak datang kerja = not come to work
• tidak hadir kerja / tidak hadir ke tempat kerja = not attend work
• culas hadir kerja (more formal, rare in daily speech) = negligent in attending work

But in normal conversation, ponteng kerja is very common and natural.

Is ponteng kerja missing a preposition? Why don’t we say something like “ponteng dari kerja”?

No preposition is needed. ponteng kerja is simply:

• ponteng (verb) + kerja (noun object)
  → skip work

Malay often puts verb + noun directly, without a preposition, just like:

• makan nasi = eat rice
• baca buku = read a book
• buat kerja = do work

You may sometimes hear ponteng dari kerja in very casual speech, but it’s not the usual or standard pattern. The natural structure is ponteng kerja (verb + direct object).

What does kerja mean here? How is it different from bekerja?

kerja can be both a noun and related to a verb idea:

• As a noun: work / job / task

  • Saya ada banyak kerja. = I have a lot of work.
  • In ponteng kerja, kerja is a noun: skip work.

• As a verb, Malay usually uses bekerja = to work:

  • Saya bekerja di Kuala Lumpur. = I work in Kuala Lumpur.

You would not normally say ponteng bekerja. The natural phrase is:

• ponteng kerja (skip work), not ponteng bekerja.

So in Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja, kerja = “work” (noun).

Why is the pronoun Saya used? Could we use aku instead, and what would change?

Saya is the neutral / polite first-person singular pronoun:

• Saya
  
  • Used in formal situations, with strangers, at work, or when you want to be polite.
  • Safe default in most contexts.

Other common options:

• aku
  
  • More informal / intimate: with close friends, family of similar age, or people you’re very comfortable with.
  • Aku tak pernah ponteng kerja.
    = Same meaning, but sounds more casual and familiar.

In a work-related statement like this, Saya tidak pernah ponteng kerja sounds appropriate, polite, and slightly more “official” than Aku tak pernah ponteng kerja.

How would I turn this into a question like “Have you ever skipped work?” in Malay?

Common ways to ask:

1. Using awak (you, informal–neutral):

   • Awak pernah ponteng kerja tak?
     (lit. You ever skip work not?)
     = Have you ever skipped work?

2. More neutral / slightly formal anda:

   • Anda pernah ponteng kerja tak?

3. Dropping the pronoun (very casual, when context is clear):

   • Pernah ponteng kerja tak?

Patterns to notice:

• Question is formed by:
  • using pernah (ever)
  • and adding tak? at the end as a question marker in speech.
• Answer negative:
  • Tak pernah. / Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja.
    = Never. / I’ve never skipped work.
• Answer positive:
  • Pernah. / Saya pernah ponteng kerja.
    = Yes, I have. / I’ve skipped work before.

Are there other common ways to say “never” with this sentence besides tidak pernah?

Yes, you can strengthen or rephrase never using other words. Some natural variations:

1. tak langsung / langsung tak (not at all)

   • Saya tak ponteng kerja langsung.
     = I never skip work at all.

2. sekali pun / walau sekali pun (not even once)

   • Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja walau sekali pun.
     = I have never skipped work, not even once.

3. Using both for emphasis:

   • Saya tak pernah ponteng kerja langsung, walau sekali pun.
     = I absolutely never skip work, not even once.

tidak pernah is the basic, neutral way to say never, and these extra words just add emphasis.