Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.

I used to live in the village.

Breakdown of Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.

• saya: I
• di: in
• tinggal: to live
• kampung: the village
• dulu: back then

Questions & Answers about Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.

Why doesn’t the verb show past tense? How does tinggal mean lived here?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Tinggal is a base form that can mean:

• live / reside
• stay (temporarily)
• remain / be left

Whether it is past, present, or future comes from time words (like dulu, nanti, sekarang) and context.

So:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  = I used to live in the village / I lived in a village before.

If you said:

• Saya tinggal di kampung sekarang.
  = I live in the village now.

Same verb form tinggal, different time word → different tense interpretation.

What exactly does dulu mean in this sentence?

In this sentence, dulu means before / in the past / previously and often corresponds to English used to.

So:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  ≈ I used to live in a village (before).

Nuances of dulu:

• Refers to an earlier time compared to now or compared to another point in time.
• It does not necessarily mean “a long time ago”; context decides whether it’s recent or long ago.

Other examples:

• Dulu saya gemuk, sekarang saya kurus.
  I used to be fat, now I’m thin.
• Dulu kami kerja di sini.
  We used to work here.

Can dulu also mean first as in “Do this first”? Is that the same dulu?

Yes, it’s the same word but used in a different context.

1. Past / earlier time (like in your sentence)

   • Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
     I used to live in a village (before).

2. Do something first / before something else (sequence)

   • Awak pergi dulu.
     You go first (before me / before others).
   • Saya makan dulu.
     I’ll eat first (before doing other things).

In your sentence, dulu clearly refers to past time, not do X first, because the verb tinggal plus context is about past residence, not sequence of actions.

What is the difference between tinggal and hidup? Both can be translated as live, right?

Both can be translated as live, but they are used differently:

Tinggal

• Means live / reside somewhere, or stay somewhere.
• Focus on where you are based or staying.
• Example:
  
  • Saya tinggal di Kuala Lumpur.
    I live in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Dia tinggal di hotel itu.
    He/She is staying at that hotel.

Hidup

• Means to live / be alive (existence, being alive), not residence.
• Focus on being alive or lifestyle.
• Example:
  
  • Dia masih hidup.
    He/She is still alive.
  • Hidup kami susah.
    Our life is hard.

In Saya tinggal di kampung dulu, you must use tinggal, not hidup, because you’re talking about where you resided, not whether you were alive.

What exactly does kampung mean? Is it just village?

Kampung usually translates as village, but it carries extra cultural nuance:

• Often means a rural village or countryside area.
• Also associated with:
  • traditional life
  • hometown (especially a rural hometown)
  • slower, simpler lifestyle
• In Indonesia, kampung can also mean an urban neighborhood area (not always rural).

In your sentence:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  = I used to live in the village / the countryside / my (rural) hometown (depending on context).

Context tells whether it’s:

• a specific home village, or
• just rural life in general.

Why is there no word for a or the before kampung? How do I know if it’s a village or the village?

Malay generally has no articles like a, an, the.

Kampung by itself is neutral. English speakers must choose a or the based on context:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  Could be:
  • I used to live in *a village.* (general)
  • I used to live in *the village.* (if both speaker and listener know which village)

To be more explicit:

• Saya tinggal di sebuah kampung dulu.
  I used to live in a village (one village, unspecified).
• Saya tinggal di kampung saya dulu.
  I used to live in my village.

But in normal conversation, di kampung is often enough; context fills in a vs the.

Could I say Saya dulu tinggal di kampung instead? What’s the difference from Saya tinggal di kampung dulu?

Both are grammatically correct, but the focus / rhythm is a bit different.

1. Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.

   • Most common, neutral.
   • Feels like: I lived in the village before (as opposed to now).
   • Dulu is close to the verb phrase, so it modifies the action more directly.

2. Saya dulu tinggal di kampung.

   • Still natural.
   • Slightly more emphasis on the time period of “me”:
     Back then, I lived in the village / As for the earlier me, I lived in the village.
   • Often used when contrasting past self vs present self:
     • Saya dulu tinggal di kampung, sekarang saya tinggal di bandar.
       I used to live in the village; now I live in the city.

In everyday speech, both are fine; the difference is subtle and mostly about emphasis.

Is the word order flexible? Can I say Di kampung saya tinggal dulu?

Malay word order is somewhat flexible, but not everything is equally natural.

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu. ✅ natural
• Saya dulu tinggal di kampung. ✅ natural
• Dulu saya tinggal di kampung. ✅ natural, emphasizes “in the past”

But:

• Di kampung saya tinggal dulu.
  
  • This can be understood as:
    • It was in the village that I lived before.
  • It sounds a bit more marked or focus-heavy, like you’re stressing “in the village”.
  • In isolation, it may feel incomplete; usually it would be part of a bigger contrast, e.g.:
    • Di kampung saya tinggal dulu, sekarang saya di bandar.
      I used to live in the village; now I’m in the city.

So it’s possible, but for a simple statement, Saya tinggal di kampung dulu is the most straightforward and natural.

Can saya be dropped? Could I just say Tinggal di kampung dulu?

Yes, saya can be dropped in the right context.

Malay often omits pronouns when they are clear from context. For example, among friends already talking about you:

• Tinggal di kampung dulu, sekarang di bandar.
  I used to live in the village, now (I live) in the city.

But for:

• A standalone sentence
• A learner’s exercise
• Formal writing

…it’s safer and clearer to keep saya:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.

Is saya formal? When would I use aku instead?

Yes, saya is the standard / polite first-person pronoun:

• Used in almost all formal or neutral situations:
  • with strangers
  • in the workplace
  • in writing
  • in media

Aku is:

• Informal / intimate, often used:
  • With close friends
  • Within family
  • In some songs, poems, or religious use (e.g. Aku addressing God, depending on tradition and region)

Your sentence with aku:

• Aku tinggal di kampung dulu.
  I used to live in the village. (informal)

As a learner, default to saya unless you’re sure the context and relationship allow aku.

How would I make this sentence negative? As in “I didn’t use to live in the village”?

You use tidak to negate verbs and adjectives.

Two common options:

1. Saya tidak tinggal di kampung dulu.

   • I didn’t live in the village before.
   • Neutral, straightforward.

2. Dulu saya tidak tinggal di kampung.

   • In the past, I didn’t live in the village.
   • Emphasizes the time first, then the negated statement.

Both are correct. Position of dulu again slightly changes emphasis but not basic meaning.

What’s the difference between dulu and pernah in this kind of sentence?

Dulu and pernah both relate to the past but carry different nuances.

Dulu:

• Focus: a past period (habit / situation before).
• Implies contrast with now.
• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  I used to live in the village (before, not now).

Pernah:

• Focus: having the experience at least once.
• Does not itself say whether you still do it or not.
• Saya pernah tinggal di kampung.
  I have lived in a village before / I have once lived in a village.

Compare:

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu.
  → Past state/habit that contrasts with the present.
• Saya pernah tinggal di kampung.
  → At least once in my life I have had the experience of living in a village.

You can combine them for emphasis:

• Saya dulu pernah tinggal di kampung.
  Back then I once lived in the village. (emphasizing a specific time in the past and the experience)

Do I always need di before a place like kampung? Could I say Saya tinggal kampung dulu?

You must use a preposition like di when expressing “live in/at a place”.

• Saya tinggal di kampung dulu. ✅ correct
• Saya tinggal kampung dulu. ❌ wrong / ungrammatical

General rule:

• di for locations (in, at, on):
  • di kampung – in the village
  • di rumah – at home
  • di sekolah – at school

So when you say where you live/stay, you normally use tinggal di + place.