Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.

salin – root form; used in dictionary entries and in commands:
- Salin jawapan itu. = Copy the answers.
menyalin – active verb with meN-:
- Saya menyalin jawapan. = I am copying the answers.

With roots starting with s, meN- becomes meny- and the s drops:

meN- + salin → menyalin

So menyalin basically means “to do the action of copying” and is the normal form in a full sentence with a subject.

What is the difference between menyalin and menulis? Both seem to involve writing.

They describe different types of writing:

menyalin = to copy (you write something that already exists somewhere else)
- Saya menyalin jawapan dari papan putih.
  I copy the answers from the whiteboard.
menulis = to write (you create/compose the content yourself)
- Saya menulis jawapan sendiri.
  I write my own answers.

If you’re just doing your own writing, use menulis.
If you’re reproducing something (e.g. from the board, from a book), use menyalin.

What is the difference between jawab and jawapan?

jawab is a verb: to answer
- Saya jawab soalan itu. = I answer that question.
jawapan is a noun: answer / answers
- Saya menyalin jawapan. = I copy the answers.

The suffix -an often turns a verb into a related noun:

jawab → jawapan (answer)
tulis → tulisan (writing, handwriting)
baca → bacaan (reading, text to be read)

So here jawapan is the thing that is being copied.

The English translation is in the past tense (I copied), but there is no past tense marker in Malay. How do we know the tense?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Menyalin can mean:

I copy / am copying / was copying / will copy

The tense is understood from context or from time words, for example:

Tadi saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.
Just now I copied the answers into the notebook.
Sekarang saya sedang menyalin jawapan.
Now I am copying the answers.
Esok saya akan menyalin jawapan.
Tomorrow I will copy the answers.

So Saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota by itself is “I copy / I am copying / I copied the answers into the notebook”; English forces you to choose one.

Why is it ke dalam buku nota instead of just ke buku nota or dalam buku nota? What is the nuance of ke dalam?

ke = to / towards (direction, destination)
dalam = in / inside (location)
ke dalam = into (movement into the inside of something)

In this sentence, ke dalam buku nota suggests movement of information into the notebook (from somewhere else onto its pages).

ke buku nota – sounds like movement to the notebook as an object (less natural here).
dalam buku nota – focuses on location: in the notebook (where the answers end up).
ke dalam buku nota – emphasises the process of putting them into the notebook.

All three are not equally natural here; ke dalam buku nota or just dalam buku nota are what you’ll hear most.

Could I say Saya menyalin jawapan dalam buku nota without ke? Would that be wrong?

It’s not wrong; it’s actually very common and sounds natural:

Saya menyalin jawapan dalam buku nota.
I copy the answers in the notebook.

Nuance:

dalam buku nota – neutral: the answers are (or will be) in the notebook.
ke dalam buku nota – a bit more explicit about the movement into the notebook.

In everyday speech, people often just use dalam here. Both are acceptable.

Where does buku nota go in the sentence? Could I move it earlier, like Saya menyalin ke dalam buku nota jawapan?

Standard word order is:

Subject – Verb – Object – (Prepositional phrase)

So:

Saya (subject)
menyalin (verb)
jawapan (object)
ke dalam buku nota (prepositional phrase)

Saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota is the natural order.

Saya menyalin ke dalam buku nota jawapan is not natural; it breaks the close link between menyalin and jawapan.

You can, for emphasis or in more literary style, move the whole prepositional phrase:

Ke dalam buku nota, saya menyalin jawapan.

but that sounds formal/written, not like everyday conversation.

Does buku nota always mean a paper notebook? How would you say a laptop “notebook” computer?

buku nota literally means notebook (a book for writing notes) – a physical book with pages.

For a notebook computer (laptop), Malay normally uses:

komputer riba = laptop
sometimes just the English laptop in casual speech

You might also hear notebook used directly as an English loanword for the computer, but buku nota would be understood as a paper notebook.

Why is there no word for the in the Malay sentence? How do we know if it means “the notebook” or “a notebook”?

Malay has no direct equivalent of English a / an / the.

buku nota can mean:

a notebook
the notebook

Context tells you which one is intended. If you want to be more specific, you can add words:

sebuah buku nota – a notebook (one notebook)
buku nota itu – that notebook / the notebook (already known)
buku nota ini – this notebook

So Saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota could be translated as either “into a notebook” or “into the notebook”, depending on context.

How do we show plural for jawapan? This English sentence says “answers” (plural).

Malay usually doesn’t mark plural on the noun itself. jawapan can be singular or plural:

jawapan = answer / answers

To make plural explicit, you can add a quantifier or reduplication:

semua jawapan – all the answers
banyak jawapan – many answers
beberapa jawapan – several answers
jawapan-jawapan – answers (plural, formal/written style)

In everyday speech, just jawapan is enough, and context tells you whether it’s one or many.

Can I drop Saya and just say Menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota?

You can drop the subject pronoun in Malay when it’s clear from context, but:

Menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota. by itself looks like:
- a sentence fragment, or
- a note/heading describing an activity (“Copying the answers into the notebook”).

For a normal full sentence meaning “I am copying…”, people usually keep Saya.

Also, for a command, you would normally use the root form:

Salin jawapan ke dalam buku nota. = Copy the answers into the notebook.

So, yes, subject dropping is possible in context, but this exact sentence without Saya would most often appear as a caption, heading, or in a list of tasks.

What is the difference between Saya and Aku? Could I say Aku menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota?

Both mean I, but they differ in formality and social distance:

Saya
- polite, neutral, standard
- used in formal situations, with strangers, with older people, in writing
Aku
- informal, intimate
- used with close friends, family, or when talking to yourself

So:

Aku menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota. is grammatically correct, but feels casual.
In class, in writing, or in polite speech, Saya menyalin… is the safer choice.

Is there a passive version of this sentence, like “The answers were copied into the notebook”?

Yes. There are a couple of common passive-like patterns:

di- passive:
- Jawapan disalin ke dalam buku nota.
  The answers are/were copied into the notebook.
Here the doer is not mentioned.
“Short passive” with the agent after the verb:
- Jawapan itu saya salin ke dalam buku nota.
  The answers I copied into the notebook.
This keeps jawapan at the front but still clearly shows saya as the one who did it.

The original Saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota is an active sentence, focusing on Saya.

How would I say “I am copying the answers into the notebook now” or “I will copy the answers into the notebook”?

You add aspect/tense markers and time words:

Present / in progress:
- Sekarang saya sedang menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.
  Now I am copying the answers into the notebook.
- Often sedang is optional:
  - Sekarang saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.
Future:
- Saya akan menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.
  I will copy the answers into the notebook.
- Or use a future time word:
  - Nanti saya menyalin jawapan ke dalam buku nota.
    I’ll copy the answers into the notebook later.

The verb form menyalin itself does not change; you add words like sekarang, sedang, akan, nanti, esok to show time and aspect.