Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.

I sleep at eleven o'clock at night.

Breakdown of Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.

• saya: I
• malam: the night
• tidur: to sleep
• pada: at
• pukul sebelas: eleven o'clock

Questions & Answers about Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.

What does “pada pukul” mean, and do I really need both words?

Pada is a preposition roughly meaning “at” (for time or abstract things).
Pukul literally means “strike” (like a clock striking), but in modern Malay it works like “o’clock” / “time (of day)”.

So “pada pukul sebelas malam” = “at eleven at night / at 11 p.m.”

In everyday spoken Malay, people very often drop “pada” and just say:

• Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam.
  = I sleep at eleven at night.

Using “pada” makes it slightly more formal or careful, and it’s common in writing and careful speech, but it’s not mandatory in casual conversation.

Can I say “Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam” without “pada”?

Yes, very natural.

• Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam.
  Sounds perfectly normal in everyday speech.

Comparing:

• Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam. – a bit more formal / complete.
• Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam. – neutral, conversational.

Both are correct; choose based on how formal you want to sound.

What is the function of “malam” here? Is it like saying “p.m.”?

Malam means “night”.

In time expressions, Malay often uses parts of the day similarly to a.m./p.m., but more like “11 in the morning / 11 at night”:

• pagi – morning (roughly 6 a.m. – 11 a.m.)
• tengah hari – midday (around 12 p.m.)
• petang – afternoon/evening (roughly 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.)
• malam – night (roughly 7 p.m. – before midnight)
• tengah malam – midnight(ish) / late night

So pukul sebelas malam is 11 at night / 11 p.m.

Can I change the word order, like “Saya tidur pada malam pukul sebelas”?

That word order is not natural.

The natural pattern for time is:

pada + (pukul) + number + part of day
pada pukul sebelas malam

So acceptable variations are:

• Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam.
• Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.
• (More fronted) Pada pukul sebelas malam, saya tidur.

But “pada malam pukul sebelas” sounds odd and unidiomatic. Keep pukul + number + part of the day together as a unit: pukul sebelas malam.

Does “saya tidur” mean “I sleep” (habitually) or “I slept” (past)?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense.
Tidur can mean:

• I sleep (habitual/general)
• I am sleeping
• I slept
• I will sleep

The exact meaning comes from context or time expressions.

In this sentence:

• Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.
  Most naturally: “I (usually) sleep at eleven at night.” (a habitual routine)

If you really need to clarify past or completed action, you can add words like:

• Saya sudah tidur pukul sebelas malam. – I already slept at 11 p.m.
• Semalam saya tidur pukul sebelas malam. – Last night I slept at 11 p.m.

How is “saya” different from “aku” for “I”?

Both mean “I / me”, but they differ in formality and social context:

• saya

  • Neutral and polite.
  • Safe to use in almost any situation: with strangers, at work, in formal contexts.
  • Recommended default for learners.

• aku

  • Informal, used with close friends, family, or in very casual speech.
  • Can sound rude or too familiar if used with someone you don’t know well or in formal situations.

In your sentence, “Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.” is polite and appropriate almost everywhere.
“Aku tidur pukul sebelas malam.” is fine with good friends or peers.

Can “tidur” be a noun like “sleep”, or is it only a verb?

Tidur can be both a verb and a noun, depending on context.

• Verb: to sleep

  • Saya tidur pukul sebelas. – I sleep at 11.

• Noun: sleep

  • Saya perlukan tidur. – I need sleep.
  • Waktu tidur – bedtime / sleep time.

In “Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas malam.”, tidur is a verb: “I sleep / I go to sleep.”

What’s the difference between “pukul” and “jam” when telling time?

Both relate to time, but usage differs slightly:

• pukul

  • Most common in spoken Malay when saying what time something happens.
  • pukul tujuh – 7 o’clock.
  • Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam.

• jam

  • Means “hour”, and also “clock/watch”.
  • Used for duration:
    • dua jam – two hours.
  • Also used for time (in some regions / in writing), but in many places “pukul” sounds more natural when stating the time of day.

In most everyday Malaysian Malay, say pukul sebelas malam, not jam sebelas malam, for “11 p.m.”

Is it okay to leave out “saya” and just say “Tidur pukul sebelas malam.”?

Yes, pronouns are often dropped in Malay if they are clear from context.

• Tidur pukul sebelas malam.
  Could mean “(I) sleep at eleven at night.” or “(He/She/We) sleep(s) at eleven at night.”

In conversation, if it’s already clear who you’re talking about, dropping saya is natural. If you need to be clear or formal, keep saya.

Why do we use “pada” for time but usually “di” for location?

Malay distinguishes prepositions a bit like this:

• pada

  • Used for time and for some abstract or non-physical things.
  • pada pukul sebelas – at eleven o’clock.
  • pada hari Isnin – on Monday.
  • pada masa itu – at that time.

• di

  • Used for physical locations.
  • di rumah – at home.
  • di sekolah – at school.

So:

• Saya tidur pada pukul sebelas. – I sleep at eleven.
• Saya tidur di rumah. – I sleep at home.

They’re not interchangeable in this sentence; “di pukul sebelas” would be wrong.

How would I ask “What time do you sleep?” in Malay?

A natural question is:

• Awak tidur pukul berapa?
  
  • awak – you (neutral/polite)
  • pukul berapa – what time

Other variants:

• Kamu tidur pukul berapa? – also “you”, but social nuance varies by region.
• Encik/Cik tidur pukul berapa? – more respectful/polite (Mr / Miss/Ms, etc.).

Answer with the same pattern:

• Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam. – I sleep at eleven at night.

Could this sentence mean “I go to bed at 11” rather than “I sleep at 11”?

In natural usage, yes.

Saya tidur pukul sebelas malam. is usually understood as:

• “I go to sleep at eleven at night”
  or
• “I go to bed at eleven at night”

Malay doesn’t always distinguish as clearly between “sleep” and “go to sleep/go to bed” in casual speech. The focus is on the time you end your day and lie down to sleep, not on the exact second you lose consciousness.