Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari. - I write about that incident in the diary.

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.

I write about that incident in the diary.

Breakdown of Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.

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Questions & Answers about Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.

What exactly does menulis mean here? Is it write, am writing, or wrote?

Malay verbs usually do not change form to show tense. The verb menulis simply means to write / writing.

The tense is understood from context:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.
– can mean I am writing / I write / I wrote about that incident in (my) diary.

If the wider context is past, we translate it as I wrote; if present, I am writing.

To make the time more explicit, Malay normally adds time words:

Saya sedang menulis… = I am writing (right now).
Saya telah / sudah menulis… = I have written / I wrote.
Saya akan menulis… = I will write.

Why is my not written before diari? How do you say my diary?

In Malay, possession is often understood from context and does not always need to be stated. So:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.
is naturally understood as
I wrote about that incident in my diary.

If you really want to make my explicit, you have two common options:

diari saya – literally my diary
- Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari saya.
di dalam diari saya – a slightly more explicit or formal version
- Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu di dalam diari saya.

Omitting saya after diari is normal when it’s obvious whose diary is meant.

What is the difference between tentang and mengenai? Could I say Saya menulis mengenai kejadian itu dalam diari?

Both tentang and mengenai mean roughly about / regarding.

tentang – very common, neutral, used in speech and writing
mengenai – slightly more formal or bookish, common in written language

Your alternative sentence is correct:

Saya menulis mengenai kejadian itu dalam diari.
= I wrote about that incident in my diary.

In everyday conversation, tentang is more frequent; mengenai sounds a bit more formal, like in news, essays, or official writing.

Why do we have both tentang and dalam here? Can I remove one of them?

They do different jobs:

tentang kejadian itu = about that incident (what you are writing about – the topic)
dalam diari = in (the) diary (where you write – the place/container)

You can change the sentence depending on what you want to emphasize:

Remove dalam diari (no mention of diary):
- Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu.
  = I write / wrote about that incident.
  (We don’t know where you wrote it.)
Remove tentang and just use the object:
- Saya menulis kejadian itu dalam diari.
  Literally “I wrote that incident in the diary.”
  This is understandable but less natural; tentang makes the idea write about much clearer.
Keep both (original sentence) – most natural and clear:
- Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.
  = I wrote about that incident in my diary.

What does itu add in kejadian itu? Is it that incident or the incident?

itu is a demonstrative that usually means that, but in Malay it also often works like the in English when referring to something already known.

kejadian = an incident / an event
kejadian itu = that incident / the incident (the one we both know about)

So:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu…
= I wrote about that specific / previously mentioned incident.

Without itu, it sounds more like about an incident (in general):

Saya menulis tentang kejadian dalam diari.
= I write about incidents in the diary (more generic-sounding).

Why is itu placed after kejadian, not before it like in English?

In Malay, demonstratives are placed after the noun, not before:

buku itu = that book / the book
rumah itu = that house / the house
kejadian itu = that incident / the incident

So you cannot say itu kejadian in this sentence to mean that incident; the natural order is kejadian itu.

Can I say Saya menulis diari tentang kejadian itu instead? What is the difference?

Saya menulis diari tentang kejadian itu. is grammatically fine, but the meaning shifts slightly:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.
Focus: The content you wrote (about that incident) and where (in your diary).
Saya menulis diari tentang kejadian itu.
Focus: You are writing a diary (or diary entry) that is about that incident.
It can sound like the main “thing” you are writing is a diary (on that topic), rather than just an entry in your diary.

In many everyday contexts, natives may still use the second sentence to mean the first, but the original is clearer if you want to emphasize writing about the incident, and that it is written in a diary.

Why is it dalam diari, not di diari? What is the difference between di and dalam?

Both can be translated as in, but they are used slightly differently.

di = at / in / on (location marker)
dalam = in / inside (inside something, more literal containment)

With certain nouns, both are possible:

di dalam diari – very explicit inside the diary
dalam diari – in the diary / inside the diary
di diari – understandable but less natural here; people tend to say dalam diari.

Patterns you’ll often hear:

di rumah = at home
di dalam rumah / dalam rumah = inside the house
di sekolah = at school
dalam diari = in the diary (as written content)

Do I have to say Saya, or can I just say Menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari?

You can drop Saya in very casual contexts (like note-taking or very informal speech) if the subject is obvious, but in normal, complete sentences you usually keep the subject pronoun:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari. – standard, complete.
Menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari. – sounds like a fragment (e.g. a note, title, or instruction).

So for proper sentences, especially in learning and in writing, keep Saya.

What is the difference between menulis and tulis?

They share the same root tulis (write), but the forms are used differently:

menulis – verb with the meN- prefix, used as a normal finite verb
- Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu.
  = I write / am writing / wrote about that incident.
tulis – bare root form, often used:
- As an imperative (command):
  Tulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari. = Write about that incident in (your) diary.
- In certain compound verbs or fixed phrases.

So in your sentence, menulis is the appropriate form; Saya tulis tentang kejadian itu… is also heard in speech (especially informal), but Saya menulis… is more standard/neutral.

Could I replace kejadian with another word, like peristiwa? Are there differences in nuance?

Yes, you can:

kejadian – event, incident; often neutral, but commonly used for things that happened, including accidents or unusual events.
peristiwa – event; sounds a bit more formal or serious (news reports, history, etc.).

So:

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari.
Saya menulis tentang peristiwa itu dalam diari.

Both are correct. peristiwa itu can sound more like that significant event, while kejadian itu can be any incident, not necessarily very important, unless context says so.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How might it sound in very casual conversation?

Saya menulis tentang kejadian itu dalam diari. is neutral standard Malay. It’s fine in writing, speech, and formal contexts.

In very casual, colloquial speech (especially in Malaysia), you might hear:

Aku tulis pasal kejadian tu dalam diari.
- Aku instead of Saya (more intimate/informal “I”)
- pasal instead of tentang (colloquial “about”)
- tu instead of itu (shortened that)

But for learning and for general use, the original sentence with Saya… tentang… itu is the best model.