Breakdown of Kerja sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
Questions & Answers about Kerja sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
Kerja sambilan literally means side work or extra job, and it is commonly used to mean a part-time job.
Nuance:
- Kerja sambilan = a job you do on the side, not your main job (e.g. while studying).
- You may also see kerja separuh masa (literally half-time work), which is a more literal translation of part-time work.
In everyday speech, both kerja sambilan and kerja separuh masa are understood as part-time job. Context usually makes it clear.
Itu is a demonstrative meaning that.
In kerja sambilan itu, it refers to a specific part-time job already known in the context, like that part-time job.
- Kerja sambilan itu membantu saya… = That part-time job helps me…
- Kerja sambilan membantu saya… (without itu) = A part-time job helps me… (more general)
So:
- Keep itu when you mean a specific job.
- Leave it out when speaking more generally.
Malay often uses a verb–object–bare verb pattern after verbs like membantu (to help):
- membantu saya bayar yuran
= help me pay the fees
All of these are grammatically possible and natural, with small differences in style:
membantu saya bayar yuran universiti
- Very natural, common, slightly more colloquial/neutral.
membantu saya untuk membayar yuran universiti
- More formal, slightly heavier; common in writing, official contexts.
membantu saya membayar yuran universiti
- Also correct and acceptable, a bit more formal than using the bare bayar.
So the original sentence chooses the most natural, streamlined structure.
Both mean to pay.
- bayar = base verb, very common in speech, also fine in many written contexts.
- membayar = formal / standard meN- verb form, often used in writing, formal speech, documents.
In this sentence:
- ...membantu saya bayar yuran universiti is perfectly natural in everyday Malay.
- ...membantu saya membayar yuran universiti sounds a bit more formal.
Everyday spoken Malay usually prefers bayar; formal writing may prefer membayar.
In Malay, the main noun comes first, and the describing noun (the qualifier) comes after it.
- yuran = fees
- universiti = university
So:
- yuran universiti = university fees (literally fees [of] university)
Other examples:
- buku sejarah = history book
- guru bahasa Inggeris = English language teacher
Putting it as universiti yuran would be ungrammatical in standard Malay.
Yes.
- yuran universiti = university fees (general idea)
- yuran universiti saya = my university fees
The original English meaning helps me pay my university fees is already clear from saya, so Malay often does not repeat my explicitly:
- Kerja sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
Context + saya make it clear these are my fees.
If you really want to stress that they are yours (e.g. contrasting with someone else’s fees), you can add saya.
Malay usually does not mark tense with verb changes. The verb form stays the same; time is understood from context or from time words.
membantu on its own can mean:
- helps
- helped
- is helping / was helping / will help, etc.
If you need to be explicit, you add time adverbs:
- semalam (yesterday)
- sekarang (now)
- nanti, akan (later / will)
Examples:
- Semalam kerja sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
= Yesterday that part-time job helped me pay my university fees. - Kerja sambilan itu akan membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
= That part-time job will help me pay my university fees.
In the original sentence, context would tell you whether it’s present, past, or future.
Yes, it’s completely fine. In Malay, after verbs like membantu, mengajar, menyuruh, the following verb is often used without the meN- prefix, especially in spoken/neutral style.
So:
- membantu saya bayar = help me pay
- membantu saya cari kerja = help me find a job
- mengajar saya baca = teach me (to) read
Using saya membayar would not be wrong, but it makes the phrase heavier and more formal:
- membantu saya membayar yuran universiti (more formal)
The original sentence prefers the lighter, more natural structure.
Both mean I / me, but the usage differs:
saya
- Polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations
- Used with strangers, older people, formal contexts, writing
aku
- Informal, intimate
- Used with close friends, people of same age, very casual situations
So:
- membantu saya bayar yuran universiti = appropriate and polite in almost any context.
- membantu aku bayar yuran universiti = fine among close friends, in casual speech or informal writing.
For learners, saya is the safest default.
Yes, you can. That would mean roughly:
- That part-time job helps to pay the university fees.
Without saya, it sounds a bit more general or impersonal; context may still make it clear that it’s about your fees, but it’s not stated.
- With saya: clearly my university fees.
- Without saya: more general, or someone’s fees, depending on context.
Both are grammatical; choice depends on how specific you want to be.
- kerja = work, job (very common, neutral, everyday word)
- pekerjaan = job, occupation (more formal, noun with pe-…-an pattern)
You can say:
- Pekerjaan sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti.
It’s grammatically correct, but in everyday speech kerja sambilan is more natural and common. Pekerjaan often appears in formal writing, official forms, or when talking about one’s occupation in a more serious tone.
You might hear this in informal speech, but the nuance is different and it can sound a bit odd if taken literally.
- membantu = to help (more neutral, standard verb)
- tolong
- As a verb: to help
- Very commonly: a polite request marker (please)
In this sentence, membantu is the best choice:
- Kerja sambilan itu membantu saya bayar yuran universiti. ✅
Using tolong here is possible but sounds more colloquial and less standard, and learners are safer sticking with membantu.