Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa dalam talian.

That agency helps him/her fill in the visa form online.

Breakdown of Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa dalam talian.

• itu: that
• dia: him/her
• membantu: to help
• mengisi: to fill in
• borang: the form
• dalam talian: online
• agensi: the agency
• visa: visa

Questions & Answers about Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa dalam talian.

What does each word in Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa dalam talian correspond to in English?

Rough word‑by‑word breakdown:

• Agensi = agency
• itu = that / the (used to make it specific: the agency / that agency)
• membantu = to help
• dia = he / she / him / her (gender‑neutral)
• mengisi = to fill in / to fill out
• borang = form (as in a document to fill in)
• visa = visa
• dalam = in
• talian = line → dalam talian = online

So a natural English translation: The agency helped him/her fill in the visa form online.

Why is itu placed after agensi instead of before it, like itu agensi?

In standard Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

• agensi itu = that agency / the agency
• buku ini = this book

Putting itu before the noun (itu agensi) is not standard in this kind of sentence and would sound off. So:

• agensi itu ✅
• itu agensi ❌ (in this context)

In English I would say helped him/her to fill in. Why is there no word like to before mengisi?

Malay does not need a marker like to before a second verb in this pattern. The structure is:

membantu + [person] + [verb]

So:

• membantu dia mengisi
  = helped him/her fill (in)

The second verb (mengisi) directly follows; there is no equivalent of to required. The idea to fill in is already carried by mengisi itself, without an extra linking word.

Can I say membantu dia untuk mengisi borang visa instead? Is that wrong?

You can say:

• Agensi itu membantu dia untuk mengisi borang visa dalam talian.

This is grammatically acceptable and often heard. The pattern is:

membantu + [person] + untuk + [verb]

Nuance:

• Without untuk (membantu dia mengisi): a bit more direct and smooth; very natural.
• With untuk (membantu dia untuk mengisi): slightly more formal or explicit, but not significantly different in meaning.

Both are fine; the version in your sentence (without untuk) is very natural and common.

Who is dia here? Does it mean he or she?

Dia is gender‑neutral. It can mean:

• he / him
• she / her

Malay personal pronouns do not mark gender, so dia just means that person (3rd person singular), and context tells you whether it’s a man or a woman. In English translation, you choose him or her depending on the context.

Is dia the object of membantu here, or the subject of mengisi?

It functions as both in meaning:

• Grammatically, it is the object of membantu:

  • Agensi itu (subject)
  • membantu (verb)
  • dia (object: the one being helped)

• Semantically, it is also the understood subject of mengisi (the one doing the filling in).

So you can think of it as:

The agency helped him/her [for him/her to] fill in the visa form online.

What exactly does mengisi mean, and what is its root form?

The root word is isi, which means content / filling / to fill.

With the prefix meN-, it becomes mengisi, which means:

• to fill (something)
• to fill in (a form)
• to fill up (a bottle, a glass, a schedule, etc.)

Examples:

• mengisi borang = to fill in a form
• mengisi botol dengan air = to fill a bottle with water
• mengisi masa lapang = to fill (use) free time

In the sentence, mengisi borang visa is best understood as to fill in the visa form.

Why is it borang visa and not visa borang? How does noun order work here?

In Malay, the usual pattern is head noun + modifier, similar to noun + of phrase in English.

• borang visa
  = literally form visa, but means visa form (form for visa)

Here:

• borang (form) is the head noun
• visa is the modifier, specifying what kind of form it is

This pattern appears everywhere:

• kad pengenalan = identification card (ID card)
• tiket bas = bus ticket
• guru bahasa = language teacher

So borang visa is the natural order.

What does borang mean? Is it only for official forms?

Borang means form as in a document you fill in (paper or digital). It’s commonly used for:

• application forms
• registration forms
• official forms
• survey forms, etc.

Examples:

• borang permohonan = application form
• borang pendaftaran = registration form

It is not used for shape/form in the sense of physical form or figure; that meaning would usually be bentuk, not borang.

What does dalam talian literally mean, and is it the normal way to say online?

Literally:

• dalam = in
• talian = line

So dalam talian = in line, i.e. online.

Yes, dalam talian is the standard, formal Malay term used in government documents, news, and formal writing.

In everyday speech, Malaysians also say:

• online (the English word, very common)
• atas talian (less standard but often heard in Malaysia)

In a neutral or formal sentence like yours, dalam talian is the most appropriate.

How do we know this sentence is in the past (helped), when there is no past tense marker?

Malay verbs do not change form to show tense. Membantu can mean:

• helps
• helped
• is helping
• will help

The tense is determined by context or by optional time words/markers, for example:

• semalam = yesterday
• tadi = earlier
• akan = will
• sedang = is/are in the middle of (doing)
• telah / sudah = have/has, already (often past)

If you really want to mark the past explicitly, you can say:

• Agensi itu telah membantu dia mengisi borang visa dalam talian.
  = The agency has helped him/her fill in the visa form online.

Without any marker, the bare sentence can be translated according to context as helps / helped / will help.

Could I drop dia and just say Agensi itu membantu mengisi borang visa dalam talian?

You can say that, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi...
  = The agency helped him/her fill in the form. (The person is clear.)

• Agensi itu membantu mengisi borang visa dalam talian.
  = The agency helps/helps to fill in the visa form online.
  (It sounds more like the agency provides help with filling in the form, without specifying who is being helped.)

So if you want to keep the idea of one specific person being helped, you should keep dia (or another noun/pronoun).

Can I replace dia with beliau? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but it changes the level of formality and respect.

• dia
  
  • Neutral, everyday he/she, used for most people in normal conversation.
• beliau
  
  • Polite / respectful he/she, usually for:
    • older people
    • people of higher status
    • people being talked about respectfully (teachers, officials, etc.)

So:

• Agensi itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa...
  = Neutral: the agency helped him/her fill in…

• Agensi itu membantu beliau mengisi borang visa...
  = More respectful: the agency helped him/her (someone respected) fill in…

Both are grammatically correct; choose based on how respectfully you want to refer to the person.

Can dia be attached to the verb as -nya, like membantunya? Would that sound natural?

Yes, you can attach -nya (his/her) to membantu:

• Agensi itu membantunya mengisi borang visa dalam talian.

Here:

• membantunya = membantu + nya = helped him/her

This is natural in writing and in somewhat more formal speech. The nuance:

• membantu dia
  
  • Slightly more neutral, everyday style.
• membantunya
  
  • A bit more compact and slightly more formal or narrative, like in written stories or reports.

Both are acceptable.

Is agensi the only word for agency? Could I use syarikat or pejabat instead?

They are related but not identical:

• agensi

  • Agency (organization that provides a specific service, often governmental or semi‑official).
  • e.g. agensi pelancongan = travel agency

• syarikat

  • Company / firm (business entity, commercial).
  • e.g. syarikat penerbangan = airline company

• pejabat

  • Office (the physical place or office as an institution).
  • e.g. pejabat imigresen = immigration office

In your sentence, agensi is appropriate if you mean an agency that helps with visa matters, for example a travel agency or visa service agency.
If you said:

• Syarikat itu membantu dia mengisi borang visa...
  = That company helped him/her fill in the visa form...

the focus shifts to it being a company rather than an agency, but the grammar remains the same.