Breakdown of Butang carian itu saya guna setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
Questions & Answers about Butang carian itu saya guna setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
Yes, the neutral word order in Malay is Subject–Verb–Object, so:
- Saya guna butang carian itu setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
= I use that search button every time I want to plan a trip.
The original sentence:
- Butang carian itu saya guna setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
puts the object (butang carian itu) at the front for emphasis or to mark it as the topic of the sentence: “As for that search button, I use it every time I want to plan a trip.”
This kind of fronting is quite natural in Malay, especially in speech and writing that feels a bit narrative or explanatory. The meaning is almost the same; the difference is in what you highlight:
- Fronted object: focus on the button
- Normal SVO: focus on what I do
Itu is the demonstrative “that” (as opposed to ini = “this”), but in Malay it often functions like the English definite article “the” as well.
- butang carian = a search button / search button (non-specific)
- butang carian itu = that search button / the search button (a specific one we both know)
If you omit itu:
- Butang carian saya guna setiap kali…
you lose some specificity; it sounds more like “I use the search button” in a general sense, not necessarily a particular one already in the shared context.
So:
- Keep itu if you mean a specific, identifiable button.
- Drop itu if you’re speaking more generally about search buttons.
The base verb is cari = “to search / to look for”.
From this verb, Malay forms a noun with the suffix -an:
- cari (to search) → carian (a search / search result / the act of searching)
So butang carian literally means “button (for) search” or “search button”.
This verb + -an pattern is common:
- baca (to read) → bacaan (reading)
- tulis (to write) → tulisan (writing / text)
- cari (to search) → carian (search)
Both are correct, but they differ slightly in formality and style:
guna = “use” (base verb, very common in everyday speech and neutral writing)
- Saya guna telefon ini. – I use this phone.
menggunakan = “to use” (more formal, with the meN-…-kan verbal pattern)
- Saya menggunakan telefon ini. – I use this phone. (sounds more formal, like in essays/reports)
In your sentence:
- Butang carian itu saya guna… – perfectly natural, neutral/informal.
- Butang carian itu saya gunakan… – also possible; sounds slightly more formal or “tidier”.
- Saya menggunakan butang carian itu… – fully formal, standard SVO.
So guna is absolutely fine; menggunakan just raises the formality level.
Malay does not have an infinitive marker like English “to” or French “à / de” before verbs.
When one verb follows another (like “want to plan”):
- mahu merancang = “want to plan”
- suka makan = “like to eat / like eating”
- boleh pergi = “can go”
So:
- saya mahu merancang perjalanan
literally: “I want plan trip”
= “I want to plan a trip.”
The relationship “want to plan” is understood from the verb sequence mahu + verb, not from a special linking word.
Setiap means “every”.
Kali means “time/occurrence”.
Together, setiap kali = “every time / whenever”.
In your sentence:
- …saya guna … setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
= “…I use it every time I want to plan a trip.”
Position-wise, setiap kali is flexible:
- Setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan, butang carian itu saya guna.
- Saya, setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan, guna butang carian itu.
All are grammatical. Moving setiap kali to the front makes the time condition more prominent: “Every time I want to plan a trip, that search button is what I use.”
You can drop the second saya, especially in casual speech:
- Butang carian itu saya guna setiap kali mahu merancang perjalanan.
This is understandable and natural in an informal context because the subject (saya) is clear from earlier in the sentence.
However, repeating saya:
- setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan
is:
- Clear and unambiguous (good for learners, formal writing, or careful speech).
- Stylistically neutral; not “too much” in Malay.
So:
- With saya: slightly more explicit and “complete”.
- Without saya: a bit more informal/elliptical, relying on context.
All are related to wanting / intending / wishing, but they vary in register and nuance (here focusing on Malay as used in Malaysia):
mahu
- Meaning: want, wish, intend.
- Register: standard, neutral, common in speech and writing.
- In your sentence, it’s the default choice.
hendak
- Very close to mahu; can mean “want / intend / about to”.
- Feels slightly more formal or old-fashioned in some contexts, but still used.
- Often contracted in speech to nak.
ingin
- Meaning: to wish, to desire.
- Slightly more formal or “softer/politer” in tone.
- E.g. Saya ingin merancang perjalanan. – I would like to plan a trip.
nak
- Colloquial contraction of hendak/mahu.
- Very common in informal Malaysian speech:
Saya nak merancang perjalanan.
In your sentence, you could say:
- …setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan. (standard, neutral)
- …setiap kali saya nak rancang perjalanan. (very casual, spoken)
- …setiap kali saya ingin merancang perjalanan. (slightly more formal/polite)
The base word is rancang, which is a root meaning “plan / design / scheme”.
The active verb is formed with the meN- prefix:
- rancang → merancang = “to plan (something)”
The meN- prefix:
- Typically marks an active verb.
- Often indicates the subject is the doer of the action.
- Is very common with transitive verbs (verbs that take an object).
Other examples:
- ajar → mengajar (to teach)
- tulis → menulis (to write)
- baca → membaca (to read)
So merancang perjalanan = “to plan a trip/journey”, with merancang as the active verb and perjalanan as its object.
The root is jalan = “road / to walk / to go”.
With pe-…-an you get a noun meaning the act or result related to the verb:
- jalan → perjalanan = “journey / trip / travel / the act of travelling”
Malay does not have articles like a / an / the. Nouns stand alone, and context tells you whether the meaning is “a trip”, “the trip”, or just “travel” in general.
So:
- merancang perjalanan could be:
- “planning a trip”
- “planning the trip”
- “planning (my) travel”
If you need to be explicit, you add other words:
- perjalanan saya = my trip
- perjalanan itu = that trip / the trip
- satu perjalanan = one trip / a single trip
Yes, both are correct, but they add more specific detail:
merancang satu perjalanan
- Literally: “to plan one trip”.
- Emphasizes one specific, single trip.
- Feels a bit more like you’re talking about a countable event.
merancang perjalanan saya
- “to plan my trip”.
- Specifies whose trip it is (mine).
- More personal and specific.
Compare:
- mahu merancang perjalanan – general: “want to plan a trip / plan some travel”.
- mahu merancang satu perjalanan – “want to plan one (particular) trip.”
- mahu merancang perjalanan saya – “want to plan my trip.”
The original sentence keeps things general and habitual, which fits the use of setiap kali (“every time”).
Butang carian itu saya guna setiap kali saya mahu merancang perjalanan.
- Overall, this is standard and neutral.
- It’s perfectly fine in normal conversation, in writing, or in explanations.
In very casual spoken Malaysian Malay, you might hear something like:
- Saya guna butang carian tu tiap kali saya nak rancang perjalanan.
Changes made:
- itu → tu (colloquial pronunciation)
- setiap kali → tiap kali (shortened form)
- mahu → nak (informal “want”)
- Return to standard SVO: Saya guna butang carian tu…
Your original version is grammatically solid, natural, and sits comfortably in the neutral–standard range.