Learn Hardcore Malay: Walau apa pun bahasa yang kita belajar, yang paling penting ialah kita hormat adat dan perasaan orang lain. - No matter what language we learn, the most important thing is that we respect other people’s customs and feelings.

walaupun = “although / even though” (general conjunction)
- e.g. Walaupun dia penat, dia tetap belajar. = “Although he’s tired, he still studies.”
walau apa pun = “no matter what (it is)”
- e.g. Walau apa pun bahasa yang kita belajar… = “No matter what language we learn…”

So walaupun is followed by a full clause, while walau apa pun specifically focuses on “whatever the thing is” (here, “whatever language”).

What exactly is the role of pun in walau apa pun?

Pun is a particle with several uses, and here it adds an “even / at all / any” sense, strengthening the idea of indifference to which one.

apa = what
apa pun ≈ “whatever / anything at all”

In walau apa pun, pun helps give the meaning:

“no matter what at all the language is”

You’ll see the same pattern with other words:

siapa pun = whoever
bila-bila pun = whenever
di mana-mana pun = wherever

Can I replace walau apa pun with just walaupun in this sentence?

You can, but the nuance changes slightly.

Walau apa pun bahasa yang kita belajar…
Emphasizes the range of possible languages: “No matter which language we learn…”
Walaupun bahasa yang kita belajar…
Grammatically possible, but sounds less natural or slightly incomplete; you’d usually expect a contrast like:
Walaupun bahasa yang kita belajar susah, … = “Although the language we learn is hard, …”

To keep the “no matter which language” feeling, walau apa pun (or apa sahaja) is the more natural choice.

How should I understand bahasa yang kita belajar structurally?

Bahasa yang kita belajar is a noun + relative clause structure:

bahasa = language
yang = relative marker (“that / which”)
kita belajar = we learn

So: bahasa yang kita belajar = “the language that we learn”.

Compare with English:

Malay: bahasa [yang kita belajar]
English: the language [that we learn]

The order is actually very similar: head noun (bahasa) + relative clause (yang kita belajar).

Why is kita used here instead of kami? What’s the difference?

Both mean “we / us”, but:

kita = inclusive “we” (includes the listener)
kami = exclusive “we” (excludes the listener)

In this sentence, kita is used because the statement is meant to include everyone, including the person being spoken to:

“Whatever language we (all of us) learn…”

If you used kami here, it would sound like “we (but not you)”, which doesn’t fit the intended general, inclusive meaning.

What does yang paling penting ialah mean, and why do we use ialah?

Yang paling penting literally means “that which is most important” → “the most important thing”.

yang = that which / the one that
paling = most
penting = important
ialah = “is” (linking verb / copula used especially with noun(-like) phrases)

So:

yang paling penting ialah…
= “the most important thing is…”

We use ialah here to link the “thing” (yang paling penting) with what it actually is:

yang paling penting ialah kita hormat adat dan perasaan orang lain
“the most important thing is (that) we respect other people’s customs and feelings.”

What’s the difference between ialah and adalah? Could I say yang paling penting adalah… instead?

In modern usage, ialah and adalah overlap a lot, but there are traditional tendencies:

ialah: often used when linking to a noun / noun-like phrase (“X is Y”).
adalah: often used before adjectives or explanations.

In practice:

Yang paling penting ialah kita hormat…
Yang paling penting adalah kita hormat…

Both are commonly heard and understood. Ialah sounds slightly more “textbook-correct” here, but adalah would not be wrong in normal usage.

Why is it kita hormat and not kita menghormati? Is hormat a verb here?

Yes, hormat functions as a verb here: “(we) respect”.

Malay often allows two forms:

Base verb: hormat
MeN-verb: menghormati

Both can mean “to respect”, but:

hormat (base form): very common in speech and neutral writing.
menghormati: a bit more formal, often used in formal speeches, official writing, or to sound more “refined”.

So you could also say:

…ialah kita menghormati adat dan perasaan orang lain.

It sounds a bit more formal, but the meaning is the same.

What does adat mean exactly? Is it the same as budaya?

Adat roughly means customs / traditional practices / social norms.

It often carries a sense of long-established, socially expected ways of behaving.
In Malay/Indonesian cultures, adat is quite strong as a concept: local customs, rituals, social rules, etiquette.

Budaya = culture more generally (arts, values, lifestyle, etc.).

In this sentence, adat fits well because we’re talking about respecting people’s customs and ways of doing things, not just appreciating their culture in a broad sense.

What is the nuance of perasaan here? Is it singular or plural?

Perasaan literally comes from rasa (to feel / taste) and means feeling / feelings / emotions.

Malay doesn’t mark plural the way English does, so perasaan can mean:

“feeling” (general)
“feelings” (plural)

In this context, perasaan orang lain is naturally understood as:

“other people’s feelings / emotions”

It’s about being considerate of how others might feel.

Does orang lain mean “another person” or “other people”? Is it singular or plural?

Orang lain literally = “other person”, but like many Malay noun phrases, it can be singular or plural depending on context:

orang = person / people
lain = other / different

Here, adat dan perasaan orang lain is best understood as:

“the customs and feelings of other people”

If you really wanted to emphasize plural, you could say orang-orang lain, but in normal usage orang lain is enough.

How is tense expressed in bahasa yang kita belajar? Is it “we learn”, “we’re learning”, or “we will learn”?

Malay verbs generally don’t change form for tense. Belajar on its own is “learn / study” with no built-in time reference.

So bahasa yang kita belajar could be:

“the language that we learn”
“the language that we are learning”
“the language that we will learn”

The exact sense comes from context or time words, e.g.:

bahasa yang kita sedang belajar = (that) we are currently learning
bahasa yang kita akan belajar = (that) we will learn

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it be appropriate in a speech or in writing?

The sentence is in neutral–polite standard Malay:

Uses standard forms: walau apa pun, yang paling penting ialah…
No slang, no heavy colloquial contractions.

It would be perfectly appropriate:

in a formal speech (about language learning, intercultural respect, etc.),
in essays, articles, or textbooks,
and also in everyday polite conversation.

If you wanted a slightly more formal flavor, you might choose menghormati instead of hormat, but it’s not necessary.

Could I rephrase this as Yang paling penting ialah kita menghormati adat dan perasaan orang lain, walau apa pun bahasa yang kita belajar? Is that still correct?

Yes, that rephrasing is grammatically correct and natural. You’ve:

moved the “no matter what language we learn” clause to the end,
and changed hormat → menghormati (more formal verb).

So you would get:

Yang paling penting ialah kita menghormati adat dan perasaan orang lain, walau apa pun bahasa yang kita belajar.

Meaning stays the same; the focus shifts slightly:

Original: starts by emphasizing “no matter what language”.
Rephrased: starts by emphasizing “the most important thing is that we respect…”.

Both are good, natural Malay sentences.