Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu. - I like that English-Malay dictionary.

Kamus by itself can mean “a dictionary” or “the dictionary,” depending on context.
Itu adds the meaning of “that” / “that specific one.”

So:

Saya suka kamus. = I like dictionaries / I like a/the dictionary (in general).
Saya suka kamus itu. = I like that (specific) dictionary.

Definiteness is usually shown by context, by demonstratives (ini/itu), or by other qualifiers, not by articles like in English.

Why does “itu” (that) come at the end instead of before the noun like in English?

In Malay, demonstratives typically come after the noun or noun phrase:

kamus itu = that dictionary
kereta ini = this car

So “Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu” follows the normal pattern:
[noun] + [descriptors] + [demonstrative]

Word order inside the noun phrase is:

kamus (noun) + Inggeris-Melayu (what kind of dictionary) + itu (that)

Saying “itu kamus Inggeris-Melayu” is possible but has a different emphasis, more like “that English-Malay dictionary (as for that one) …” and is usually followed by more information, not just left as a simple object.

What is the difference between “itu” and “ini”?

Both are demonstratives:

ini = this (near the speaker)
itu = that (farther away, or already known in context)

So:

Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu ini.
→ I like this English–Malay dictionary (the one near me / I’m holding).
Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
→ I like that English–Malay dictionary (the one over there / already mentioned).

In conversation, itu can also point to something both speakers already know about, even if it’s not physically far away.

Could I leave out “saya” and just say “Suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu”?

Yes, you can drop saya in the right context, because Malay often omits pronouns when they are clear from context:

(Saya) suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.

If the listener already knows you are talking about your own preference, this is understandable and natural, especially in casual speech.

However, including “saya” is the default, clear, neutral option, and it’s good practice for learners to keep it until they are comfortable with when omission sounds natural.

What’s the difference between “saya” and “aku” for “I”?

Both mean “I / me”, but they differ in politeness and formality:

saya
- Polite, neutral, widely usable.
- Used with strangers, older people, in formal situations, and also fine with friends.
aku
- Informal, intimate.
- Used with close friends, siblings, or people of similar age/ status where informality is normal.

In this sentence, Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu is polite and safe in almost any situation.
With a close friend you might say:

Aku suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.

Does “suka” mean “like” or “love”? How strong is it?

Suka covers a range of meanings from “like” to “be fond of”, and in some contexts can feel close to “love” in a light, casual sense.

Saya suka kamus itu. = I like that dictionary.
Saya suka awak. can mean I like you (romantically or as a crush, depending on context), or just I like you as a person.

For strong, deep love, Malay normally uses:

cinta (romantic love)
sayang (affectionate love, for family, pets, close people)

For an object like a dictionary, suka is the natural, everyday verb:
Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.

Is “kamus” singular or plural? Could this mean “dictionaries”?

Kamus itself is number-neutral. It can mean “dictionary” or “dictionaries”, depending on context.

To be explicit:

satu kamus = one dictionary
beberapa kamus = several dictionaries
banyak kamus = many dictionaries

In your sentence, kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu with itu (that) naturally refers to one specific dictionary:
that English–Malay dictionary.

What exactly does “kamus Inggeris-Melayu” mean? Is it from English to Malay or Malay to English?

Kamus Inggeris-Melayu literally means “English–Malay dictionary.”

In practice, this usually means a bilingual dictionary that covers English and Malay, often both directions (like an English–Malay & Malay–English dictionary).

If you want to be very specific, you can say:

kamus Inggeris ke Bahasa Melayu = English → Malay
kamus Bahasa Melayu ke Inggeris = Malay → English

But in everyday speech, kamus Inggeris-Melayu is understood as a dictionary involving both languages.

Why are “Inggeris” and “Melayu” capitalized?

In Malay, names of languages, peoples, and countries are written with a capital letter:

Bahasa Inggeris = English (language)
Bahasa Melayu = Malay (language)
orang Inggeris = English person
orang Melayu = Malay person

So in kamus Inggeris-Melayu, both Inggeris and Melayu are proper names of languages, so they are capitalized.

Why is there a hyphen in “Inggeris-Melayu”?

The hyphen in Inggeris-Melayu shows that the two words form a compound: they act together as one unit describing the noun:

kamus Inggeris-Melayu
→ a dictionary that involves both English and Malay.

It’s similar to English–Malay dictionary in English, where we often use a hyphen or en dash between the two languages.

Without the hyphen, kamus Inggeris Melayu would look odd and ambiguous; the hyphen makes it clear they belong together.

Is the word order “kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu” fixed, or can I move things around?

Inside the noun phrase, the normal order is fixed:

Head noun: kamus
Describing words (type, quality): Inggeris-Melayu
Demonstrative: itu / ini

So:

kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu = that English–Malay dictionary

You would not normally say:

✗ itu kamus Inggeris-Melayu as a simple object noun phrase (it sounds like you are starting a new clause: “That English–Malay dictionary … [something about it]”).

So for a straightforward object like in your sentence, keep:

[verb] + [noun + modifiers + itu/ini]
Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.

Could I say “Saya menyukai kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu” instead of “Saya suka …”?

You can, but it sounds more formal and less natural in everyday conversation.

suka is the common, basic verb:
Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu. (natural, everyday)
menyukai is a derived verb (meN- + suka), often used in more formal or written contexts, or for a slightly more abstract “have an affinity for” feel:
Beliau menyukai karya-karya sastera klasik.
(He/She is fond of classical literary works.)

For talking about liking a dictionary in normal speech, suka is the best choice.

How do I make this sentence clearly past or future, like “used to like” or “will like”?

Malay does not change the verb form for tense. You add time words instead:

Past / used to like
- Dulu saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
  → I used to like that English–Malay dictionary.
- Semalam saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
  → Yesterday I liked that English–Malay dictionary. (awkward in English, but okay in Malay)
Future / will like
- Saya akan suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
  → I will like that English–Malay dictionary. (usually sounds a bit strange; more natural is to talk about wanting or planning to use it)
- More natural: Saya rasa saya akan suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
  → I think I’ll like that English–Malay dictionary.

In many cases you just rely on context:

If you’re holding it now in a shop: Saya suka kamus Inggeris-Melayu itu.
→ clearly present from context.