Learn Hardcore Malay: Tolong sebut nama awak dengan perlahan.

The you is understood from context. If you include awak as the subject (Awak tolong sebut…), it’s not wrong, but in everyday speech it can sound a bit heavier or like you’re emphasizing the person specifically. The natural, neutral request is to leave it out, just as in English commands.

What does each word in Tolong sebut nama awak dengan perlahan literally mean?

Word-by-word:

tolong – help / please (used to soften a request)
sebut – to say / to pronounce (especially clearly or one word/phrase)
nama – name
awak – you / your (informal-neutral 2nd person pronoun in Malaysian Malay)
dengan – with, by, using; also used to form adverbs (with slow → slowly)
perlahan – slow

So very literally: “Please help say the name of you with slow.”
Natural English: “Please say your name slowly.”

What exactly does tolong mean here? Is it the same as “please”?

Tolong literally means “help”, but it’s commonly used before a verb to make a polite request:

Tolong buka pintu. – Please open the door.
Tolong tunggu sebentar. – Please wait a moment.

In this sentence, tolong functions like “please (could you)”, not like a cry for help.
If you shout Tolong! by itself, then it means “Help!”

Why use sebut and not cakap or kata for “say”?

Malay has several verbs that map to English “say/speak”:

sebut – to pronounce / say a word or phrase clearly
- Tolong sebut nama awak… – Please say (pronounce) your name…
cakap / bercakap – to speak, to talk
- Dia bercakap dengan saya. – He/She is talking with me.
kata – to say (often used in reporting speech)
- Dia kata dia letih. – He/She said he/she is tired.

Here, sebut is best because you’re asking the person to pronounce a specific item (their name), often clearly and carefully.
Cakap nama awak would sound odd or childish; sebut nama awak is the standard phrase.

Why is it nama awak and not awak nama for “your name”?

In Malay, possession is usually expressed as:

[thing] + [owner]

So:

nama awak – your name
buku saya – my book
kereta dia – his/her car

Putting awak before nama (awak nama) is ungrammatical in standard Malay.
To say “your name”, you must say nama awak.

What kind of you is awak? Is it formal or informal?

Awak is:

common in Malaysian Malay
informal to neutral, used:
- between friends or people of similar status
- to someone slightly younger
often avoided in very formal situations or to show high respect

Other options:

anda – formal, polite, “you” in writing, ads, customer service
kamu – also “you”, but in Malaysia can sound:
- a bit distant or teacher→student
encik / puan / cik + name or title
e.g. Tolong sebut nama encik dengan perlahan. – very polite (to a man)

So nama awak is like “your name” to someone you’re on normal, not highly formal, terms with.

What is dengan doing here? Why dengan perlahan?

Dengan literally means with, but one of its key uses is to turn an adjective into an adverb-like phrase:

perlahan – slow
dengan perlahan – slowly (with slow)

Other examples:

dengan cepat – quickly
dengan hati‑hati – carefully
dengan sopan – politely

So dengan perlahan = “in a slow way / slowly.”
That’s why the sentence uses dengan before perlahan.

Can I drop dengan and just say perlahan after the verb?

Yes, in everyday speech you will also hear:

Tolong sebut nama awak perlahan.

Malay doesn’t strictly require dengan to create an adverb; adjectives can often act adverbially.

Nuance:

dengan perlahan – slightly more complete/standard, a bit more careful-sounding.
perlahan – very natural, a bit shorter and more colloquial.

Both are acceptable, and both will be understood as “slowly.”

What about perlahan‑lahan or pelan‑pelan? Are those okay?

Yes, these are also used:

perlahan-lahan – “slowly” (reduplication adds a sense of gradualness)
pelan-pelan – colloquial, especially in spoken Malaysian / some Indonesian varieties

You could say:

Tolong sebut nama awak perlahan-lahan.

This sounds very natural, with a nuance of “nice and slowly / gently.”
Pelan-pelan is more informal and very speechy; in standard/formal Malay, perlahan / dengan perlahan / perlahan-lahan are safer.

How would I make this sentence more formal or polite for a customer or an older person?

You can adjust both the “please” word and the pronoun:

More formal versions:

Sila sebut nama tuan / puan dengan perlahan.
– to a man (tuan) or woman (puan) respectfully.
Sila sebut nama anda dengan perlahan.
– uses anda, a polite/formal “you”.

You can also add ‑kan to the verb for a slightly more “polished” feel:

Sila sebutkan nama tuan / puan dengan perlahan.

All of these are more formal and respectful than Tolong sebut nama awak…

Could I add boleh to soften it, like “Could you please say your name slowly?”?

Yes. Using boleh (“can / may / could”) is a very common way to make a request even more polite:

Boleh tak sebut nama awak dengan perlahan?
– “Could you say your name slowly?”
Slightly more formal: Boleh awak sebut nama awak dengan perlahan?

Combining boleh and tolong is also possible in very soft requests:

Boleh tolong sebut nama awak dengan perlahan?

All of these sound polite, with boleh giving the nuance of asking permission / ability, similar to “could you…?” in English.

Can I move dengan perlahan to another position in the sentence?

In practice, the natural positions are:

Tolong sebut nama awak dengan perlahan. ✅
Tolong sebut dengan perlahan nama awak. ✅ (possible, but less common; a bit marked)

Malay word order is somewhat flexible, but putting dengan perlahan between the verb and nama awak (Tolong sebut dengan perlahan nama awak) can sound slightly unusual in everyday speech, though it’s not “wrong.”

The most natural and common version is exactly the one you have:

Tolong sebut nama awak dengan perlahan.

How would I say “Please don’t say your name slowly”?

To make a negative command / request in Malay, use jangan (“don’t”) before the verb. You can keep tolong to soften it:

Tolong jangan sebut nama awak dengan perlahan.
– “Please don’t say your name slowly.”

Structure:

tolong (please) + jangan (don’t) + sebut (say) + the rest.