Learn Hardcore Malay: Petang ini, saya baca novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar. - This evening, I read a new novel with a main character who is very smart.

recommended in formal writing when you place an adverbial (time, place, etc.) at the start, to show the pause.
optional in short sentences in informal texts. You could also write:
Petang ini saya baca novel baharu… (still correct).

So the comma is stylistic and helps readability; it’s not a grammar rule in the sense of “with no comma, it’s wrong.”

Why is it baca and not membaca? What is the difference?

Both baca and membaca relate to “to read,” but:

baca – base verb (root form)
membaca – verb with the meN- prefix (more formal / complete)

In practice:

In everyday spoken Malay, people very often use the base form as the main verb:
- Saya baca novel. (I read a novel.)
- Saya suka baca. (I like to read.)
In formal writing, when the verb stands alone, membaca is often preferred:
- Saya sedang membaca novel.

So your sentence:

Petang ini, saya baca novel baharu…

is natural, especially in conversational or neutral style. A more formal variant is:

Petang ini, saya akan membaca novel baharu…

How is tense expressed here? How do I know if it’s “I read”, “I am going to read”, or “I am reading”?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Baca can mean:

I read (habitually)
I am reading
I will read

The meaning comes from context and optional time/tense markers:

Petang ini, saya baca novel…
Often understood as “This afternoon, I will read a novel” or “I’m reading (later) this afternoon.”

You can add markers to be explicit:

akan – future:
Petang ini, saya akan baca novel baharu… (This afternoon I will read…)
sedang – in the middle of doing (progressive):
Petang ini, saya sedang baca novel baharu… (This afternoon I am (in the process of) reading…)
telah / sudah – completed:
Petang ini, saya sudah baca novel baharu… (This afternoon I already read…)

What is the difference between baharu and baru?

In modern Malaysian usage:

baharu – “new” (adjective), considered more formal / standard for that meaning.
baru – commonly used in speech and also means “new”, but also often means “just / recently / only” (an adverb).

Examples:

novel baharu – a new novel (formal/standard)
novel baru – a new novel (very common in everyday speech)
Saya baru baca novel itu. – I just read that novel.

So in your sentence, novel baharu is a careful, standard way to say “a new novel.” In everyday conversation, novel baru would be very normal too.

Why is it novel baharu and not baharu novel? Where do adjectives go?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun:

rumah besar – big house
baju merah – red shirt
novel baharu – new novel

So baharu novel would be incorrect in standard Malay.

Only a few fixed expressions or loaned patterns have adjectives before the noun (for example, orang kaya literally “rich person,” and some titles), but the general rule remains: noun first, then adjective.

What exactly does watak utama mean, and how is this phrase formed?

Watak utama literally means “main character”:

watak – character (in a story, film, etc.)
utama – main / primary / principal

So:

watak utama – main character
watak sampingan – supporting character
watak jahat – villain (literally “evil character”)

The structure is noun + adjective, just like novel baharu and rumah besar.

What does yang do in watak utama yang sangat pintar?

Yang introduces a relative clause or descriptive phrase. It’s similar to “who / that / which” in English.

watak utama yang sangat pintar
= “the main character who is very smart”

Breakdown:

watak utama – the main character
yang – that/who/which (linking word)
sangat pintar – very smart

Other examples:

budak yang tinggi – the kid who is tall
kereta yang mahal itu – that car which is expensive

So yang connects the noun (watak utama) with the descriptive phrase (sangat pintar).

What is the role of dengan here? Why not tentang or mengenai?

In this sentence:

novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar

dengan is used in the sense of “with / that has / featuring.” It suggests the novel includes or comes with such a main character.

If you use:

tentang / mengenai – “about / regarding”

You would get:

novel baharu tentang watak utama yang sangat pintar
= a new novel about a very smart main character (the story is about that character)

The nuance:

dengan watak utama… – a novel with such a main character (emphasizing a feature of the novel)
tentang / mengenai watak utama… – a novel about such a main character (emphasizing the topic/theme)

Both are grammatically fine; they just highlight slightly different things.

Can I drop saya and just say Petang ini, baca novel baharu…?

In standard Malay, you normally keep the subject pronoun, especially in simple sentences like this.

Petang ini, saya baca novel baharu… – clear: “I read / will read…”

If you say:

Petang ini, baca novel baharu…

it sounds more like:

an instruction (“This afternoon, read a new novel”), or
very elliptical speech where the subject is understood from context (common in casual conversation, but context-dependent).

For a learner, it’s better to include the subject (saya, awak, dia, etc.) until you’re comfortable with when it can be dropped naturally.

Could I change the word order to something like Petang ini, saya akan membaca novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar? Is that still correct?

Yes, that version is fully correct and more explicit:

Petang ini, saya akan membaca novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar.

Changes:

akan membaca instead of baca: clearly marks a future action (“will read”).
Word order stays essentially the same:
[time] + [subject] + [verb] + [object + modifiers]

Malay is quite flexible with adverbial phrases, so other natural orders include:

Saya akan membaca novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar petang ini.
Petang ini saya akan membaca novel baharu dengan watak utama yang sangat pintar.

All of these are grammatical; the differences are mostly about emphasis and style, not correctness.

Are pintar, pandai, and bijak the same? Why use sangat pintar here?

All three relate to being smart / clever, but with slightly different flavours:

pintar – smart, intelligent (often general, also used for children, students, etc.)
pandai – smart / skillful / good at something
- Dia pandai matematik. (He/She is good at maths.)
bijak – wise / clever, sometimes with a sense of good judgment

Sangat pintar means “very smart / very intelligent.”
You could also say:

watak utama yang sangat bijak – main character who is very clever/wise
watak utama yang sangat pandai – main character who is very smart / very capable

They would all be understood; pintar is a straightforward, neutral choice for “intelligent.”