Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa di komputer supaya saya boleh berlatih di skrin besar itu. - I subscribe to language-learning software on the computer so that I can practise on that big screen.

Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa di komputer supaya saya boleh berlatih di skrin besar itu.

I subscribe to language-learning software on the computer so that I can practise on that big screen.

Breakdown of Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa di komputer supaya saya boleh berlatih di skrin besar itu.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Malay grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Malay now

Questions & Answers about Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa di komputer supaya saya boleh berlatih di skrin besar itu.

What exactly does melanggan mean, and is it a verb on its own or does it need a preposition?

Melanggan is a verb meaning to subscribe (to something).

Root: langgan (subscription / to subscribe)
With prefix meN- → melanggan (active verb: to subscribe)

In Malay, melanggan is normally used directly with its object, without an extra preposition:

Saya melanggan majalah itu.
I subscribe to that magazine.
Dia melanggan perkhidmatan muzik.
He/She subscribes to a music service.

So Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa = I subscribe to language-learning software, and no extra kepada is needed.

Can I say melanggan kepada perisian instead of melanggan perisian?

In standard, natural Malay, you normally do not use kepada after melanggan when the object is a service, product, or publication.

✅ Natural:

Saya melanggan perisian itu.
Saya melanggan surat khabar ini.

❌ Unnatural / redundant in most contexts:

Saya melanggan kepada perisian itu.

You might see langganan kepada in noun form:

Langganan kepada perkhidmatan ini adalah percuma.
(Here langganan is a noun, not a verb.)

But with the verb melanggan, just follow it directly with the object.

What’s the difference between perisian belajar bahasa and something like perisian pembelajaran bahasa?

Both can be understood as language-learning software, but there is a nuance:

perisian belajar bahasa
- Literally: software to learn languages
- More everyday / casual, using the verb belajar (to learn)
- Feels a bit more conversational.
perisian pembelajaran bahasa
- Literally: language learning software
- Uses the noun pembelajaran (learning / the process of learning)
- Sounds a bit more formal or technical, suitable in brochures, academic, or business contexts.

In everyday speech, perisian belajar bahasa is perfectly natural and clear, which is why it fits this sentence well.

In perisian belajar bahasa di komputer, does di komputer describe the software (software on the computer) or the act of subscribing (I subscribe on the computer)?

By itself, perisian belajar bahasa di komputer is slightly ambiguous, and context decides:

Software that runs on the computer
- Language-learning software on the computer
- Here di komputer is linked to perisian.
The action happens via the computer
- I subscribe (online) on the computer to language-learning software
- Here di komputer is linked to melanggan.

Spoken with typical intonation, many Malays would take it as software on the computer, but both readings are possible and natural. If you needed to be clearer, you could rephrase:

To stress “on the computer” (software location):
Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa untuk komputer…
To stress “I subscribe using the computer” (method):
Saya melanggan perisian belajar bahasa secara dalam talian di komputer…

Does di komputer mean “on the computer” or “using the computer”? Could I use something else?

di mainly marks location, so di komputer is closest to “at/on the computer”:

Saya bekerja di komputer.
I work at the computer.

If you want to highlight using the computer as a tool, you can use:

dengan komputer – with a computer
menggunakan komputer – using a computer

For example:

Saya belajar bahasa menggunakan komputer.
I learn languages using a computer.

In the original sentence, di komputer is fine and natural, and most readers will understand it smoothly.

What is the function of supaya here, and how is it different from untuk?

Supaya introduces a purpose or desired result (so that / in order that), typically followed by a full clause with a subject and verb:

…supaya saya boleh berlatih…
…so that I can practise…

Comparison:

supaya
- Followed by a clause
- Emphasises the outcome you want
- Saya belajar setiap hari supaya saya lulus peperiksaan.
  I study every day so that I pass the exam.
untuk
- Usually followed by a verb in root form or a noun
- More like for / in order to
- Saya belajar setiap hari untuk lulus peperiksaan.
  I study every day to pass the exam.

In your sentence, you could also (less commonly) say:

…untuk saya berlatih di skrin besar itu.

But supaya saya boleh berlatih… sounds a bit more natural and clearly shows the desired result.

What does boleh express here, and how is it different from dapat?

Boleh can express:

Ability / possibility – can, be able to
Permission – may, be allowed to

In this sentence:

…supaya saya boleh berlatih…
= so that I can practise (ability/possibility)

Dapat also means can / able to, but often carries a slightly stronger sense of managing to / succeeding in:

Akhirnya, saya dapat berlatih di skrin besar itu.
Finally, I was able to practise on that big screen (I managed to).

You could say:

supaya saya dapat berlatih di skrin besar itu

This is still correct but boleh feels more neutral and is very common.

Why is berlatih used instead of something like latihan? What’s the difference?

berlatih is a verb: to practise / to train
latihan is a noun: practice / exercise / training

Examples:

Saya berlatih setiap hari.
I practise every day.
Saya ada latihan bola sepak petang ini.
I have football practice this evening.

In the sentence:

…supaya saya boleh berlatih di skrin besar itu.
…so that I can practise on that big screen.

You need a verb after boleh, so berlatih is correct; latihan would be ungrammatical there (“so that I can practice (noun)…”).

In skrin besar itu, why is the order noun–adjective–demonstrative? Could it be skrin itu besar instead?

Yes, Malay has a typical order:

noun + adjective + demonstrative (ini/itu)

So:

skrin – screen (noun)
besar – big (adjective)
itu – that (demonstrative)

skrin besar itu = that big screen (as a noun phrase).

If you say skrin itu besar, you are making a full sentence, not a noun phrase:

Skrin itu besar.
That screen is big.

So:

di skrin besar itu – on that big screen (as part of a larger sentence)
Skrin itu besar. – That screen is big. (standalone sentence)

The original sentence needs a phrase, not a separate sentence, so skrin besar itu is the right structure.

Why is itu used instead of ini in skrin besar itu?

Ini and itu work like this and that:

ini – this (near the speaker)
itu – that (farther away, or already known/mentioned)

In skrin besar itu:

It suggests “that big screen” – maybe it’s a specific screen already known in the context, or physically a bit further away.

If the screen is near you, or you want to emphasise closeness, you would say:

skrin besar ini – this big screen

Using itu here is natural if the speaker is referring to a specific, previously mentioned or pointed-out screen.

Can I omit itu and just say di skrin besar?

Yes, grammatically you can say di skrin besar (“on a big screen / on the big screen”), but:

Without itu it sounds less specific.
With itu, it clearly refers to a particular, identifiable screen that both speaker and listener know about.

Compare:

Saya berlatih di skrin besar.
I practise on a big screen / on the big screen (general).
Saya berlatih di skrin besar itu.
I practise on that big screen (that specific one).

In the given sentence, itu adds that sense of shared reference to a specific screen.

Is di skrin besar itu the only correct way, or can I use pada instead of di?

In modern everyday Malay, di is far more common than pada for physical locations, including surfaces:

✅ di meja, di dinding, di skrin

Pada is used more in formal/written contexts or for abstract relations (time, responsibility, etc.):

pada hari Isnin – on Monday
tanggungjawab itu terletak pada kita – the responsibility lies with us

You could see pada skrin in very formal writing, but di skrin besar itu is the most natural choice in current standard usage.

How do we know what tense this sentence is in? It looks like present, but there’s no tense marker.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Saya melanggan… can mean:

I subscribe (habitually / currently)
I subscribed (past)
I will subscribe (future) – if the context makes it clear

Tense is usually shown by time words or particles, for example:

Saya sudah melanggan… – I have subscribed / I already subscribed
Saya akan melanggan… – I will subscribe
Tadi saya melanggan… – I subscribed earlier

In the example sentence, with no explicit time word, English speakers will usually read it as present or general habit, but in Malay it’s context-dependent.

What level of politeness or formality does saya convey here? Could I use aku instead?

Saya is the neutral, polite first-person pronoun:

Used with strangers, in formal situations, and also in neutral everyday speech.
Safe in almost all contexts.

Aku is more informal and intimate:

Used with close friends, siblings, or in certain regional/casual settings.
Might sound rude or too familiar if used with people you don’t know well.

So:

Saya melanggan perisian… – neutral/polite
Aku melanggan perisian… – casual/intimate tone

In most teaching materials and standard examples, saya is preferred, which fits the sentence given.