Learn Hardcore Malay: Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia ketawa kuat. - Every time he/she throws two dice, he/she laughs loudly.

It introduces something that happens repeatedly:
Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu… → Every time / Whenever he throws two dice…
You can compare:
- Setiap = every, each
- Kali = time (as in number of times, not clock time)

Other options with a similar meaning:

Setiap kali dia… (very common, neutral)
Bila dia… / Apabila dia… (also possible, often just when(ever) he…)

In this sentence, Setiap kali naturally suggests a repeated or habitual action.

How do we know the tense? Why isn’t there a word for throws / threw / will throw?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do. Membaling can mean throws, is throwing, threw, will throw, etc. The time reference comes from context and time expressions.

Here, Setiap kali (every time / whenever) tells us that this is a habitual action, so in English we translate it as:

Every time he throws two dice, he laughs loudly.

If you really need to show future, you can add akan (will), but it’s not needed here:

Setiap kali dia akan membaling dua dadu, dia akan ketawa kuat.
(grammatical, but sounds heavier; usually unnecessary in everyday speech)

Does dia mean he or she? How do we know the gender?

Dia is a gender‑neutral third-person singular pronoun. It can mean:

he
she
occasionally they (for a single person in some contexts, but most often he/she)

Malay does not mark grammatical gender in pronouns, so:

dia = he / she
mereka = they (plural)

To know whether dia means he or she, you rely on context (who you’re talking about, previous sentences, names, etc.). The sentence itself does not specify gender.

What is the difference between baling and membaling? Why is membaling used here?

The base verb is baling (to throw). When you add the prefix meN-, it becomes me + baling → membaling.

baling = throw (base form; often used in casual speech, commands, or as a dictionary form)
membaling = to throw (more standard and formal, especially in written Malay or careful speech)

In many everyday contexts, especially in informal conversation, people might say:

Setiap kali dia baling dua dadu, dia ketawa kuat.

This is understood and common in speech.
In more standard/written Malay, membaling is preferred when the verb directly takes an object (dua dadu).

Why is it membaling and not something like menbaling? How does the meN- prefix work here?

The prefix is meN-, and it changes form depending on the first consonant of the root word. For baling:

meN-
- baling → mem + baling → membaling

The N in meN- assimilates to m before b, so we get mem-, and then it merges with b to give the spelling membaling.

Other examples with the same pattern:

meN-
- baca → membaca (to read)
meN-
- beli → membeli (to buy)

So membaling is simply the regular meN- + baling form.

Why is it dua dadu and not something like dua dadu-dadu? How is plural shown here?

In Malay, nouns usually don’t change form for plural. Dadu can mean:

a die (one)
dice (more than one), depending on number words/context.

Here dua (two) already shows that it’s plural:

dua dadu = two dice

You could say dadu-dadu to emphasize many dice in general, but with a specific number (dua), you normally do not repeat the noun:

dua dadu ✅ (normal)
dua dadu-dadu ❌ (unnatural)

Should there be a classifier, like dua biji dadu instead of dua dadu?

Malay often uses classifiers (like biji, orang, ekor) when counting nouns, but usage varies.

biji is a common classifier for small, round-ish objects:
- dua biji epal (two apples)
- dua biji telur (two eggs)
- dua biji dadu (two dice) – fully grammatical

So you can say:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu… (very common, especially in casual speech)
Setiap kali dia membaling dua biji dadu… (a bit more explicit / careful)

Both are correct. Omitting biji is quite natural here; dua dadu is fine.

Why is it ketawa kuat and not kuat ketawa? How does word order work with adverbs like kuat?

In Malay, adverbs of manner (how something is done) usually come after the verb:

ketawa kuat = laugh loudly
makan perlahan = eat slowly
bercakap jelas = speak clearly

So:

dia ketawa kuat = he/she laughs loudly

Kuat ketawa could appear in certain structures (e.g. descriptions or poetic style), but as a straightforward verb + manner adverb, ketawa kuat is the normal order.

You can also say:

dia ketawa dengan kuat (he/she laughs loudly)
This is also correct but slightly more formal / explicit.

Can I use tertawa or gelak instead of ketawa? Do they mean the same thing?

All three relate to laughing, but they differ slightly in tone and usage:

ketawa
- Very common, neutral.
- Works in both spoken and written Malay.
tertawa
- Slightly more formal or literary.
- More common in Indonesian; in Malaysia, still understood but feels more bookish.
gelak
- More colloquial/informal.
- Often appears in phrases like gelak kuat, gelak besar, gelak ketawa.

In your sentence, you could say:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia ketawa kuat. ✅
Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia gelak kuat. ✅ (more informal)
Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia tertawa kuat. ✅ (more formal/literary)

Why is dia repeated? Can I drop the second dia and just say …, ketawa kuat?

Repeating dia is very natural and clear:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia ketawa kuat.

You can also omit the second dia if the subject is obvious:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, ketawa kuat.

This is understandable, especially in casual speech, but it sounds a bit less complete. Many speakers would still include the second dia for clarity and natural rhythm.

Another natural option is to add a particle like pun:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu, dia pun ketawa kuat.
(Every time he throws two dice, he then/later also laughs loudly.)

Could this also mean every time he throws the two dice twice? How does dua dadu differ from dua kali?

No, the sentence as given clearly means two dice, not twice.

dua dadu = two dice (quantity of dice)
dua kali = twice / two times (number of times an action is done)

So:

Setiap kali dia membaling dua dadu…
= Every time he throws two dice…

If you wanted to say every time he throws the dice twice, you’d say something like:

Setiap kali dia membaling dadu itu dua kali, dia ketawa kuat.
(Every time he throws that die / those dice twice, he laughs loudly.)