Mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang disimpan di almari belakang pentas.

The regular microphone with a long wire is kept in the cupboard behind the stage.

Breakdown of Mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang disimpan di almari belakang pentas.

• di: in
• dengan: with
• panjang: long
• pentas: the stage
• belakang: behind
• mikrofon: the microphone
• almari: the cupboard
• wayar: the wire
• biasa: regular
• disimpan: to be kept

Questions & Answers about Mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang disimpan di almari belakang pentas.

What exactly does biasa mean in mikrofon biasa? Does it mean usual, normal, or ordinary?

In this sentence, biasa means ordinary / regular / normal, not usually.

• mikrofon biasa = a regular/ordinary microphone (as opposed to a special type, e.g. wireless, high-end, etc.)
• It does not mean the microphone usually... here; that adverb meaning (usually) would be expressed differently in Malay (e.g. biasanya).

So you can read mikrofon biasa as “the ordinary microphone” or “the regular microphone”.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before mikrofon? How do we know if it’s the microphone or a microphone?

Malay generally does not use articles like “the” or “a/an”.

• mikrofon biasa can mean:
  • a regular microphone
  • the regular microphone
• Which one is correct depends on context, not on a specific article word.

If earlier in the conversation people already know which microphone is being discussed, you’d translate it as “the regular microphone”. If it’s mentioned for the first time, “a regular microphone” may feel more natural in English.

What does dengan mean in dengan wayar panjang? Is it the same as English “with”?

Yes, dengan here means “with” in the sense of “having / accompanied by”:

• mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang
  = a regular microphone with a long cable

You could also rephrase more formally as:

• mikrofon biasa yang mempunyai wayar panjang
  = a regular microphone that has a long cable

But dengan is shorter and very natural in everyday Malay for “with (something attached/associated)”.

Why is it wayar panjang and not panjang wayar? Which word order is normal?

In Malay, the adjective usually comes after the noun:

• wayar panjang = long wire/cable
  (wayar = wire, panjang = long)

So the normal pattern is:

• Noun + Adjective
  • mikrofon baru = new microphone
  • almari besar = big cupboard
  • wayar pendek = short cable

panjang wayar would be understood as “the length of the wire” in some contexts, which is a different structure.

What does disimpan mean, and why is it in this passive form?

disimpan comes from the root simpan (to keep/store) with the passive prefix di-.

• simpan = to keep / to store
• disimpan = is kept / is stored / was kept

In Malay, the di- passive is very common when:

• the doer (the person who keeps it) is not important or not mentioned, and
• the object (the thing being kept) is the focus.

So:

• Mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang disimpan di almari...
  = The regular microphone with the long cable is kept in the cupboard...

You could make it active:

• Mereka menyimpan mikrofon biasa…
  = They keep/store the regular microphone…

But the original sentence just focuses on where the microphone is kept, so the passive is natural.

There is no word for “is” in the Malay sentence. How do we know the tense (present, past, etc.)?

Malay doesn’t use a verb like “to be” (is/was/are) in this kind of sentence, and verb forms don’t change with tense.

• disimpan can mean is kept, was kept, or is usually kept, depending on context.

If you want to be explicit, you add time words:

• Mikrofon… disimpan di almari...
  = The microphone is kept / was kept in the cupboard.
• Dulu, mikrofon… disimpan di almari...
  = In the past, the microphone was kept in the cupboard.
• Sekarang, mikrofon… disimpan di almari...
  = Now, the microphone is kept in the cupboard.

So tense is understood from context or time expressions, not verb endings.

Can mikrofon biasa mean “regular microphones” (plural), or is it only singular?

Malay doesn’t mark plural with “-s” like English does, so:

• mikrofon biasa can mean:
  • a regular microphone
  • the regular microphone
  • regular microphones (in general)

If you want to make plural very clear, you can:

• Use a number or quantifier:
  • dua mikrofon biasa = two regular microphones
  • beberapa mikrofon biasa = several regular microphones
• Or (more colloquially) repeat the noun:
  • mikrofon-mikrofon biasa = regular microphones (emphatic plural, more common in writing)

What exactly does almari mean? Is it a cupboard, wardrobe, cabinet, or something else?

almari is a general word for a cupboard / cabinet / wardrobe with doors, used for storing things. The best English translation depends on context:

• In a backstage / storage context, almari is naturally “cupboard” or “storage cabinet”.
• In a bedroom/clothing context, it’s often “wardrobe”.

Here, since it’s behind a stage and used for storing equipment, “cupboard” or “cabinet” fits well:
“…is kept in the cupboard behind the stage.”

How should I understand di almari belakang pentas? Does belakang pentas describe the almari or the location?

di almari belakang pentas is best understood as “in the cupboard (that is) behind the stage”.

Structure:

• di = in / at
• almari belakang pentas = a cupboard that is at the back of / behind the stage

You can think of it as:

• di [almari [belakang pentas]]

Malay often stacks nouns and location words like this without extra prepositions:

• bilik belakang rumah = the room at the back of the house
• kedai sebelah sekolah = the shop next to the school

So belakang pentas here is describing where the almari is.

What does belakang pentas mean exactly? Is it the same as “backstage”?

Literally:

• belakang = back / behind
• pentas = stage

So belakang pentas = behind the stage / at the back of the stage.

In many real-world contexts, that area is effectively “backstage”, so you can often translate:

• almari belakang pentas ≈ the cupboard backstage

If you want the exact Malay word that’s often used for the backstage area, belakang pentas itself is natural and common.

Why isn’t there a yang clause like “mikrofon biasa yang ada wayar panjang”? Is dengan more natural?

Both are grammatically correct, but they have slightly different feels:

1. mikrofon biasa dengan wayar panjang

   • Very natural, simple.
   • Sounds like “a regular microphone with a long cable”.
   • dengan is widely used to attach an extra feature:
     
     • baju dengan lengan panjang = shirt with long sleeves

2. mikrofon biasa yang ada/mempunyai wayar panjang

   • Slightly longer and more explicit:
     
     • “a regular microphone that has a long cable”
   • May sound a bit more formal or descriptive.

In everyday speech and in instructions, dengan wayar panjang is perfectly natural and often preferred for brevity.

Is a classifier like sebuah needed before almari, e.g. di sebuah almari?

You can add a classifier, but it’s not required here.

• almari = cupboard/cabinet (no explicit number)
• sebuah almari = one cupboard / a cupboard
  (sebuah is the classifier for many objects and buildings)

You’d typically use sebuah when:

• You want to emphasize quantity:
  Ada sebuah almari di belakang pentas. = There is a cupboard behind the stage.
• You are introducing the object for the first time, very specifically.

In this instruction-like sentence, di almari belakang pentas is natural and idiomatic without sebuah; the exact number of cupboards is not the focus.