Learn Hardcore Malay: Daripada menatal media sosial sebelum tidur, lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel. - Instead of scrolling social media before sleeping, it is better that I finish one chapter of a novel.

Daripada + (verb phrase / activity), lebih baik + (clause).
- Daripada menatal media sosial sebelum tidur, lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel.
  → Rather than scrolling social media before bed, it’s better that I finish a chapter of a novel.

So:

The daripada‑phrase sets up what you could do but don’t really want to.
The lebih baik‑clause introduces the preferred alternative.

This daripada … lebih baik … structure is very common for giving advice or expressing personal preference between two actions.

Why is the verb menatal used after daripada? Could it just be tatal, or do we need saya menatal?

After daripada, Malay normally uses a full verb in its meN- form to talk about an action in general, almost like an English -ing form:

daripada menatal media sosial ≈ “rather than scrolling social media”

Using just the root tatal here would sound incomplete or imperative-like; menatal is the natural, dictionary-like verb form.

About the subject:

Daripada menatal media sosial…
(subject is understood from context, same as in the main clause: saya)
You can say daripada saya menatal media sosial…, which makes the subject explicit, but it’s not necessary when it’s clearly the same person as in saya habiskan.

So the normal, natural choice here is menatal, with saya dropped because it’s obvious.

Is menatal a common or standard Malay word? Where does it come from, and are there alternatives?

Menatal is widely used in modern Malay, especially in Malaysia, and it’s considered acceptable in contemporary usage.

It comes from the root tatal, which is a loan based on the English idea of “scrolling”.
With the active prefix meN-, you get menatal = “to scroll (on a screen)”.

You may also hear or see:

skrol / menyentuh dan skrol – using the English scroll
melayari media sosial – “browsing social media” (more formal/neutral)
menelusuri media sosial – “browsing/navigating social media”
menyemak media sosial – “checking social media”

In your sentence, menatal media sosial is natural, everyday modern Malay.

In media sosial, why are those two words just next to each other? Should there be a preposition or plural marker?

Malay often uses noun + adjective or noun + noun sequences without extra words:

media sosial = “social media”
- media = media
- sosial = social (adjective)

No preposition (like “of”) is needed, and Malay usually doesn’t mark plural nouns with anything:

media sosial can mean “social media” in general (singular or plural in English terms).

So media sosial is simply a straightforward noun phrase, just like makanan sihat (healthy food) or telefon bimbit (mobile phone).

In sebelum tidur, who is doing the sleeping? Why is there no saya?

Sebelum tidur literally means “before sleeping”.

Malay often leaves the subject out in time expressions when it’s obvious from context:

sebelum tidur ≈ “before (I) sleep / before sleeping”
The subject is understood to be the same as in the main clause (saya).

You can make it explicit:

sebelum saya tidur – “before I sleep”

Both are correct. Sebelum tidur is shorter and very natural in speech and informal writing.

How does lebih baik work grammatically? Is it like saying “should”, “had better”, or “it’s better that”?

Lebih = more, baik = good → lebih baik literally means “better”.

In this structure:

Lebih baik + clause ≈
- “It’s better (to)…”, or
- “I’d rather… / I’d better…”

Examples:

Lebih baik saya tidur awal.
→ It’s better if I sleep early / I’d better sleep early.
Lebih baik kamu berterus terang.
→ You’d better be honest.

So lebih baik acts like a comment on the whole clause, expressing recommendation or preference, similar in meaning to should / had better, but grammatically it’s just an adverb (lebih) plus adjective (baik).

Why is it saya habiskan and not saya menghabiskan or just saya habis?

All three are related to habis (finished), but they’re used differently:

habis (no prefix/suffix)
- Often means “to be finished / used up”:
  - Bab itu sudah habis. – That chapter is already finished.
  - Saya habis satu bab. – I finished one chapter (more like “I am done with one chapter”).
menghabiskan (meN- + habis + -kan)
- More formal / “textbook” transitive verb: “to finish (something)”:
  - Saya menghabiskan satu bab novel.
habiskan (habis + -kan, without meN-)
- Common in speech; can be used as:
  - Imperative: Habiskan kerja itu. – Finish that work.
  - Also as a normal verb: Saya habiskan satu bab novel.

In your sentence:

saya habiskan satu bab novel is natural and fairly neutral.
saya menghabiskan satu bab novel is also correct, slightly more formal.

Just saya habis satu bab novel would usually be understood as “I’m finished with one chapter” (more of a result/state), not the “I choose to finish” nuance you’re expressing.

In satu bab novel, why is there no word meaning “of”, like daripada or dari? How do I say “a chapter of a novel” in general?

Malay often expresses “of” relationships with just two nouns in a row:

satu bab novel
- satu = one
- bab = chapter
- novel = novel
  → “one chapter (of a) novel”

The second noun (novel) specifies what kind of chapter it is. This is very normal:

segelas air – a glass of water
sekeping roti – a slice of bread
beberapa helai baju – several pieces of clothing

If you want to be very explicit that it’s a chapter from a specific novel, you can say:

satu bab daripada novel itu – one chapter from that novel

But for a general idea (“a chapter of a novel”), satu bab novel is completely natural.

Can the parts of the sentence be rearranged, for example putting sebelum tidur somewhere else or moving the daripada‑phrase to the end?

Yes, Malay word order is quite flexible for these adverbial phrases. All of these are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis:

Original:
- Daripada menatal media sosial sebelum tidur, lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel.
Move daripada‑phrase to the end:
- Lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel daripada menatal media sosial sebelum tidur.
Move sebelum tidur to the end of the “better” action:
- Daripada menatal media sosial, lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel sebelum tidur.
Start with sebelum tidur:
- Sebelum tidur, lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel daripada menatal media sosial.

All are understandable and natural. The choice mainly affects what you highlight first (the bad habit, the good habit, or the time).

Is this whole sentence considered formal, informal, or neutral Malay? Would it be okay in writing, or better just in speech?

Overall, it’s neutral to slightly informal, and very natural in everyday use:

saya – neutral, acceptable in both spoken and written Malay.
menatal media sosial – modern, everyday phrasing; sounds current and casual.
lebih baik saya habiskan satu bab novel – also neutral, completely fine in normal writing.

For very formal contexts (e.g. academic writing, official documents), people might choose slightly different wording:

Daripada melayari media sosial sebelum tidur, lebih baik saya menghabiskan satu bab novel.

But for:

messages
social media posts
essays at school
general articles

your original sentence is perfectly acceptable and natural.