Learn Hardcore Malay: Jika saya tidak sambung langganan, perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi di komputer saya. - If I do not renew the subscription, that software will stop working on my computer.

jika – more formal/neutral, common in writing, instructions, official texts.
kalau – more colloquial, common in everyday conversation, chats, informal writing.

The meaning is the same in this sentence.

Why is it tidak sambung langganan and not tidak menyambung langganan?

The root verb is sambung = “to continue / to extend / to reconnect”.

tidak sambung langganan – very common, especially in everyday Malay.
tidak menyambung langganan – also correct, but sounds a bit more formal or written.

In modern Malay, it’s extremely common to use the bare verb after tidak in this kind of phrase:

tidak bayar bil – not pay the bill
tidak sambung kontrak – not renew the contract
tidak sambung langganan – not renew the subscription

So both are grammatically fine; the version in your sentence is just the simpler, more colloquial one.

What exactly does langganan mean, and what is the root word?

The root is langgan, which broadly means “to subscribe to / to be a regular customer of”.

From that root you get:

langgan – verb: to subscribe, to be a regular customer
- Saya melanggan majalah itu.
  “I subscribe to that magazine.”
langganan – noun: subscription, or the service you subscribe to
- Langganan saya akan tamat bulan ini.
  “My subscription will end this month.”
pelanggan – noun: customer / client / subscriber
- Pelanggan kedai itu sangat ramai.
  “That shop has many customers.”

In your sentence, sambung langganan = “continue/renew (my) subscription.”

Could I say memperbaharui langganan instead of sambung langganan? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Jika saya tidak memperbaharui langganan, perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi di komputer saya.

Both sambung langganan and memperbaharui langganan mean “renew the subscription”, but there’s a nuance:

sambung langganan – very common in everyday speech, feels more casual and simple: “continue the subscription”.
memperbaharui langganan – sounds more formal/official: literally “to renew the subscription”. You’ll often see this in written notices, websites, and contracts.

Meaning-wise in this context, they’re equivalent.

What does perisian mean? Is it just “software”, and are there other common words?

Yes, perisian is the standard Malay word for “software”.

You’ll often see:

perisian komputer – computer software
perisian antivirus – antivirus software
perisian pengurusan – management software

Other words you may hear:

software – the English word is also used in Malaysia, especially in tech contexts and casual speech.
program – a program (one specific piece of software).
aplikasi / app – an application (usually apps on phone/computer).

In formal Malay, perisian is the preferred term, especially in government or educational materials.

Why do we say perisian itu instead of just perisian? What does itu add?

itu is a demonstrative meaning “that”, but it often works like “that/the (one we’ve been talking about)”.

perisian – software (in general)
perisian itu – that software / the software (already known in context)

So perisian itu implies the listener already knows which specific software is meant (e.g. the program you’re discussing, the one on your computer).

If you dropped itu:

… perisian akan berhenti berfungsi …
This sounds more general: “software will stop working…”, without clearly pointing to one specific, previously mentioned piece of software.

You might also see perisian tersebut (“that aforementioned software”) in more formal writing.

What is the role of akan here? Can I leave it out and still talk about the future?

akan is a marker for future time – similar to “will” in English, but Malay verbs themselves don’t change for tense.

perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi
“the software will stop working”

You can leave akan out:

Jika saya tidak sambung langganan, perisian itu berhenti berfungsi di komputer saya.

In real usage, context (the jika “if” clause) already suggests a future result, so people will still understand it as future. However:

Using akan makes the future timing explicit and is very common in this kind of conditional sentence.
Without akan, the sentence feels a bit more abrupt or less carefully written, especially in formal contexts.

So akan is optional grammatically, but natural and recommended here.

Why do we say berhenti berfungsi? Isn’t that redundant?

It’s not redundant in Malay; it’s a very normal structure.

berhenti = to stop (doing something)
It usually needs an activity after it:
- berhenti merokok – stop smoking
- berhenti bercakap – stop talking
berfungsi = to function / to work / to operate (from fungsi, “function”)

So berhenti berfungsi literally means “stop functioning” = “stop working / stop operating”.

Other natural ways to say a similar idea:

… tidak akan berfungsi lagi. – will no longer work.
… akan berhenti. – will stop (but usually you’d add what is stopping, e.g. akan berhenti berfungsi or akan berhenti berjalan).

In practice, berhenti berfungsi is a very standard collocation for devices, systems, or software that stop working.

Why is it di komputer saya? Could I use pada or dalam instead of di?

In this sentence, di is the most natural choice.

di – “at / in / on” (general location)
- di komputer saya – on my computer
- di telefon saya – on my phone
- di akaun saya – on my account

pada is more formal/abstract and often used with time or more abstract locations:

pada masa itu – at that time
pada halaman ini – on this page (more formal)

You could say pada komputer saya in very formal or technical writing, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech.

dalam means “in / inside”:

dalam beg saya – inside my bag
dalam komputer saya – literally inside my computer (physically or “within” its storage)

With berhenti berfungsi, the usual phrasing is di komputer saya = “on my computer”.
So for this sentence, di komputer saya is the best, most natural choice.

Can I move di komputer saya to another position in the sentence?

You can move the whole phrase di komputer saya, but you can’t split it into the middle of the verb phrase.

Correct options:

Perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi di komputer saya.
(neutral, most common)
Di komputer saya, perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi.
(emphasis on “on my computer”)

Incorrect / unnatural:

*Perisian itu akan berhenti di komputer saya berfungsi.

Here, berhenti berfungsi is functioning as a single verb phrase (“stop functioning”), so you shouldn’t insert di komputer saya between berhenti and berfungsi.

General pattern:
Subject – (tense/aspect marker) – Verb phrase – (place/time)

Perisian itu – akan – berhenti berfungsi – di komputer saya

Why do we use tidak and not bukan in tidak sambung langganan?

Malay has two main negators: tidak and bukan, used in different environments.

tidak – negates verbs, adjectives, and prepositional phrases
- tidak sambung – do not continue (verb)
- tidak mahal – not expensive (adjective)
- tidak di rumah – not at home (prepositional phrase)
bukan – negates nouns and pronouns (identity, classification)
- bukan doktor – not a doctor
- bukan saya – not me
- bukan masalah besar – not a big problem

In tidak sambung langganan:

sambung is a verb, so tidak is the correct negator.

Example with both in one sentence:

Saya tidak sambung langganan itu kerana akaun itu bukan akaun saya.
“I didn’t renew that subscription because that account is not my account.”

Is saya the normal word for “I” here? Could I use aku instead?

Yes, saya is the normal, polite, neutral word for “I” in most situations. It’s appropriate for:

Talking to strangers
Talking to service staff, colleagues, teachers
Almost all formal and semi-formal situations

You can use aku instead, but only in the right context:

aku – very informal/intimate “I”
- Used with close friends, siblings, or sometimes in casual youth speech
- Can sound rude or too familiar if used with people you’re not close to

So you might hear among close friends:

Kalau aku tak sambung langganan, perisian itu akan berhenti berfungsi kat komputer aku.

Note that other parts may also become more informal (kalau, tak, kat, aku).

In general, as a learner, sticking with saya is safe and polite.