Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

At the campus, the internet connection is lost when the signal is too weak.

Breakdown of Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

• adalah: to be
• di: at
• terlalu: too
• apabila: when
• hilang: lost
• sambungan internet: the internet connection
• lemah: weak
• kampus: the campus
• isyarat: the signal

Questions & Answers about Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

Why does the sentence start with Di kampus and have a comma? Could di kampus go somewhere else in the sentence?

Di kampus means “on campus / at the campus” and it’s a location phrase.

In Malay, location or time phrases are often placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or to set the scene, followed by a comma:

• Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.
  On campus, the internet connection disappears when the signal is too weak.

You can also move di kampus to the end without changing the basic meaning:

• Sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah di kampus.

The first version emphasizes the place (on campus); the second sounds more like you’re describing a general fact and just adding “on campus” as extra information at the end. Both are grammatically correct.

What is the function of di in di kampus? Is it the same di used in passive verbs?

No, these are two different di’s in Malay, even though they look the same in writing:

1. Preposition di (separate word)

   • Meaning: “at / in / on (a place)”
   • Example: di kampus (at/on campus), di rumah (at home), di pejabat (at the office).
   • It is always written separately from the noun: di kampus, not dikampus.

2. Passive prefix di- (attached to verbs)

   • Used to form passive verbs:
     
     • ditulis (is written), dibaca (is read), dibuka (is opened).
   • It is written attached: ditulis, dibaca, dibuka.

In di kampus, di is a preposition, not a passive marker. That’s why it stands apart: di kampus.

What does sambungan internet literally mean? Why not just say internet?

Sambungan internet literally means “internet connection”:

• sambungan = connection, linkage, something that is joined/connected
• internet = the internet

So sambungan internet is the connection to the internet, not the internet as a concept.

You could say:

• Di kampus, internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

People will still understand you, but it sounds a bit less natural, because:

• hilang (disappear / be lost) fits better with something like a connection or signal;
• in real usage, Malaysians commonly say sambungan internet (internet connection) or line internet / line (colloquial) rather than “the internet” simply “disappears”.

So sambungan internet is the more precise and natural choice here.

What exactly does hilang mean here? Does it mean “disconnect”, “lose”, or “disappear”?

Hilang is a versatile verb/adjective that generally means “to be gone / to disappear / to be missing / to be lost.”

In this sentence:

• sambungan internet hilang ≈ “the internet connection is gone / disappears / gets lost.”

You can think of it as:

• The connection that was there is no longer there.

Other common uses:

• Dompet saya hilang. – My wallet is missing / I lost my wallet.
• Suara dia tiba-tiba hilang. – His/her voice suddenly disappeared.

For internet, people might also say:

• sambungan internet terputus – the internet connection got cut off
• line internet putus – the internet line broke / got disconnected (more colloquial)

But hilang is fine and natural, especially in a neutral, explanatory sentence like this.

Could we use terputus instead of hilang here? What’s the difference between hilang and terputus?

You can say:

• Di kampus, sambungan internet terputus apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

Both are correct, but they have slightly different nuances:

• hilang

  • Focus: the thing is no longer there / disappears.
  • sambungan internet hilang – the connection is gone, you’ve lost it.

• terputus

  • From putus (broken, cut), with ter- giving a sense of an event happening (often accidentally or suddenly).
  • sambungan internet terputus – the connection gets cut off / breaks.

In everyday speech, terputus or putus is extremely common when talking about connections and calls:

• Talian terputus. – The line got cut off.
• Line asyik putus-putus. – The line keeps breaking up. (colloquial)

In your sentence, hilang sounds a bit more like describing the state (it ends up gone), while terputus emphasizes the event (it gets cut).

What does apabila mean, and how is it different from bila or ketika?

Apabila is a conjunction meaning “when / whenever”, often used in more formal or neutral language.

In this sentence:

• apabila isyarat terlalu lemah – when the signal is too weak

Rough differences:

• apabila

  • More formal, written style, clear, neutral.
  • Good for explanations, instructions, official writing.
  • Example: Apabila hujan turun, jalan menjadi licin. – When it rains, the road becomes slippery.

• bila

  • More colloquial and common in speech.
  • Can also be used in questions: Bila kamu datang? – When are you coming?
  • In casual speech you might say:
    
    • Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang bila isyarat terlalu lemah.

• ketika / semasa

  • Usually translated as “when” or “while”, often for time periods or ongoing situations, e.g.:
    
    • Ketika saya kecil, saya tinggal di kampung. – When I was little, I lived in a village.
    • Semasa mesyuarat, telefon mesti ditutup. – During the meeting, phones must be switched off.

In your sentence, apabila is an excellent choice because it introduces a condition or general rule: when X happens, Y happens.

What does isyarat mean, and is it only used for internet or phone signals?

Isyarat means “signal” or “sign”, and it has several uses:

1. Technical / electronic signals

   • isyarat telefon – phone signal
   • isyarat Wi-Fi – Wi‑Fi signal
   • isyarat terlalu lemah – the signal is too weak

2. Gestures / non-verbal signals

   • Dia beri saya isyarat dengan tangan. – He/She gave me a signal with his/her hand.

3. Traffic signals / signs

   • isyarat trafik – traffic signal
   • lampu isyarat – traffic lights

In your sentence, it clearly refers to the internet/wi‑fi signal. Context usually makes the meaning clear.

Why is it terlalu lemah and not sangat lemah? What’s the difference between terlalu and sangat?

Both terlalu and sangat mean a high degree of something, but they are used differently:

• terlalu = “too (too much, excessively)”

  • Often has a negative or problematic sense:
    
    • terlalu lemah – too weak (not strong enough, causing a problem)
    • terlalu mahal – too expensive

• sangat = “very”

  • Just means “very”, without automatically implying that it’s bad:
    
    • sangat lemah – very weak (could be neutral description)
    • sangat kuat – very strong

In your sentence:

• isyarat terlalu lemah suggests:
  
  • The signal is too weak to function properly, which explains why the internet connection disappears.

If you said isyarat sangat lemah, it would sound more like you are describing the signal (it is very weak), without directly carrying the idea of “too weak (causing a problem)”.

Why is the adjective after the noun in isyarat terlalu lemah? Could I say terlalu lemah isyarat?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

• isyarat lemah – weak signal
• isyarat terlalu lemah – signal that is too weak

The pattern is:

• noun + (degree word) + adjective

Examples:

• rumah besar – big house
• rumah sangat besar – very big house
• makanan sedap – tasty food
• makanan terlalu pedas – food that is too spicy

So the natural order is:

• isyarat terlalu lemah, not terlalu lemah isyarat.

Ter­lalu lemah isyarat would sound ungrammatical in standard Malay.

There is no word for “it” in this sentence. Why doesn’t Malay need a subject like English does?

Malay often leaves out pronouns (like “it”, “they”, “he”, “she”) when the subject is clear from context.

In English, we need a subject:

• On campus, the internet connection disappears when the signal is too weak.
  or
• On campus, it disappears when the signal is too weak.

In the Malay sentence:

• Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

The subject sambungan internet is explicitly there, so no extra “it” is needed. Malay also doesn’t use a dummy “it” like English (It’s raining, It’s important, etc.). For example:

• Hujan. – It’s raining.
• Penting untuk datang awal. – It is important to come early.

Malay simply doesn’t require a pronoun where English does.

Can I rearrange the sentence and still keep the same meaning? For example, put the “when” part first?

Yes. Malay word order is quite flexible, especially with clauses introduced by apabila. You can say:

1. Original:

   • Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.
     On campus, the internet connection disappears when the signal is too weak.

2. Move the when-clause to the front:

   • Apabila isyarat terlalu lemah, sambungan internet hilang di kampus.

3. Or keep di kampus at the end:

   • Sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah di kampus.

All are grammatically correct. Differences:

• Putting apabila isyarat terlalu lemah at the front emphasizes the condition.
• Putting di kampus at the front emphasizes the location.
• Putting di kampus at the end makes it more like an afterthought or final detail.

The core meaning remains the same.

How do we know whether this sentence is talking about the present, past, or general habit, since there’s no tense?

Malay does not mark tense on the verb the way English does. There is no change like disappear / disappeared / will disappear in the verb itself (hilang stays hilang).

Time and aspect are understood from:

1. Context
2. Time words if added (e.g., selalu, tadi, sekarang, esok)

Your sentence, as it stands:

• Di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.

Naturally reads as a general statement / habitual fact:

• On campus, the internet connection (tends to) disappear when the signal is too weak.

If you want to specify time, you add time words:

• Tadi di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.
  – Earlier at campus, the internet connection disappeared when the signal was too weak.

• Selalunya di kampus, sambungan internet hilang apabila isyarat terlalu lemah.
  – Usually on campus, the internet connection disappears when the signal is too weak.

So: no tense change in hilang; tense is carried by context or by extra time expressions.