Learn Hardcore Malay: Abang saya bermain permainan papan di meja makan sementara adik saya menonton televisyen. - My older brother plays a board game at the dining table while my younger sibling watches television.

If you specifically want younger sister, you usually need context or you can clarify with adik perempuan (younger sister) and adik lelaki (younger brother) when needed.

Why is it abang saya and adik saya, not saya abang or saya adik?

Malay normally puts the possessed noun first and the owner after it:

[thing/person] + [owner]
abang saya = older brother my → my older brother
adik saya = younger sibling my → my younger sibling

You do not say saya abang for my older brother; saya abang would literally be I am an older brother (and even then you would usually say saya seorang abang).

So the pattern is:

buku saya = my book
rumah kami = our house
kawan mereka = their friend

Can abang and adik be used only for actual siblings, or also for other people?

They can be used more broadly:

Within the family
- abang = older brother
- adik = younger sibling
In everyday speech to others
- Abang can be used to address an older man in a friendly/polite way (e.g. a taxi driver, shop assistant).
- Adik can be used to address someone younger than you (often a child or teenager).

In this sentence, because saya (my) is used, abang saya and adik saya clearly refer to actual family members, not just random people being addressed.

What is the difference between bermain and main in bermain permainan papan?

bermain is the more formal/standard verb form meaning to play.
main is a shorter, informal form that you’ll hear very often in speech.

In careful or written Malay, bermain permainan papan (play board games) sounds more complete and standard. In casual spoken Malay, you would very often hear:

Abang saya main permainan papan…
or even
Abang saya main game papan… / main board game…

Both are understandable; bermain just sounds more formal/standard than main.

Why do we say bermain permainan papan instead of just bermain on its own?

You can say just bermain:

Abang saya bermain di meja makan.
My older brother is playing at the dining table.

But if you want to specify what he is playing, you add the object:

bermain permainan papan = play board games / play board games as an activity

So:

bermain = to play (in general)
bermain permainan papan = to play board games (specifically)

Why is it permainan papan (literally “game board”) and not the other way round like English board game?

Malay noun phrases typically go:

main noun + describing noun

So:

permainan = game
papan = board
permainan papan = game (that uses a) board → board game

This order is the opposite of English. Some other examples:

kucing hutan = jungle cat (wildcat) (literally cat jungle)
telefon bimbit = mobile phone (literally phone mobile)

English often puts the descriptor first; Malay usually puts it second.

What does meja makan literally mean, and why is it used instead of something like “dining table”?

Literally:

meja = table
makan = eat / eating
meja makan = eating table → dining table

Malay often forms compound nouns by putting two words together:

bilik tidur = bedroom (sleep room)
baju tidur = pajamas (sleep clothes)
meja makan = dining table (eating table)

So di meja makan is naturally translated as at the dining table.

Why is it di meja makan and not atas meja makan? What’s the difference between di and atas?

di = at / in / on (general location marker)
atas = on top of

di meja makan focuses on location at the table:

Abang saya bermain permainan papan di meja makan.
→ He is playing at the dining table.

If you said:

atas meja makan
you’re emphasizing being on top of the table’s surface. That works for objects:
Pinggan ada atas meja makan.
The plates are on the dining table.

For people doing an activity at the table, di meja makan is much more natural than atas meja makan.

What does sementara mean here, and how is it different from sambil or apabila?

In this sentence:

sementara ≈ while / whereas / at the same time as

It connects two actions that happen in the same time period, often with a contrast:

Abang saya bermain… sementara adik saya menonton…
→ My older brother is playing… while my younger sibling is watching…

Differences:

sementara
- Often links two different subjects doing things at the same time.
- Can carry a slight contrast: one does X while the other does Y.
sambil
- Typically used when one subject is doing two actions at once.
- E.g. Adik saya makan sambil menonton televisyen.
  My younger sibling eats while watching TV.
apabila / ketika
- More like when.
- Focuses on the time a second action happens:
  Apabila abang saya bermain, adik saya menonton televisyen.
  When my older brother plays, my younger sibling watches TV. (less about simultaneity contrast, more about one action happening whenever the other does)

Why isn’t there a comma before sementara, like in English “..., while ...”?

Malay punctuation is more flexible about commas in this kind of sentence. Both are possible:

Abang saya bermain permainan papan di meja makan sementara adik saya menonton televisyen.
Abang saya bermain permainan papan di meja makan, sementara adik saya menonton televisyen.

The version without the comma is very common and fully correct. The meaning doesn’t change; it’s mainly a stylistic choice. In English, the comma before while is more strongly expected; in Malay it’s optional here.

Why is it adik saya menonton televisyen and not something like dia menonton televisyen?

Both are grammatically correct, but they differ in clarity:

adik saya menonton televisyen
→ my younger sibling is watching television (clearly identifies who)
dia menonton televisyen
→ he/she is watching television (pronoun only, gender unspecified, identity depends on context)

In this sentence, using adik saya makes it parallel and clear:

Abang saya … sementara adik saya …

You can use dia (he/she) after the person has already been clearly identified in earlier context. Malay often drops pronouns when they are obvious; here, the writer simply chose to repeat adik saya for clarity and contrast.

What does menonton televisyen mean exactly, and are there other common ways to say “watch TV” in Malay?

menonton = to watch (usually for visual media: TV, movies, shows)
televisyen = television

So menonton televisyen = to watch television.

In everyday speech, you’ll also hear:

tengok TV (very common, informal)
tonton TV (shorter, still understandable)
menonton TV (mix of formal verb + informal noun)

televisyen is a more formal/spelled-out word; TV is the everyday short form. Both are correct and widely understood.