Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menulis tugasan di komputer riba menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar. - I write the assignment on the laptop using a wireless keyboard.

saya – polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (talking to strangers, teachers, in writing, etc.).
aku – informal, usually with close friends, to children, in songs, or in literature.

Example sentences like Saya menulis tugasan… are normally written in neutral, polite Malay, so saya is preferred. You could say Aku menulis tugasan…, but that would feel more casual/intimate and is not the standard textbook style.

How do we know whether menulis means am writing, write, or wrote?

Malay verbs normally do not change for tense. menulis can mean:

I write
I am writing
I wrote
I will write (in some contexts)

Tense is usually shown by context or by adding time words:

Saya menulis tugasan semalam. – I wrote the assignment yesterday.
Sekarang saya sedang menulis tugasan. – Right now I am writing the assignment.
Setiap hari saya menulis tugasan. – Every day I write assignments.
Esok saya akan menulis tugasan. – Tomorrow I will write the assignment.

In isolation, Saya menulis tugasan… is often understood as present (either I write generally or I am writing now), unless context says otherwise.

What is the difference between tulis and menulis?

tulis is the root, and menulis is the standard active verb form.

menulis is used as the main verb after a subject in standard Malay:
Saya menulis tugasan. – I write / am writing an assignment.
tulis is used:
- in imperatives: Tulis nama anda. – Write your name.
- after some auxiliary verbs: sudah tulis, belum tulis – already written / not yet written.
- in casual speech after a subject: Saya tulis tugasan. – common in conversation but less formal.

For clear, correct formal Malay, after a subject you should usually use menulis, not bare tulis.

Why is tugasan used instead of tugas or kerja rumah?

All three are related but not identical:

tugas – duty, task, job (quite general; also used for work duties).
tugasan – an assignment, especially in an academic or training context (school/college assignment).
kerja rumah – homework (specifically homework, usually for school students).

So:

Saya menulis tugasan – I am writing an assignment (e.g. a college assignment, project, coursework).
Saya membuat kerja rumah – I am doing homework.
Saya ada banyak tugas di pejabat. – I have many tasks/duties at the office.

In your sentence, tugasan matches the idea of a written assignment best.

How can I show clearly if tugasan is singular (one assignment) or plural (assignments)?

By default, tugasan can mean assignment or assignments; Malay does not mark plural the way English does. To be specific:

One assignment:
- satu tugasan
- sebuah tugasan (using the classifier buah)
Several assignments:
- beberapa tugasan – several assignments
- banyak tugasan – many assignments
- tugasan-tugasan – assignments (reduplication to emphasise plural, a bit more literary/formal)

So you could say:

Saya menulis satu tugasan di komputer riba… – I am writing one assignment…
Saya menulis beberapa tugasan di komputer riba… – I am writing several assignments…

Why do we say di komputer riba? In English we say on the laptop. Could we use other prepositions like pada or dengan?

di is the basic preposition for physical location (at, in, on), so:

di komputer riba – at/on the laptop (locational).
This matches the idea that your work is happening on that device.

Other options:

pada komputer riba – also possible, sounds slightly more formal/abstract, often used in more technical or formal writing.
dengan komputer riba – with the laptop, focusing on the instrument (using the laptop), not on the location.

Your sentence uses di to treat the laptop as the place where the writing is being done, while menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar focuses on the instrument (the keyboard). All three prepositions exist, but di is the most straightforward as a locational marker here.

What does komputer riba literally mean, and can I just say laptop instead?

Literally:

komputer – computer
riba – lap (the top of your thighs when you sit)

So komputer riba is literally lap computer → laptop.

In practice:

komputer riba – standard Malay (used in formal writing, government documents, exams).
laptop – very common in everyday speech and informal writing, understood by almost everyone.

So in casual conversation you could say:

Saya menulis tugasan di laptop…

In formal Malay, komputer riba is preferred.

What is the role of menggunakan here, and can I replace it with guna or dengan?

menggunakan is the verb to use, formed from guna (use) with the prefix meN- and suffix -kan:

menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar – using a wireless keyboard.

Alternatives:

Use the shorter guna (common in speech):
Saya menulis tugasan di komputer riba guna papan kekunci tanpa wayar.
Use dengan as a preposition (with/by):
Saya menulis tugasan di komputer riba dengan papan kekunci tanpa wayar.

All are understandable. Rough nuance:

menggunakan – a bit more formal, clearly a verb.
guna – informal, conversational.
dengan – preposition with, slightly less explicit than to use, but very natural.

Why is it papan kekunci tanpa wayar (keyboard without wire), not something like wireless keyboard? How does word order work here?

Malay noun phrases usually follow this order:

[Head noun] + [describer/modifier]

In your phrase:

papan kekunci – keyboard (literally board of keys)
tanpa wayar – without wire (wireless)

So papan kekunci tanpa wayar is literally keyboard without wire, which corresponds to English wireless keyboard.

More examples of this pattern:

telefon bimbit – mobile phone (phone that is mobile)
komputer riba – laptop (computer on the lap)
buku merah – red book (book red)

So the main thing (keyboard) comes first, and the describing part (without wire) comes after it.

What is the difference between tanpa, tidak ada, and tiada for expressing without / no?

They are related but used differently:

tanpa = without
Structure: tanpa + noun
Examples:
- papan kekunci tanpa wayar – keyboard without wire / wireless keyboard
- kopi tanpa gula – coffee without sugar
tidak ada / tiada = there is not / do not have
Used more like a verb phrase.
Examples:
- Saya tidak ada papan kekunci tanpa wayar. – I do not have a wireless keyboard.
- Di bilik ini tiada komputer riba. – There is no laptop in this room.

So in your noun phrase, you need tanpa before wayar, not tidak ada or tiada.

Can I change the word order of the sentence, for example moving menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar earlier or later?

Yes, you have some flexibility with the order of the extra phrases (location, instrument), as long as the core structure remains clear. All of these are grammatical:

Saya menulis tugasan di komputer riba menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar.
(original; neutral)
Saya menulis tugasan menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar di komputer riba.
– puts the instrument phrase before the location.
Di komputer riba, saya menulis tugasan menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar.
– fronted location for emphasis (On the laptop, I write…).
Dengan papan kekunci tanpa wayar, saya menulis tugasan di komputer riba.
– fronted instrument (With a wireless keyboard, I write…).

Malay generally keeps the subject–verb–object order, but adjuncts like place (di komputer riba) and manner/instrument (menggunakan papan kekunci tanpa wayar) can move around for emphasis or style.

How might a native speaker say this more casually in everyday conversation?

In relaxed, colloquial Malaysian Malay, people often:

shorten verbs,
mix in English words,
switch to aku with friends,
drop some formality.

Possible casual versions:

Aku tengah buat assignment kat laptop, guna keyboard wireless.
Saya tengah tulis assignment kat laptop, guna keyboard wireless.

Features:

tengah – currently doing (in the middle of).
buat / tulis – bare root verbs, common in speech.
kat – colloquial for di (at/in/on).
English words assignment, laptop, keyboard wireless mixed in.

Your original sentence is fully correct and more standard; these are just how it might sound in everyday conversation.