Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya membuka pelayar web dan mencari maklumat di laman sesawang universiti. - I open the web browser and search for information on the university website.

Saya means I or me and is a polite, neutral way to refer to yourself.
In everyday conversation, Malay often drops the subject if it’s clear from context, so you could say Membuka pelayar web dan mencari maklumat…, especially as part of a longer description.
However, as a full standalone sentence, including Saya sounds more complete and natural, especially in writing or formal speech.

Why is it membuka and not just buka?

Buka is the base verb to open.
Membuka is the meN- (here mem-) prefixed form, which is the standard way to form an active verb in more formal or neutral Malay.
In formal writing and polite speech, you’ll usually see saya membuka….
In casual conversation, people often say Saya buka pelayar web… without the prefix, and it’s still correct in spoken, informal Malay.

Does membuka only mean “open (a browser)”, or can it be used for anything?

Membuka is a general verb meaning to open.
You can membuka pintu (open the door), membuka buku (open a book), membuka fail (open a file), or membuka pelayar web (open the web browser).
Context tells you what is being opened; the verb itself is not specific to computers.

What exactly is pelayar web? Is this the normal way to say “web browser”?

Pelayar web literally means web browser (from pelayar ≈ “navigator/sailer” + web).
It is correct and used in more formal or technical Malay, including government or educational sites.
In everyday speech, many people just say browser, buka browser, or buka Google Chrome, mixing English with Malay.
You may also see pelayar by itself in tech contexts where it’s obvious you mean a web browser.

What does dan do in this sentence, and can the verbs be repeated after it?

Dan means and, and here it links two verb phrases:

membuka pelayar web
mencari maklumat…

You could repeat saya after dan (Saya membuka pelayar web dan saya mencari maklumat…) but that sounds heavy and is usually unnecessary when the subject is the same.
You don’t repeat the verb: membuka dan mencari… is enough, as in English open and search….

Why is it mencari instead of cari? Is there a difference?

Cari is the base form to look for / to search.
Mencari is the standard meN- (here men-) prefixed active verb form.
In formal or neutral Malay, with subject pronouns like saya, awak, kami, you’ll usually see mencari.
In casual speech, Saya cari maklumat… is very common and natural. Both are understood; the prefixed form just sounds more formal/standard.

What does maklumat mean? Is it the same as informasi?

Maklumat means information.
It’s fully native/standard in Malay and is very common in Malaysia, especially in formal or official language.
Informasi (from English information) also exists and is understood, but in Malaysian Malay it can sound a bit more technical or Indonesian-influenced.
In this sentence, mencari maklumat is the most natural way to say search for information.

What is the role of di in di laman sesawang universiti?

Di is a preposition meaning at / in / on (for locations).
Di laman sesawang universiti literally means on the university’s website.
In Malay, di is used for physical and virtual locations: di rumah (at home), di pejabat (at the office), di internet (on the Internet), di laman sesawang (on the website).
It is not a verb like English to be; it only marks location.

What does laman sesawang universiti literally mean, and why is universiti at the end?

Laman sesawang means website / web page (literally web page/yard), and universiti is university.
Malay noun phrases are usually head-first: the main noun comes first, and the word(s) that specify it come after.
So laman sesawang universiti is literally the university’s website or university website, where universiti describes whose website it is.
This structure is very common: buku pelajar (student’s book), kereta ayah (father’s car), akaun bank (bank account).

How do we know if this sentence is past, present, or future tense?

Malay verbs usually don’t change form for tense.
Saya membuka pelayar web dan mencari maklumat… can mean:

I open / am opening the web browser and search for information… (present)
I opened the web browser and searched for information… (past)
Less commonly, with time words, it could be future.

To be explicit, Malay uses time markers like tadi (earlier), semalam (yesterday), akan (will), nanti (later), or the context of the conversation.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would a more casual version look?

As written, the sentence is neutral–formal, suitable for writing, reports, or polite speech.
A more casual spoken version might be:
Saya buka browser dan cari info kat website uni.
Changes there:

membuka → buka and mencari → cari (dropping the prefixes)
pelayar web → browser
maklumat → info
di → kat (colloquial at/on)
laman sesawang universiti → website uni (mixing English and spoken abbreviation).

For learners, it’s good to master the standard form first, then pick up colloquial variants.

Can I say laman web instead of laman sesawang?

Yes. Laman web is very common and often feels more natural in everyday use.
Laman sesawang is a more “pure Malay” term promoted in some official contexts, but many people casually say laman web or simply website.
All of these are understandable: laman sesawang, laman web, website.

Is universiti just a loanword from English university? Are there abbreviations?

Yes, universiti is a direct loan/adaptation from English university, and it’s the standard word in Malay.
In informal speech, people often abbreviate it to uni or U, especially when texting or talking about their own university: website U saya.
In formal writing or when you’re learning, stick with universiti.