Breakdown of Daripada bermain telefon sepanjang malam, lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian.
Questions & Answers about Daripada bermain telefon sepanjang malam, lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian.
In this sentence, daripada means “instead of / rather than.”
- Daripada bermain telefon sepanjang malam = Instead of playing on the phone all night
- Then it’s followed by lebih baik… = it’s better (to)…
Common pattern for giving advice or preference:
- Daripada X, lebih baik Y.
- Rather than X, it’s better to Y.
Dari is more for “from” in a physical, time, or origin sense:
- dari rumah = from home
- dari pukul 8 hingga 10 = from 8 to 10
When you mean “instead of / rather than” with a choice between actions, use daripada, not dari.
Literally yes, bermain telefon is “play (with) the phone,” but it’s understood as:
- bermain telefon = mess around on the phone / be on the phone (for fun)
Notes:
- bermain = to play
- In casual speech you’ll often hear main telefon (dropping ber-) with the same meaning.
- It doesn’t sound childish in Malay the way “play phone” might in English; it’s normal for both kids and adults.
You could also say:
- guna telefon = use the phone (more neutral)
- layar internet di telefon = browse the internet on the phone (more specific / formal)
But bermain telefon is a very natural, everyday way to say “spend time on the phone for fun.”
Malay does not use a separate word like English “to” to mark the infinitive. The verb form itself covers that function.
So:
- bermain telefon = to play on the phone / playing on the phone
- menonton kuliah = to watch a lecture / watching a lecture
After daripada, you can put a verb phrase directly:
- daripada makan di luar = instead of eating out
- daripada tidur = instead of sleeping
And after lebih baik, you can also go straight to a clause with a verb:
- lebih baik saya menonton… = it’s better (that) I watch…
No extra “to” word is needed.
Lebih baik literally means “more good”, but functionally it means “it’s better (to)…” or “I’d better…”.
Here:
- lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian
= it’s better if I watch online lectures
= I’d be better off watching online lectures
Structure:
- lebih baik + subject + verb…
You might also see:
- Saya lebih baik menonton kuliah…
This is possible, but lebih baik saya… is more common and natural in this “advice” structure following daripada….
Yes.
- …lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian.
- …lebih baik menonton kuliah dalam talian.
Both are grammatical.
Difference in feel:
- With saya: explicitly about me.
- Without saya: more general, like a recommendation or general statement (it’s better to watch online lectures), though context often makes it clear you mean yourself.
In casual speech, omitting the pronoun is very common when context is obvious.
Both relate to doing something for the whole night, but there’s a nuance:
sepanjang malam = throughout the night / for the whole night
- More literal: “along the whole night.”
- Often used with actions: bermain telefon sepanjang malam, bekerja sepanjang malam.
semalaman = all night long / overnight
- A bit more compact and slightly more colloquial.
- Saya belajar semalaman. = I studied all night.
You could say:
- Daripada bermain telefon semalaman, lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian.
This is also correct and natural. Sepanjang malam is just slightly more “neutral/standard”-sounding.
In Malay, kuliah usually refers to lectures, especially in:
- universities
- colleges
- religious study circles (e.g. kuliah agama)
In this sentence, menonton kuliah dalam talian suggests something fairly formal or educational, like:
- university online lectures
- recorded religious/academic talks
If you mean more general online classes, you can also say:
- menonton kelas dalam talian = watch online classes
- menonton video pembelajaran dalam talian = watch online learning videos
But kuliah is perfectly natural for formal or semi-formal instructional content.
Yes.
- dalam talian literally = “in the line/network”
- Functionally = online
So:
- kuliah dalam talian = online lecture
- kelas dalam talian = online class
You may also see or hear:
- atas talian – also used, but dalam talian is more standard in Malaysia.
- The English loanword online:
- kuliah online – common in casual speech or writing.
In formal writing (e.g. school/university), dalam talian is preferred.
The original sentence is neutral, slightly leaning formal/standard:
- Daripada bermain telefon sepanjang malam, lebih baik saya menonton kuliah dalam talian.
A more casual version (spoken Malaysian) might be:
- Daripada main phone sepanjang malam, baik aku tengok kuliah online.
Changes:
- bermain → main (dropping ber-)
- telefon → phone (English loan, very common)
- lebih baik → baik (shortened, but same idea)
- saya → aku (informal “I”)
- menonton → tengok (colloquial “watch”)
- dalam talian → online (English loan)
Which version you use depends on context and who you’re speaking to. The original is safe for writing, classwork, and polite situations.