Breakdown of Saya mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
Questions & Answers about Saya mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
Cari is the root verb meaning to look for / to search.
In Malay, when a verb takes a direct object, it often uses the meN- prefix. For cari, the meN- form is mencari.
- Saya mencari buku. = I am looking for a book. (more natural)
- Saya cari buku. = I look for a book. (also used, often more casual or in spoken Malay)
In this sentence, mencari is the standard, grammatically complete transitive verb form with an object (buku sejarah).
Malay does not change the verb form for tense (no different forms for past, present, future). Mencari stays the same. Time is understood from context or from time words:
- Saya mencari buku sejarah.
Can mean: I look for / I am looking for / I looked for / I will look for a history book.
To be clearer:
- Saya sedang mencari buku sejarah. = I am currently looking for a history book.
- Tadi saya mencari buku sejarah. = Just now / earlier I looked for a history book.
- Esok saya akan mencari buku sejarah. = Tomorrow I will look for a history book.
So tense comes from time adverbs (like tadi, esok) or aspect markers (like sedang, akan), not from changing mencari.
In Malay noun phrases, the main noun comes first, and the describing noun comes after it.
- buku sejarah
- buku = book (main noun)
- sejarah = history (describing what kind of book)
→ “history book”
If you said sejarah buku, it would literally be “history of the book(s),” which is a different meaning.
More examples:
- kereta merah = red car
- guru bahasa Inggeris = English language teacher
- pelajar universiti = university student
Malay generally does not use articles like a or the. Buku sejarah can mean:
- a history book
- the history book
- history books (in a general sense, depending on context)
If you really want to emphasize one book, you can add a classifier:
- sebuah buku sejarah = one / a single history book
To show the more clearly, Malay usually relies on context, or you can specify:
- buku sejarah itu = that history book / the history book
- buku sejarah tadi = the history book (mentioned earlier / just now)
Di is a general preposition for location and can cover in, at, on depending on context.
- di perpustakaan can be translated as:
- at the library
- in the library
The exact English preposition (in vs at) is decided by what sounds natural in English; Malay does not always distinguish them.
Other examples:
- di rumah = at home / in the house
- di sekolah = at school / in the school
Di indicates location (where something is).
- Saya mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
= I am looking for a history book at/in the library.
Ke indicates movement towards a place (to).
Compare:
- Saya pergi ke perpustakaan. = I go to the library.
- Saya berada di perpustakaan. = I am at the library.
So:
di = at/in (location)
ke = to (direction / movement)
Yes, that is still correct and natural, but the emphasis changes slightly.
Saya mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
Neutral: “I am looking for a history book at the library.”
Focus often feels more on what you are doing (looking for a book).Saya di perpustakaan mencari buku sejarah.
Emphasis shifts a bit to being at the library while looking for the book:
“I, at the library, am looking for a history book.”
Both are grammatically fine. The original order is more straightforward for learners.
To negate verbs and adjectives in Malay, you usually use tidak.
- Saya tidak mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
= I am not looking for a history book at the library.
Position:
- tidak comes before the verb or adjective:
- tidak mencari (not looking)
- tidak besar (not big)
- tidak suka (do not like)
On its own, buku sejarah is number-neutral. It could mean:
- a history book
- the history book
- history books (in general)
To make plural explicit, you can add a quantifier:
- banyak buku sejarah = many history books
- beberapa buku sejarah = several history books
- dua buku sejarah = two history books
To make singular explicit:
- sebuah buku sejarah = a (single) history book / one history book
Both saya and aku mean I.
saya
- more polite and formal
- used with strangers, elders, in formal settings, in writing
aku
- more casual and intimate
- used with close friends, family (depending on region and relationship), or in songs/poems
So:
Saya mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
Neutral, polite, suitable in almost any context.Aku mencari buku sejarah di perpustakaan.
More informal; fine in casual conversation with close friends.
You can add a verb for being and an aspect marker for currently:
- Saya sedang berada di perpustakaan, mencari buku sejarah.
Breakdown:
- sedang = currently / in the process of (progressive aspect)
- berada = to be (located)
- di perpustakaan = at/in the library
- mencari buku sejarah = looking for a history book
This makes the “right now” feeling very clear.
Yes:
pustaka
- originally means literature / writings / books
- now often appears in names, titles, or formal terms
- e.g. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (a government language and literature body in Malaysia)
perpustakaan
- is the standard modern word for library (a place full of books)
- per- -an is a common prefix–suffix pattern to turn roots into place nouns
So for everyday “library,” use perpustakaan:
- Saya belajar di perpustakaan. = I study at the library.
Malay spelling is quite phonetic. Rough guide (using English-like approximation):
mencari
- men = “muhn”
- ca = “cha” (like chat)
- ri = “ree”
→ muhn-CHA-ree
perpustakaan
- per = “puhr”
- pus = “poos” (like push but with “oo” in food)
- ta = “tah”
- ka = “kah”
- an = nasal “an” (like “ahn”)
→ puhr-POOS-tah-KAH-ahn
Every syllable is usually pronounced clearly; stress is often on the second-last syllable (though not as strong as English stress).