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Saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning di tepi skrin komputer.

Saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning di tepi skrin komputer.
I stick a small note with a yellow sticker on the side of the computer screen.
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Questions & Answers about Saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning di tepi skrin komputer.

Why is it nota kecil and not kecil nota?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun.

  • nota kecil = small note
    • nota = note
    • kecil = small

This is the usual pattern:

  • buku besar = big book
  • kereta merah = red car
  • telefon baru = new phone

Putting the adjective before the noun (kecil nota) is ungrammatical in standard Malay.

What exactly does tampal mean, and how is it different from lekat?

tampal means to paste / to stick (something onto a surface). It focuses on the action of attaching one thing to another using some adhesive.

Examples:

  • Saya tampal poster di dinding.
    I stick a poster on the wall.

lekat is more about being stuck or sticking (in general) and can be:

  • intransitive:
    • Gula-gula ini lekat di gigi saya.
      This candy is stuck on my teeth.
  • or used with kan to make it clearly transitive:
    • Saya lekatkan nota itu di skrin.
      I stick the note on the screen.

In your sentence, tampal is very natural:
Saya tampal nota kecil… = I stick/paste a small note…

Can I say Saya menampal nota kecil… instead of Saya tampal nota kecil…?

Yes, you can, but there is a nuance:

  • Saya tampal nota kecil…

    • Common in everyday spoken Malay.
    • Shorter, more casual.

  • Saya menampal nota kecil…

    • More formal / written style, or careful speech.
    • Uses the meN- verb form (tampal → menampal).

Both are grammatically fine. In normal conversation, you will often hear the shorter tampal.

How do I know if this sentence is past or present tense in Malay?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Saya tampal nota kecil… can mean:

  • I stuck a small note… (past)
  • I am sticking a small note… (present continuous, depending on context)
  • I stick a small note… (habitually, but less likely here)

To make the time clearer, you add time words:

  • Past:

    • Tadi saya tampal nota kecil… = Just now I stuck a small note…
    • Saya sudah/telah tampal nota kecil… = I have already stuck a small note…

  • Present continuous:

    • Saya sedang tampal nota kecil… = I am currently sticking a small note…

  • Future:

    • Saya akan tampal nota kecil… = I will stick a small note…
Why is dengan used before pelekat kuning? Could I use guna instead?

In this sentence, dengan means with in the sense of using (something) as a tool or means:

  • dengan pelekat kuning = with yellow adhesive / with yellow tape/sticker

You can often use guna (use) in a similar way, but the structure changes slightly:

  • Saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning.
    I stick a small note with yellow adhesive.

  • Saya tampal nota kecil guna pelekat kuning.
    I stick a small note using yellow adhesive.

Both are natural. dengan is a bit more neutral and very common for expressing the instrument of an action.

What does di tepi mean here? Does it mean beside the screen or on the edge of the screen?

di tepi literally means at/by the side/edge.

In this context:

  • di tepi skrin komputer can mean:
    • stuck on the side edge of the computer screen, or
    • stuck just next to the side of the screen (depending on the physical situation).

If you want to emphasize beside, not on, you might say:

  • di sebelah skrin komputer = beside / next to the computer screen

If you want to emphasize on the edge of the screen itself, di tepi skrin komputer is already a good choice.

Can I move di tepi skrin komputer earlier in the sentence?

Yes, Malay word order is somewhat flexible with location phrases. All of these are possible:

  1. Saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning di tepi skrin komputer.
    (Neutral, very natural.)

  2. Di tepi skrin komputer, saya tampal nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning.
    (Emphasizes the location; sounds a bit more formal or descriptive.)

You would not usually put it right in the middle of the noun phrase, like:

  • ✗ Saya tampal di tepi skrin komputer nota kecil… (possible but awkward)

Keep noun + adjective + its modifiers together, and put the place phrase as a unit:

  • [Subject] + [Verb + Object + instrument] + [Place]
  • [Place] + [Subject + Verb + Object + instrument]
Why is there no word for a or the before nota kecil?

Malay normally does not use separate words for a/an or the. The same phrase can be interpreted either way, based on context:

  • Saya tampal nota kecil…
    • I stick *a small note…* (introducing a note for the first time)
    • I stick *the small note…* (if both speaker and listener already know which note)

If you really want to make it clearly a note (one), you can use a classifier and numeral:

  • Saya tampal sekeping nota kecil… = I stick one small (flat) note…

For the, you can use itu (that/the):

  • Saya tampal nota kecil itu… = I stick that/the small note…
Do I need a classifier like sekeping with nota kecil?

You can use a classifier, but you don’t have to. All are possible:

  • Saya tampal nota kecil…

    • Neutral, very common in speech and writing.

  • Saya tampal sekeping nota kecil…

    • More precise; sekeping is a classifier for flat objects (like a note, card, photo).
    • Emphasizes that it is one piece of note.

  • Saya tampal sehelai nota kecil…

    • sehelai is also for thin, sheet-like objects (paper, cloth). This also works.

In everyday conversation, omitting the classifier (just nota kecil) is natural unless the number or shape is important.

Why is it just skrin komputer, not skrin komputer saya (my computer screen)?

Malay often omits possessive words like saya (my) when the owner is obvious from context.

  • di tepi skrin komputer
    • can easily be understood as at the side of *my computer screen* if we’re talking about your own actions and your own screen.

If you want to be explicit:

  • di tepi skrin komputer saya = at the side of my computer screen
  • di tepi skrin komputer dia = at the side of his/her computer screen

Both versions are correct; adding saya just makes the ownership explicit.

What does pelekat usually refer to? Is it glue, tape, or a sticky note?

pelekat is a general word related to things that stick (adhesives). It can refer to:

  • glue (in context with gam or pelekat for glue-like materials),
  • adhesive tape,
  • stickers,
  • sticky labels, etc.

In pelekat kuning, without more information, it could be:

  • yellow tape, or
  • yellow sticker(s), or
  • some kind of yellow adhesive material.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could say:

  • pita pelekat kuning = yellow adhesive tape
  • stiker kuning = yellow sticker(s)
  • nota pelekat kuning = yellow sticky note(s) / Post-it-type notes
Could I say nota kecil kuning instead of nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning? What would change?

Yes, but the meaning changes.

  • nota kecil kuning

    • Literally: small yellow note
    • Here kecil and kuning both describe the note (it is small and yellow).

  • nota kecil dengan pelekat kuning

    • a small note with yellow adhesive
    • kecil describes the note, but kuning describes the pelekat (the adhesive/tape/sticker is yellow, not necessarily the note itself).

So:

  • If the note paper itself is yellow, say nota kecil kuning.
  • If the adhesive you use is yellow, keep dengan pelekat kuning.