Learn Hardcore Malay: Buku itu saya sudah baca, tetapi filemnya saya belum tonton. - That book I have already read, but the movie I have not watched yet.

It’s very natural and common in Malay, especially in speech and in writing where you want emphasis or contrast. The basic meaning doesn’t change; the difference is in focus/emphasis, not in grammar correctness.

Can I say Saya sudah baca buku itu, tetapi saya belum tonton filemnya instead? Is it still correct?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct:

Saya sudah baca buku itu, tetapi saya belum tonton filemnya.

Compared with:

Buku itu saya sudah baca, tetapi filemnya saya belum tonton.

The differences in nuance:

Saya sudah baca buku itu…
- More neutral, gives slight focus to saya as the subject.
- Ordinary declarative word order.
Buku itu saya sudah baca…
- Gives extra emphasis to buku itu (“That book, I have read…”).
- Feels more contrastive with the next clause about the film.

Both are correct; it’s a stylistic choice. The original version sounds slightly more contrasty and rhetorical.

What does filemnya mean exactly? How is it different from filem itu?

filemnya = filem + -nya.

The suffix -nya here works like “its / the / that” referring back to something known from context, often like “its film” or “the film adaptation (of it)”.

In this sentence, filemnya is usually understood as:

“its film (adaptation)” – the movie version of buku itu.

Comparison:

filem itu
- Literally “that film”.
- Points to a specific film, but doesn’t by itself show the link to the book.
filemnya
- “its film” / “the film (of it)”
- More clearly ties the film to something previously mentioned (here, the book).
- Sounds more natural when you mean “the movie version of that book”.

So the sentence is naturally understood as:

“I’ve read the book, but I haven’t watched its film (the movie adaptation) yet.”

Why is tonton used, not menonton? Is one of them wrong?

Both tonton and menonton are related:

tonton – base verb (root).
menonton – base verb with the meN- prefix.

In modern Malay, especially in Malaysia:

The base form (without meN-) is very common in everyday speech:
- Saya belum tonton filem itu.
The meN- form often sounds more formal or bookish:
- Saya belum menonton filem itu.

In your sentence:

filemnya saya belum tonton
sounds natural, conversational, and is widely accepted.

A more formal version would be:

filemnya saya belum menonton (uncommon word order) or more naturally:
Saya belum menonton filemnya.

So tonton is not wrong; it’s just less formal / more colloquial than menonton, and that fits the overall style of the sentence.

Similarly, why is it baca and not membaca?

Same pattern as tonton / menonton:

baca – base verb.
membaca – base verb with the meN- prefix.

In actual usage:

baca is very common in normal conversation and even in fairly neutral writing:
- Saya sudah baca buku itu.
membaca is more formal, typical in textbooks, news, official writing:
- Saya sudah membaca buku itu.

So your sentence is in a natural conversational register:

Buku itu saya sudah baca, tetapi filemnya saya belum tonton.

A more formal equivalent would be:

Saya sudah membaca buku itu, tetapi saya belum menonton filemnya.

What do sudah and belum do here? Are they tense markers?

Malay does not mark tense (past, present, future) the way English does. Instead, it often marks aspect (whether something is completed, ongoing, etc.).

sudah ≈ “already / have (done)”
belum ≈ “not yet / haven’t (done) yet”

In your sentence:

saya sudah baca
→ “I have already read”
saya belum tonton
→ “I have not (yet) watched”

Key points:

They come before the main verb:
- sudah baca, sudah tonton
- belum baca, belum tonton
They don’t change form for person or number.
Without them, the sentence might simply state the action, and the time/aspect would come from context.

So sudah and belum are aspect markers, not tense endings like “-ed” in English.

With the object in front, where do I put sudah and belum? Can I move them?

In the pattern you have, there are a few natural options.

For Buku itu saya sudah baca:

Buku itu saya sudah baca.
(your sentence)
- Topic: Buku itu
- Subject: saya
- Aspect + Verb: sudah baca
Buku itu sudah saya baca.
- Topic: Buku itu
- Aspect: sudah
- Subject + Verb: saya baca

Both are grammatical and common. The difference is subtle and mostly about rhythm; both still emphasize buku itu.

What you generally do not do is:

✗ Buku itu saya baca sudah. (unnatural)
✗ Buku itu saya tonton belum. (unnatural)

So the safe patterns with a fronted object are:

[Object] [Subject] sudah/belum [Verb]
[Object] sudah/belum [Subject] [Verb]

Your sentence uses the first pattern.

What is the role of tetapi? Is it different from tapi?

Both tetapi and tapi mean “but”.

tetapi
- More formal / standard.
- Very common in written Malay: essays, newspapers, formal texts.
tapi
- More informal / colloquial.
- Very common in speech, messages, casual writing.

Your sentence uses tetapi, so it sounds slightly more standard, although the verbs baca / tonton (instead of membaca / menonton) still keep it from being very formal.

You could say:

Buku itu saya sudah baca, tapi filemnya saya belum tonton.

That would sound more conversational.

Why is there a comma before tetapi? Is that normal in Malay?

Yes, this comma usage is normal.

When tetapi joins two full clauses, it is often written with a comma before it:

Buku itu saya sudah baca, tetapi filemnya saya belum tonton.

Both sides are complete clauses:

(Buku itu) saya sudah baca
(filemnya) saya belum tonton

In more casual writing (texts, social media), people sometimes drop the comma, but in careful writing the comma is standard.

So the punctuation here matches common Malay writing practice.

Is this sentence especially formal or informal overall?

It’s somewhere in the middle, leaning towards neutral / conversational:

Neutral/informal features:
- Base verbs baca, tonton instead of membaca, menonton.
- Fronting of objects (Buku itu, filemnya) is very common in speech.
Slightly formal/standard features:
- Use of tetapi instead of tapi.
- Clear, complete clauses; no slang or shortened pronouns.

So it would be natural:

In conversation.
In informal writing.
Even in semi-formal writing where relaxed language is acceptable.

For more formal, you’d likely use:

Saya sudah membaca buku itu, tetapi saya belum menonton filemnya.

Can you give a very literal English gloss to help me “see” the structure?

Yes. A close word‑for‑word gloss (not good English, but structurally helpful) is:

Buku itu – that book
saya – I
sudah – already
baca – read
filemnya – its film / the film (of it)
saya – I
belum – not yet
tonton – watch

Putting it together:

Buku itu saya sudah baca, tetapi filemnya saya belum tonton.
→ That book I already read, but its film I not-yet watch.

Natural English:
“I’ve already read the book, but I haven’t watched the film (adaptation) yet.”