Learn Hardcore Malay: Ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak. - Mother divides the sweet cake among all the children.

Ibu – mother / mom
membahagi – to divide / to distribute
- root: bahagi – part / portion
- meN- prefix (mem- here) turns it into a verb: to divide (something)
kek – cake
manis – sweet
kepada – to (used with people as recipients)
semua – all
anak – children / child (context decides singular or plural)

So the structure is:
[Subject] Ibu + [Verb] membahagi + [Object] kek manis + [Prepositional phrase] kepada semua anak.

Why is Ibu capitalized here? Is it a general word or a specific person?

In Malay, ibu means mother in general, but:

When you refer to your own mother (or someone’s specific mother) in a respectful way, you often capitalize it: Ibu.
It is similar to English Mom vs mom.

So Ibu here is like saying Mom / Mother as a specific person, not just “a mother” in general.

If you meant a mother in general, lower case ibu and probably add something like seorang ibu (a mother).

What is the difference between Ibu and other words like Emak, Mak, or Mama?

All of these can mean mother, but they differ in formality and regional / personal style:

Ibu – polite, slightly formal or neutral; also used in writing and in more standard Malay.
Emak / Mak – informal, common in many Malay-speaking families; like mum/mom.
Mama – informal, more modern / urban, often used by younger children or in some families.

In the sentence, Ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak, Ibu implies Mother in a neutral-to-polite tone.

How does the verb membahagi work? Does Malay change the verb for tense like English?

membahagi is formed from:

bahagi (part / portion)
mem- (a form of the meN- prefix) to make a transitive verb:
→ membahagi = to divide, to split, to share out (something into parts)

Malay does not change the verb form for tense. membahagi can mean:

divides / is dividing – present
divided / was dividing – past
will divide / is going to divide – future

To show time, Malay uses time words, not verb changes:

Tadi ibu membahagi kek manis… – Earlier, Mother divided the sweet cake…
Esok ibu akan membahagi kek manis… – Tomorrow, Mother will divide the sweet cake…

What is the difference between membahagi, membahagikan, and membahagi-bahagi?

All come from the same root bahagi, but there are nuances:

membahagi
- basic “to divide”
- Focus can be on splitting something into parts.
- Example: Ibu membahagi kek itu. – Mother divides the cake.
membahagikan
- uses the -kan suffix; often emphasizes distributing to recipients.
- Example: Ibu membahagikan kek itu kepada semua anak. – Mother distributes the cake to all the children.
membahagi-bahagi or membahagi-bahagikan
- repeated form; can emphasize sharing around, distributing in parts, sometimes repeatedly or to many people.
- Example: Ibu membahagi-bahagikan kek itu kepada tetamu. – Mother shares out the cake to the guests.

In everyday use, membahagi in this sentence is fine and natural.

Why is it kek manis and not manis kek? How do adjectives work in Malay?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun:

kek manis – sweet cake
- kek = cake
- manis = sweet

This is the opposite of English:

English: sweet cake (adjective before noun)
Malay: kek manis (adjective after noun)

So:

rumah besar – big house
baju merah – red shirt
kek manis – sweet cake

Could I say kek yang manis instead of kek manis? What is the difference?

Both are grammatically correct, but there is a nuance:

kek manis – simple noun + adjective: sweet cake (describes its quality).
kek yang manis – literally the cake that is sweet; sounds slightly more emphasized or descriptive, often used in more complex sentences or contrasts.

In a simple sentence like this, kek manis is more natural and straightforward.
You might use kek yang manis if you are contrasting with another cake:

Saya suka kek yang manis, bukan kek yang tawar.
I like the cake that is sweet, not the cake that is bland.

What does kepada mean, and how is it different from ke and untuk?

All can be translated as to / for, but they have different typical uses:

kepada – to (most common when the receiver is a person or a group).
- Ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak.
  Mother divides the sweet cake to/among all the children.
- Also used with things like surat kepada Ali (letter to Ali).
ke – to (for physical direction / movement to a place).
- Pergi ke sekolah. – Go to school.
- Datang ke rumah saya. – Come to my house.
untuk – for (indicating purpose or intended recipient).
- Kek ini untuk semua anak. – This cake is for all the children.
- Saya beli hadiah untuk ibu. – I buy a present for mother.

In this sentence, because the verb is about giving / distributing to people, kepada is the natural choice.

Why is it semua anak and not semua anak-anak? How is plural shown in Malay?

Malay usually does not need a separate plural form like English -s.

Plural can be shown by:

context
words like semua (all), banyak (many), beberapa (several), etc.

So:

anak – child / children
semua anak – all (the) children

You could say anak-anak for emphasis on plurality, but here semua already shows it is plural, so semua anak is more natural and not redundant.

Does semua anak mean “all the children in the world” or “all her children”? How do I say “her children” clearly?

On its own, semua anak is ambiguous and context-dependent. It can mean:

all the children present / all the children in a certain group
all her children (if it’s clear from context that we are talking about her family)

To clearly say all her children, you add -nya (his/her/their) to anak:

Ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anaknya.
Mother divides the sweet cake among all her children.

So:

semua anak – all the children (general or context-based)
semua anaknya – all her children (specific possessor).

Is the word order in this sentence fixed? Can I rearrange the parts?

The normal, natural order is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Prepositional phrase
→ Ibu (S) membahagi (V) kek manis (O) kepada semua anak (Prep phrase)

You generally cannot freely move things around without it sounding unnatural or changing the meaning.

Examples:

Ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak. – natural.
Ibu membahagi kepada semua anak kek manis. – grammatically possible but sounds awkward and marked.
Kepada semua anak, ibu membahagi kek manis. – possible in writing/speech for emphasis on kepada semua anak, but more formal / literary.

For everyday speech and writing, follow the original order.

How would I say this in the past or future more explicitly?

You keep the verb membahagi the same, and add time words:

Past:
- Tadi ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak.
  Earlier, Mother divided the sweet cake among all the children.
- Semalam ibu membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak.
  Yesterday, Mother divided the sweet cake among all the children.
Future:
- Esok ibu akan membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak.
  Tomorrow, Mother will divide the sweet cake among all the children.
- Nanti ibu akan membahagi kek manis kepada semua anak.
  Later, Mother will divide the sweet cake among all the children.

The verb membahagi itself does not change for tense.

How do I pronounce the words in this sentence?

A rough guide using English-like sounds:

Ibu – ee-boo
membahagi – məm-bah-hah-gee
- mem like mem in memory, but quick
- ba as in bar (short)
- ha as in haha
- gi like gee in geese (hard g)
kek – like English cake but shorter: kek
manis – mah-niss
kepada – kə-pah-dah (the e is like the a in about)
semua – sə-moo-ah (often almost s’mua)
anak – ah-nak

Malay stress is usually fairly even, with a slight stress often on the second-last syllable.