Bilik ini terlalu sempit untuk tiga orang, jadi kami berbual di ruang tamu sahaja.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun.

• bilik ini = this room
• rumah itu = that house

So the normal pattern is:

• noun + ini/itu

This is one of the first word-order differences English speakers notice.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Bilik ini terlalu sempit literally looks like This room too cramped
• but it naturally means This room is too cramped

This is completely normal in Malay. You do not need a separate word like is here.

This is a very important distinction.

• sangat sempit = very cramped
• terlalu sempit = too cramped

So terlalu usually implies excess—more than is acceptable, suitable, or comfortable.

In this sentence, terlalu sempit untuk tiga orang means the room is not just very small, but too small for three people.

Here, untuk means for.

The structure is:

• terlalu + adjective + untuk + noun/person
• too + adjective + for + noun/person

So:

• terlalu sempit untuk tiga orang = too cramped for three people

This is a very common pattern in Malay.

Because orang is a classifier used for people.

In Malay, numbers are often followed by a classifier:

• tiga orang = three people
• dua ekor kucing = two cats
• sebuah kereta = a car / one car

In casual speech, people sometimes drop classifiers, but tiga orang is the normal and correct form here.

Here, orang means person/people.

So:

• seorang = one person
• dua orang = two people
• tiga orang = three people

Be careful: orang can also mean person in general, depending on context.

Here, jadi means so, therefore, or as a result.

It links the first idea to the second:

• The room is too cramped for three people,
• jadi we chatted in the living room instead.

So it functions like a connector showing consequence.

Malay distinguishes between two kinds of we:

• kami = we, but not including the listener
• kita = we, including the listener

So kami berbual means the speaker is talking about their group, not including the person being addressed.

English only has one word, we, so this difference often feels new to English speakers.

Berbual means to chat or to converse.

The prefix ber- often forms intransitive verbs, especially actions that someone does.

So:

• bual is related to chatting/conversation
• berbual = to chat

Other examples of ber- verbs:

• berjalan = to walk
• berenang = to swim
• bercakap = to speak

You do not need to translate ber- by itself every time; it is better to learn the whole verb.

Good question. There are two different di forms in Malay:

1. di as a preposition meaning in/at/on

   • written separately
   • example: di ruang tamu = in the living room

2. di- as a passive verb prefix

   • written attached
   • example: dibuka = opened

So here it is separate because di ruang tamu is a location phrase.

Ruang tamu is the usual Malay expression for living room.

Literally:

• ruang = space/room
• tamu = guest

So historically it is something like guest room/guest space, but in normal modern usage it means living room.

Sahaja means only, just, or simply.

So:

• di ruang tamu sahaja = only / just in the living room

In this sentence, it gives the sense of instead just in the living room—that was the place they limited themselves to because the other room was too cramped.

In Malay, words like sahaja often come after the phrase they modify.

So:

• ruang tamu sahaja = the living room only
• di ruang tamu sahaja = only in the living room

Putting sahaja after the phrase is very natural in Malay.

They are similar, and both can often mean only.

• sahaja often feels a bit like just/only
• hanya can feel slightly more formal or emphatic in some contexts

In many everyday sentences, both are possible:

• di ruang tamu sahaja
• hanya di ruang tamu

But the word order may change slightly depending on what you want to emphasize.

In Malay, descriptive words usually come after the noun.

So:

• bilik sempit = a cramped room
• ruang besar = a big space

In this sentence, the full predicate is:

• Bilik ini terlalu sempit
• This room is too cramped

So Malay commonly places the noun first, then the description.

Not exactly with the same nuance.

• kecil = small
• sempit = narrow / cramped / tight

For a room with too little usable space for three people, sempit is a better choice because it suggests lack of room to fit comfortably.

So:

• bilik ini terlalu kecil = this room is too small
• bilik ini terlalu sempit = this room is too cramped / too tight

Both can work, but sempit is more specific here.

The comma helps show the pause between two linked ideas:

• Bilik ini terlalu sempit untuk tiga orang
• jadi kami berbual di ruang tamu sahaja

It is not changing the grammar dramatically, but it makes the sentence easier to read by separating the cause from the result.

Yes. Depending on nuance, you could also hear:

• bercakap = to talk/speak
• bersembang = to chat (more casual, conversational)
• berbincang = to discuss

But berbual is a good neutral choice for chatting/conversing.

So the original sentence sounds natural and appropriate.