Anak kecil itu ketakutan apabila dia dengar guruh kuat pada waktu malam.

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• anak kecil = small child / little child
• literally: child small

This is normal Malay word order. English usually does adjective + noun, but Malay usually does noun + adjective.

Other examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• kereta merah = red car

So anak kecil is completely natural Malay.

Malay demonstratives such as ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun phrase.

So:

• anak kecil itu = that little child
• literally: child small that

The common order is:

noun + adjective + demonstrative

For example:

• budak comel itu = that cute kid
• rumah besar ini = this big house

In many contexts, itu can also make the phrase sound more like the in English, not only that. So anak kecil itu may be understood as the little child or that little child, depending on context.

Takut means afraid or scared.

Ketakutan means something stronger, like:

• terrified
• frightened
• overcome with fear
• in a state of fear

So:

• Dia takut = He/She is afraid
• Dia ketakutan = He/She is terrified or He/She became very frightened

The pattern ke-...-an often gives a sense of being in a condition or being affected by something. In this sentence, ketakutan shows a stronger emotional reaction than plain takut.

Malay often does not use a verb like to be in sentences like this.

So:

• Anak kecil itu ketakutan literally looks like That little child terrified
• but naturally means The little child was terrified or The little child became frightened

This is very common in Malay. A subject can be followed directly by an adjective or a stative word without needing is/was/are/were.

Examples:

• Dia sakit = He/She is sick
• Mereka gembira = They are happy
• Budak itu takut = The child is afraid

English requires to be, but Malay usually does not.

Both are possible, but they are a little different in style.

• dengar is very common in everyday Malay and is often less formal
• mendengar is the more fully marked standard verb form

So:

• dia dengar guruh kuat = natural, common, conversational
• dia mendengar guruh yang kuat = more formal or more careful standard style

In modern Malay, especially in speech and less formal writing, the bare form like dengar, beli, tengok, makan is very common after a subject.

So the sentence is natural as written.

Dia can mean either he or she. Malay third-person singular pronouns are usually not marked for gender.

So:

• dia = he, she, or sometimes even that person, depending on context

You need context to know which English pronoun is best.

This is normal in Malay, so learners should not expect separate everyday words exactly like English he and she.

Yes, apabila means when.

In this sentence:

• apabila dia dengar guruh kuat = when he/she heard loud thunder

Compared with other similar words:

• apabila = when, often slightly more formal
• bila = when, very common in speech
• ketika = when / at the time when
• semasa = during / while

So apabila is correct and natural, but it sounds a bit more formal than everyday bila.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So dengar can mean:

• hear
• hears
• heard

depending on context.

Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time expressions
• aspect markers such as sudah, telah, sedang, akan

In this sentence, the overall meaning and context make it natural to understand it as past:

• The little child was terrified when he/she heard loud thunder at night

If the speaker wanted to make the past clearer, they could say:

• Anak kecil itu ketakutan apabila dia terdengar guruh kuat pada waktu malam
• Anak kecil itu ketakutan apabila dia mendengar guruh kuat pada waktu malam
• or add a past marker elsewhere in a larger context

So Malay often leaves tense unstated if it is already clear enough.

Yes. Guruh kuat means loud thunder or thunder that was loud.

Again, Malay normally places adjectives after nouns:

• guruh kuat = loud thunder
• literally: thunder loud

Here, guruh kuat is the thing the child heard.

Also, guruh means thunder. In context, English may translate it as:

• thunder
• a loud thunderclap
• loud thunder

depending on what sounds most natural.

Yes, it could just be malam in many cases.

• pada waktu malam = at night
• malam = at night / tonight / night, depending on context

The phrase pada waktu malam is a bit more explicit and slightly more formal or descriptive.

Breakdown:

• pada = at / on for time expressions
• waktu = time
• malam = night

So literally it is something like at the time of night.

You may also hear:

• pada malam itu = on that night
• waktu malam = nighttime
• simply malam = at night

So the sentence could be shortened, but pada waktu malam is perfectly natural.

Yes, and both are understandable, but they are not always identical in tone.

• anak kecil = small child / little child
• budak kecil = small child / little kid

Anak literally means child, while budak often means kid or child in everyday use. In some contexts, budak can sound a little more casual.

So:

• anak kecil itu may sound slightly more neutral or gentle
• budak kecil itu is also common and natural

Choice depends on style, region, and context more than strict grammar.