Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya pesan mi tanpa cili di gerai itu. - I order noodles without chili at that stall.

Breakdown of Saya pesan mi tanpa cili di gerai itu.

Why does the sentence start with saya? Can Malay drop the subject like some other languages?

Saya means I. In Malay, the subject is often stated clearly, especially in neutral, careful speech.

Malay can sometimes omit the subject if it is obvious from context, but for learners, keeping saya is the safest and most natural choice.

So:

Saya pesan mi tanpa cili di gerai itu. = I ordered noodles without chilli at that stall.
In conversation, if the subject is already obvious, a speaker might shorten it, but that is more context-dependent.

Also, saya is polite and standard. It is a very useful default word for I.

What does pesan mean here? I thought it could also mean message.

Yes — pesan can be a little confusing because it has more than one meaning.

As a verb, pesan can mean:

In this sentence, Saya pesan mi..., it clearly means I ordered noodles.

Examples:

So the meaning depends on context.

Why is there no word like some or a bowl of before mi?