Saya tutup jendela apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense.

So tutup can mean close, closes, closed, or even will close, depending on context. The same is true for dengar.

In this sentence, the time is understood from the context or from apabila:

• it can mean a habitual/general action: I close the window when I hear thunder outside
• or, in the right context, it can describe a past event

If Malay speakers want to make time clearer, they often add time words, such as:

• semalam = last night
• tadi = earlier
• esok = tomorrow
• selalu = always

So tense in Malay is usually shown by context or extra words, not by changing the verb itself.

This is a very common learner question.

In Malay, the base verbs tutup and dengar are often used in everyday, less formal speech. The forms menutup and mendengar are more standard, formal, or careful.

So:

• Saya tutup jendela... = natural in casual speech
• Saya menutup jendela... = more formal/standard

And:

• saya dengar = casual
• saya mendengar = more formal

A more formal version of the whole sentence would be:

• Saya menutup jendela apabila saya mendengar guruh kuat di luar.

So the sentence is not wrong; it just sounds a bit more conversational.

Yes, apabila here means when.

It can mean:

• when in a general sense
• sometimes whenever, depending on context

In style, apabila is a bit more formal than some other options.

Common alternatives:

• bila = when, more conversational
• ketika = when, somewhat formal/literary
• kalau = if/when, very common in speech, though slightly less precise

So these are possible:

• Saya tutup jendela apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.
• Saya tutup jendela bila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.

Both are understandable, but apabila sounds a bit more polished.

Yes, Malay often allows subjects to be omitted when they are already clear from context, especially in casual speech. But repeating saya is perfectly normal and clear.

So:

• Saya tutup jendela apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.
  is fully natural and explicit.

A more colloquial version could be:

• Saya tutup jendela apabila dengar guruh kuat di luar.

The second saya is omitted because the subject is still understood to be I.

For learners, repeating the subject is often safer, because it avoids ambiguity.

Jendela is understood, but in Malaysian Malay, tingkap is usually more common in everyday speech.

So:

• jendela = window
• tingkap = window

Nuance:

• jendela can sound a bit more literary, formal, or sometimes influenced by Indonesian usage
• tingkap is often the more everyday Malaysian choice

A very common Malaysian version would be:

• Saya tutup tingkap apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.

So jendela is not wrong, but tingkap may sound more natural in many Malaysian contexts.

Guruh means thunder, and kuat means strong or loud.

So guruh kuat means something like:

• loud thunder
• strong thunder

Malay does allow this kind of noun + adjective pattern:

• guruh kuat = loud thunder

However, many speakers might say something slightly fuller or more natural, such as:

• bunyi guruh yang kuat = the loud sound of thunder
• dentuman guruh yang kuat = a loud thunderclap / loud thunder booming

So the original phrase is understandable, but a more explicit version may sound smoother to some speakers.

Because here di is a preposition, meaning at, in, or on.

So:

• di luar = outside

In Malay spelling:

• di as a preposition is written separately
• di- as a passive verb prefix is written attached

Examples:

• di luar = outside
• di rumah = at home
• ditutup = closed / was closed
• didengar = heard / was heard

This is an important spelling rule in Malay.

Yes. That is one of the big differences from English.

The sentence can mean:

• a habitual action: I close the window whenever I hear loud thunder outside
• or a specific event, if the surrounding context makes that clear

Malay often leaves this open unless extra words are added.

To make it more clearly habitual, you could say:

• Saya tutup jendela setiap kali saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.
  = I close the window every time I hear loud thunder outside.

To make it more clearly past, you could say:

• Tadi saya tutup jendela apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.
  = Earlier, I closed the window when I heard loud thunder outside.

Yes. Malay can put the apabila clause either after or before the main clause.

So both are possible:

• Saya tutup jendela apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.
• Apabila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar, saya tutup jendela.

The meaning is basically the same. The second version puts slightly more attention on the when I hear thunder outside part first.

This is very similar to English:

• I close the window when I hear thunder outside.
• When I hear thunder outside, I close the window.

Malay generally does not use articles like a, an, and the the way English does.

So:

• jendela can mean a window or the window
• guruh can mean thunder or the thunder, depending on context

If Malay speakers want to make something more specific, they may use words like:

• itu = that
• ini = this

For example:

• jendela itu = that window / the window
• bunyi itu = that sound

But very often, Malay simply leaves this to context.

It is understandable, but a native speaker might choose slightly different words depending on region and level of formality.

Some common alternatives are:

More conversational Malaysian Malay:

• Saya tutup tingkap bila saya dengar guruh kuat di luar.

More formal/standard:

• Saya menutup tingkap apabila saya mendengar bunyi guruh yang kuat di luar.

So the original sentence is fine for learning, but native speakers may adjust:

• jendela → tingkap
• tutup → menutup in formal language
• dengar → mendengar in formal language
• guruh kuat → bunyi guruh yang kuat for fuller wording

All of these are natural variations, not completely different grammar.