Sementara ibu menukar lampin, bayi itu menepuk meja kecil dan ketawa.

While Mother changes the diaper, the baby pats the small table and laughs.

Breakdown of Sementara ibu menukar lampin, bayi itu menepuk meja kecil dan ketawa.

• itu: that
• meja: the table
• kecil: small
• dan: and

Questions & Answers about Sementara ibu menukar lampin, bayi itu menepuk meja kecil dan ketawa.

What does sementara mean here, and how is it used?

Sementara means while in this sentence.

It introduces an action that is happening at the same time as another action:

• Sementara ibu menukar lampin = While mother is changing the diaper
• bayi itu menepuk meja kecil dan ketawa = the baby pats the small table and laughs

So sementara is functioning as a conjunction, linking two simultaneous events.

A related point: Malay also has sambil, which can sometimes also mean while, but sementara is especially common for setting one action against another in time.

Why is there no word for is/was in the sentence?

Malay usually does not use a verb like is/are/am in the same way English does for actions.

In English, you often say:

• the mother is changing
• the baby is laughing

In Malay, the verb itself is often enough, especially when the time is clear from context:

• ibu menukar lampin
• bayi itu ... ketawa

If you want to make the ongoing aspect more explicit, Malay can use sedang:

• Sementara ibu sedang menukar lampin...

But sedang is optional here. Without it, the sentence still sounds natural.