Selepas minum susu, bayi itu menguap lalu tidur semula dalam buaian.

to drink

Breakdown of Selepas minum susu, bayi itu menguap lalu tidur semula dalam buaian.

• itu: that
• tidur: to sleep
• selepas: after

Questions & Answers about Selepas minum susu, bayi itu menguap lalu tidur semula dalam buaian.

Why is it Selepas minum susu and not Selepas bayi itu minum susu?

Malay often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.

In Selepas minum susu, bayi itu menguap..., the understood subject of minum is the same as the subject of the main clause: bayi itu.

So this means:

• Selepas minum susu = After drinking milk
• understood as After the baby drank milk

You could also say Selepas bayi itu minum susu... if you want to state the subject explicitly, but it is not necessary here.

Why is it minum and not meminum?

Both can be possible, but minum is very common in everyday Malay, especially with familiar objects like drinks.

• minum susu = drink milk
• meminum susu = drink milk, but more formal or written in tone

In many real sentences, Malay uses the shorter base verb where English would still just say drink. So Selepas minum susu sounds natural and idiomatic.

What does bayi itu mean, and why does itu come after the noun?