Ibu saya suka ayam dengan kicap, tetapi adik saya lebih suka sambal yang pedas.

In Malay, possession usually works as:

noun + possessor

So:

• ibu saya = my mother
• adik saya = my younger sibling

This is the opposite of English, where the possessor often comes first: my mother, my younger sibling.

A few more examples:

• buku saya = my book
• rumah dia = his/her house
• kawan kami = our friend

So saya comes after the noun when it means my.

Adik means younger sibling. It does not specify gender by itself.

So it can mean:

• younger brother
• younger sister
• younger sibling

If you want to make the gender clear, Malay can use:

• adik lelaki = younger brother
• adik perempuan = younger sister

This is important because English usually forces you to choose brother or sister, but Malay often does not.

Malay often does not need a verb like to be in places where English does.

In this sentence, the main verbs are:

• suka = like
• lebih suka = like more / prefer

So there is no need for is/are here.

More generally:

• Dia guru. = He/She is a teacher.
• Makanan itu sedap. = That food is delicious.

Malay commonly leaves out is/are in these kinds of sentences.

Suka means to like.

• Ibu saya suka ayam dengan kicap. = My mother likes chicken with soy sauce.

Lebih suka literally means like more, and it is commonly used to mean prefer.

• Adik saya lebih suka sambal yang pedas. = My younger sibling prefers spicy sambal.

So:

• suka = like
• lebih suka = prefer / like more

You can think of lebih as a comparison word meaning more.

Malay often expresses prefer with lebih suka, literally more like.

This is a very natural and common way to say it.

Examples:

• Saya lebih suka teh. = I prefer tea.
• Dia lebih suka duduk di rumah. = He/She prefers to stay at home.

So even though English has the single word prefer, Malay commonly uses the phrase lebih suka.

Here, dengan means with:

• ayam dengan kicap = chicken with soy sauce

But dengan can also be used in other ways depending on context, for example:

• Saya pergi dengan dia. = I went with him/her.
• Potong dengan pisau. = Cut with a knife.

So dengan often means with, but the exact nuance depends on the sentence.

In food phrases, dengan commonly links one food item to what comes with it.

Ayam dengan kicap is a straightforward way to say chicken with soy sauce.

Malay often uses simple combinations like this in everyday speech:

• nasi dengan ayam
• roti dengan jem
• mi dengan telur

A form like berkicap can exist in some contexts, but it is less neutral and less common for a beginner-style sentence like this. Dengan kicap is clear, simple, and natural.

So the sentence uses the more transparent structure:

food + dengan + accompaniment/ingredient

Yes. Kicap means soy sauce.

In Malay, you may also hear more specific types:

• kicap manis = sweet soy sauce
• kicap masin = salty soy sauce

If the sentence just says kicap, it usually means soy sauce in a general sense.

Yang is often used to connect a noun to a description, especially when the description works like a relative clause.

So:

• sambal yang pedas = sambal that is spicy / spicy sambal

Here, yang links sambal with pedas.

You can think of it as similar to that is in English, although English often leaves this out when using an adjective directly.

Compare:

• buku yang baru = the book that is new / the new book
• orang yang baik = the person who is kind
• rumah yang besar = the house that is big / the big house

Yes, sambal pedas is also possible and often sounds more compact.

The difference is roughly this:

• sambal pedas = a tighter noun phrase, like spicy sambal
• sambal yang pedas = a slightly fuller description, like sambal that is spicy

In many everyday contexts, both are understandable and natural. The version with yang can sound a bit more explicit or descriptive.

For learners, it is useful to know that Malay often allows both shorter and longer descriptive patterns.

Pedas means spicy or chili-hot, not hot in the temperature sense.

This is a very important distinction for English speakers.

• pedas = spicy
• panas = hot, warm, heat

So:

• sambal yang pedas = spicy sambal
• kopi panas = hot coffee

If you use panas for chili heat, it will sound wrong.

Tetapi means but.

Yes, tapi is a very common shorter form, especially in speech and informal writing.

So these are both possible:

• ..., tetapi adik saya lebih suka ...
• ..., tapi adik saya lebih suka ...

The full form tetapi is a bit more formal or careful.
The shorter tapi is very common in everyday conversation.

Malay does not use articles in the same way English does.

So Malay can say:

• ibu saya without the
• ayam without a/the
• sambal without the

English requires articles much more often, but Malay usually relies on context.

For example:

• Saya beli buku. = I bought a book / the book
  The exact meaning depends on context.

In your sentence, English may translate the nouns with or without articles depending on what sounds natural, but Malay itself does not mark them the same way.

Mostly yes. The core order is quite similar:

• Ibu saya = subject
• suka = verb
• ayam dengan kicap = object/complement
• tetapi = but
• adik saya = subject
• lebih suka = verb
• sambal yang pedas = object/complement

So the overall pattern is close to English:

My mother likes X, but my younger sibling prefers Y.

However, there are still some important differences:

• possession is noun + saya
• Malay often omits is/are
• modifiers can use yang

So the sentence feels familiar to English speakers, but some details work differently.

Yes. Saya can mean I/me, and it can also function as my when it comes after a noun.

Examples:

• Saya suka ayam. = I like chicken.
• Ibu saya suka ayam. = My mother likes chicken.

So the role of saya depends on where it appears in the sentence:

• by itself as a pronoun: I
• after a noun: my

This is very common in Malay and worth getting used to early.