Kakak saya belajar di fakulti sains, tetapi saya belajar di fakulti bahasa.

Kakak means older sibling, but in everyday use it often refers to an older sister.

In this sentence, Kakak saya most naturally means my older sister. However, in some contexts, kakak can be used more generally for an older sibling if the gender is already understood or not important.

Compare:

• abang saya = my older brother
• kakak saya = my older sister / older sibling

So a learner should usually understand kakak saya here as my older sister unless context suggests otherwise.

Saya means I / me / my, depending on its position in the sentence.

In this sentence:

• Kakak saya = my older sister
• saya belajar = I study

So the first saya shows possession (my), while the second saya is the subject (I).

Malay does not change the form the way English does with I and my. The same word, saya, can serve both functions depending on context.

In Malay, possession usually works as:

noun + possessor

So:

• kakak saya = my older sister
• buku saya = my book
• rumah saya = my house

This is different from English, where the possessor often comes first.

So Kakak saya literally follows the Malay pattern older sister my.

Belajar can mean both to study and to learn, depending on context.

In this sentence, because it talks about being in a faculty at a university, belajar is best understood as study:

• belajar di fakulti sains = study at the faculty of science

In other contexts, it can mean learn:

• Saya belajar bahasa Melayu = I am learning Malay

So the exact English translation depends on what is being discussed.

Di is a preposition that often means at, in, or on, depending on context.

Here:

• di fakulti sains = at the faculty of science
• di fakulti bahasa = at the faculty of language

Because the sentence is talking about the place where someone studies, di is used to mark location.

A very important point for learners:

• di as a preposition is written separately: di fakulti
• di- as a prefix for passive verbs is written together: ditulis, dibaca

Malay does not usually use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So:

• fakulti sains can mean faculty of science or the faculty of science
• fakulti bahasa can mean faculty of language or the faculty of languages/language

The exact interpretation comes from context.

This is very normal in Malay. You often do not need a separate word for the.

Tetapi means but.

Yes, it is a standard and slightly more formal or careful form than tapi, which is very common in speech and informal writing.

So these are both possible:

• ..., tetapi saya belajar ... = more standard/written
• ..., tapi saya belajar ... = more conversational

Both are correct, but tetapi is a good choice for textbook-style Malay.

It is repeated to make the contrast clear and balanced:

• Kakak saya belajar di fakulti sains
• tetapi saya belajar di fakulti bahasa

This is very natural Malay.

In some contexts, parts of the sentence can be omitted if they are obvious, but repeating belajar is clearer and more complete. It mirrors the English structure My older sister studies..., but I study...

So the repetition is not strange—it is normal and helpful.

Malay verbs do not usually change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So belajar by itself does not specifically mark:

• present: study / am studying
• past: studied
• future: will study

The time is usually understood from context or shown with time words such as:

• sekarang = now
• semalam = yesterday
• esok = tomorrow

In this sentence, without extra time words, English usually translates it as present:

• My older sister studies at the faculty of science, but I study at the faculty of language.

Yes, it is understandable and natural in an academic context.

Fakulti is borrowed from faculty, and it usually refers to a division in a university.

So:

• fakulti sains = faculty of science
• fakulti bahasa = faculty of language / languages

Depending on the institution, English might phrase this more naturally as:

• the Faculty of Languages
• the language faculty

But in Malay, fakulti bahasa is a normal structural phrase.

Sometimes, yes—especially with bahasa.

Malay nouns usually do not mark singular/plural the way English does, unless the speaker adds extra words or uses reduplication.

So:

• fakulti sains is naturally faculty of science
• fakulti bahasa could be faculty of language or faculty of languages, depending on the institution

English translation may vary a little because Malay often leaves number more general.

Malay often expresses ideas more directly and with fewer linking words than English.

The phrase:

• belajar di fakulti sains

already means study at the faculty of science. There is no need for a separate verb like is in the same way English sometimes requires one.

This is one reason Malay sentences can feel compact:

• Saya pelajar = I am a student
• Saya belajar di universiti = I study at university

Malay grammar often lets the main word carry the meaning without extra support words.

Yes. In English, both at and in may be used depending on how you phrase it.

For example:

• My older sister studies at the Faculty of Science, but I study at the Faculty of Languages.
• My older sister studies in the science faculty, but I study in the language faculty.

The Malay preposition di is flexible and can correspond to at, in, or sometimes on, depending on context.

So the exact English preposition is a translation choice, not a change in the Malay meaning.