Pelayan wanita itu berkata bahawa tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini and itu usually come after the noun phrase they refer to.

So:

• pelayan wanita itu = that waitress
• literally: waiter/server female that

This is normal Malay word order. The same pattern appears in many phrases:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang itu = that person
• buku ini = this book

So even though English says that waitress, Malay says waitress that.

In Malay, the main noun usually comes first, and any word describing what kind of noun it is comes after it.

So:

• pelayan = server / waiter / waitress
• wanita = woman / female

That gives:

• pelayan wanita = female server, waitress

This is a common Malay pattern:

• guru lelaki = male teacher
• doktor wanita = female doctor

So wanita is specifying the type of pelayan.

Yes, it is understandable and acceptable, especially in more careful or formal Malay.

However, in everyday use, people often just say pelayan if the gender is not important. If you specifically want to mark female, pelayan wanita works.

A learner should also know that Malay often avoids making gender distinctions unless they matter. So unlike English, you do not always need separate words for waiter and waitress.

Bahawa means that when introducing a reported clause.

So:

• berkata bahawa ... = said that ...

It links the first part of the sentence to the statement being reported.

In many cases, bahawa can be omitted, especially in less formal Malay:

• Pelayan wanita itu berkata tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar.

That is still understandable. But bahawa makes the structure clearer and sounds more formal or written.

Berkata is a more formal or standard verb meaning to say / to speak.

Here is the rough difference:

• berkata = formal, written, careful
• kata = often said / say in casual speech; also means word
• cakap = to speak / say, common in conversation

So this sentence sounds fairly formal because it uses berkata bahawa.

More casual versions might be:

• Pelayan wanita itu kata tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar.
• Pelayan wanita itu cakap tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar.

Malay often does not use a verb equivalent to to be in sentences like this.

English says:

• The tomatoes and cucumbers are very fresh today.

Malay can simply say:

• tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar

Literally this is more like:

• tomatoes and cucumbers today very fresh

This is completely normal in Malay. The adjective segar acts as the predicate without needing a separate word for are.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural the way English nouns do.

So:

• tomato can mean tomato or tomatoes
• timun can mean cucumber or cucumbers

The number is usually understood from context.

Malay can show plurality in other ways, such as:

• context
• numbers
• reduplication

For example:

• dua tomato = two tomatoes
• timun-timun = cucumbers / cucumbers in general

But in this sentence, no plural marking is necessary. English requires tomatoes and cucumbers, but Malay does not.

Hari ini means today.

In this sentence, it most naturally goes with the idea that the vegetables are fresh today:

• tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar
  = the tomatoes and cucumbers are very fresh today

It can also feel like it sets the time frame for the statement generally. Malay time expressions are quite flexible in placement.

You could also hear:

• Hari ini tomato dan timun sangat segar.
• Tomato dan timun sangat segar hari ini.

All of these are possible, though the emphasis shifts slightly.

Sangat means very, and in Malay it normally comes before the adjective it modifies.

So:

• sangat segar = very fresh
• sangat besar = very big
• sangat cantik = very beautiful

This is the standard order:

• adverb + adjective

So sangat segar is exactly what you would expect.

Yes. Amat segar is also correct and means almost the same thing as sangat segar.

Very roughly:

• sangat = very common, neutral
• amat = also means very, often a bit more formal or literary

So both are fine:

• sangat segar
• amat segar

In everyday speech, sangat is usually more common.

No. Segar has a broader meaning than just food being fresh.

It can describe:

• fresh produce
• fresh air
• someone feeling refreshed
• something not stale or wilted

But in this sentence, because the nouns are tomato and timun, segar clearly means fresh in the food sense.

Yes, Malay allows some flexibility in word order, especially with time expressions and reported speech.

For example, these are possible:

• Pelayan wanita itu berkata bahawa tomato dan timun sangat segar hari ini.
• Pelayan wanita itu berkata bahawa hari ini tomato dan timun sangat segar.

The original sentence is already natural, but different arrangements can slightly change emphasis:

• putting hari ini earlier highlights today
• putting it later can make it sound like an afterthought or final detail

The core structure stays the same: speaker + reporting verb + content of what was said.

It leans formal or written-neutral, mainly because of:

• berkata
• bahawa

A more casual spoken version would often be:

• Pelayan wanita itu kata tomato dan timun hari ini sangat segar.

So the grammar is normal, but the choice of words makes it sound a bit more polished than everyday chat.