Mak cik saya selalu perap ayam dengan halia, tetapi hari ini dia mahu perap udang pula.

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Breakdown of Mak cik saya selalu perap ayam dengan halia, tetapi hari ini dia mahu perap udang pula.

• dengan: with
• selalu: always
• hari ini: today

Questions & Answers about Mak cik saya selalu perap ayam dengan halia, tetapi hari ini dia mahu perap udang pula.

What does mak cik mean here?

Here, mak cik means aunt or auntie.

In Malay, mak cik can mean:

• your actual aunt
• a polite way to refer to or address an older woman

Because the sentence says mak cik saya, it clearly means my aunt here.

You may also see it written as makcik. Both spellings are common.

Why is it mak cik saya and not saya mak cik for my aunt?

Malay usually shows possession with this pattern:

noun + possessor

So:

• mak cik saya = my aunt
• rumah saya = my house
• kawan saya = my friend

So although it sounds like aunt my literally, the natural English translation is my aunt.

What does selalu mean, and why is it before the verb?