Saya bercakap, kemudian dia pula menjelaskan persoalan itu.

Bercakap is the verb form meaning to speak / to talk.

The root is cakap, which is related to speaking or talk, but in a full sentence Malay often uses the ber- form for an intransitive verb:

• bercakap = to speak, to talk

So Saya bercakap means I spoke / I was speaking.

Using just cakap is possible in some informal contexts, but bercakap sounds more standard and grammatically complete here.

Kemudian means then, after that, or afterwards.

In this sentence, it links the first action and the second action:

• Saya bercakap = I spoke
• kemudian = then / afterwards
• dia pula menjelaskan... = he/she then explained...

It is placed between the two clauses to show sequence. Malay often uses words like kemudian, lalu, or selepas itu to show that one thing happened after another.

Pula is one of those very common Malay words that can be tricky because it has several meanings depending on context.

In this sentence, dia pula suggests something like:

• he/she in turn
• then he/she
• for his/her part
• meanwhile, he/she

So pula adds the idea that after I spoke, he/she was the next one to do something.

Here it is not just a plain then. It gives a contrast or turn-taking feeling:

• I spoke, then he/she, in turn, explained the issue.

That nuance is why pula is useful here.

You could say dia menjelaskan, and the sentence would still be correct.

Adding pula gives extra nuance. It helps show that the second person is doing something after or in response to the first person’s action.

Compare:

• Saya bercakap, kemudian dia menjelaskan persoalan itu.
  = I spoke, then he/she explained the matter.

• Saya bercakap, kemudian dia pula menjelaskan persoalan itu.
  = I spoke, then he/she, in turn, explained the matter.

So pula is not required for basic grammar, but it improves the flow and meaning.

Menjelaskan comes from jelas, which means clear.

With the prefix and suffix meN-...-kan, it becomes a transitive verb meaning:

• to explain
• literally something like to make clear

So:

• jelas = clear
• menjelaskan = to explain / to make something clear

This is why menjelaskan persoalan itu means to explain that issue/question.

It needs an object, and here the object is persoalan itu.

Persoalan can mean question, but in many contexts it is closer to:

• issue
• matter
• problem
• point at issue

So it is often broader than the English word question.

Depending on context, persoalan itu could be:

• that question
• that issue
• that matter

A learner should not assume it always means a literal question someone asked out loud. It can also refer to a topic or problem under discussion.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun:

• buku itu = that book
• rumah ini = this house
• persoalan itu = that issue / that question

This is different from English, where this and that usually come before the noun.

So persoalan itu is the normal Malay word order.

Dia can mean either he or she.

Malay third-person singular pronouns usually do not mark gender. So from the sentence alone, you cannot tell whether the person is male or female unless the context makes it clear.

This is very normal in Malay.

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

So bercakap and menjelaskan do not themselves mean specifically spoke or explained in the past. The time is understood from context, or from time words like:

• semalam = yesterday
• tadi = earlier
• akan = will
• sedang = in the process of

In your sentence, English may translate it in the past because the sequence sounds like a completed event:

• I spoke, then he/she explained the issue.

But Malay itself does not mark that past tense on the verb.

Yes. On its own, Saya bercakap is not tied to one tense.

Depending on context, it could mean:

• I speak
• I am speaking
• I spoke

Malay often relies on context rather than verb changes.

If you want to be more specific, you can add markers:

• Saya sedang bercakap = I am speaking
• Saya sudah bercakap = I have spoken / I already spoke
• Saya akan bercakap = I will speak

The comma is helpful, but not always strictly necessary.

It separates the two clauses:

• Saya bercakap
• kemudian dia pula menjelaskan persoalan itu

With the comma, the sentence is easier to read and the pause is clearer. Without it, the sentence would still usually be understandable:

• Saya bercakap kemudian dia pula menjelaskan persoalan itu.

However, the version with the comma is neater and more natural in writing.

Sometimes yes, but they are not always exactly the same.

• bercakap = to speak, to talk
• berkata = to say, to speak

Bercakap often focuses more on the act of speaking or talking in general.
Berkata often sounds a little more like said or spoke, especially when introducing speech or a statement.

In this sentence, Saya bercakap sounds natural because it describes the act of speaking before the other person explains something.

Because normal Malay word order is typically:

• Subject + Verb + Object

So here we get:

• dia = subject
• menjelaskan = verb
• persoalan itu = object

This is the same basic order as English in many simple sentences:

• He explained the issue.

So that part should feel fairly familiar to an English speaker.