Saya mahu belajar di perpustakaan, dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah.

In Malay, dia is a third-person singular pronoun that does not mark gender. So it can mean he, she, or sometimes they in a very general singular sense, depending on context.

In this sentence, dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah, you only know whether it is he or she from the wider situation, not from the word dia itself.

Pula is one of those very common Malay words that can be tricky because it does not always translate neatly into one English word.

In this sentence, dia pula gives a sense like:

• as for him/her
• he/she, on the other hand
• meanwhile, he/she
• in contrast, he/she

So the sentence contrasts two people’s preferences:

• Saya mahu belajar di perpustakaan
• dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah

Here, pula helps show that the second clause is being compared or contrasted with the first.

Malay does not use an infinitive marker like English to in sentences like this.

So:

• mahu belajar = want to study
• mahu menonton = want to watch

The structure is simply:

• subject + mahu + verb

There is no extra word needed between mahu and the following verb.

It is repeated because each clause has its own verb phrase:

• Saya mahu belajar di perpustakaan
• dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah

This is natural and clear in Malay. It makes both parts balanced.

You could sometimes omit repeated material in conversation if the meaning is obvious, but in a sentence like this, repeating mahu sounds normal and tidy.

Good question. These two verbs behave differently.

• belajar is already the normal verb meaning to study / to learn
• menonton comes from the root tonton and takes the prefix meN-, becoming menonton, meaning to watch

So although both are verbs, they are built differently:

• belajar is a standard dictionary form on its own
• menonton is a derived form

This is very common in Malay: not all verbs are formed in the same way.

Also, belajar usually means to study or to learn in general, while mempelajari often means to study/learn something specific:

• Saya belajar di perpustakaan = I study at the library
• Saya mempelajari bahasa Melayu = I study/learn Malay

Because this di is a preposition meaning in, at, or on, and prepositions are written separately from the noun.

So:

• di perpustakaan = in/at the library
• di rumah = at home / in the house

This is important because Malay also has di- as a prefix for passive verbs, and that one is written together with the verb.

Compare:

• di rumah = at home → separate
• ditonton = watched → joined

This is a very important spelling distinction in Malay.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Literally, rumah means house/home, so di rumah is in the house or at home. In many everyday sentences, English would naturally translate it as at home.

So here, dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah is most naturally understood as he/she wants to watch a movie at home.

Malay does not use articles like English a, an, and the in the same way.

So filem can mean:

• a movie
• the movie
• movies (depending on context)

In this sentence, menonton filem is naturally understood as watch a movie or sometimes more generally watch movies, depending on the intended meaning.

Context decides it.

Yes. Filem is a standard Malay word meaning film or movie. It is a loanword, but it is completely normal in Malay.

Depending on context, people may also use expressions like:

• tengok filem = watch a movie
• menonton filem = watch a movie

Menonton is a bit more formal than tengok, but both are common.

Perpustakaan is the standard Malay word for library. It is the normal formal word you should learn for this meaning.

So:

• di perpustakaan = at the library / in the library

In everyday use, this is the usual term.

Malay often links related clauses very simply, sometimes just with punctuation and context.

Here, the comma plus pula already gives the contrast:

• Saya mahu belajar di perpustakaan, dia pula mahu menonton filem di rumah.

That feels like:

• I want to study at the library, while he/she wants to watch a movie at home.
• I want to study at the library, but he/she, on the other hand, wants to watch a movie at home.

You could add other linking words in different sentences, but this version is already complete and natural.

Yes, but the tone changes slightly.

• mahu = want; neutral and standard
• ingin = wish/desire; a bit more formal or literary
• nak = want; very common in speech, more informal

So these are possible alternatives:

• Saya mahu belajar... → standard
• Saya ingin belajar... → a bit more formal
• Saya nak belajar... → casual spoken Malay

In a learning sentence like this, mahu is a very good standard choice.

Yes. English chooses between in and at, but Malay just uses di for both kinds of location.

So di perpustakaan may be translated as either:

• in the library
• at the library

The best English version depends on what sounds most natural in context.

Sometimes Malay can omit subjects when they are obvious from context, especially in conversation. But in a sentence like this, keeping saya is the normal and clear choice.

Here, the full contrast is:

• Saya mahu belajar...
• dia pula mahu menonton...

Using both subjects makes the comparison very clear.

It is mostly neutral to standard Malay.

Why?

• saya is polite/neutral for I
• mahu is standard
• menonton is standard
• perpustakaan is standard

A more casual spoken version might be something like:

• Saya nak belajar kat perpustakaan, dia pula nak tengok filem kat rumah.

So the original sentence is a good standard written or careful spoken version.