Saya menandatangani perjanjian hari ini.

It follows a very common Malay pattern:

• Saya = subject
• menandatangani = verb
• perjanjian = object
• hari ini = time expression

So the order is basically Subject + Verb + Object + Time, which is very similar to English:

• I signed the agreement today
• Saya menandatangani perjanjian hari ini

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

So perjanjian can mean:

• an agreement
• the agreement

Context tells you which one is meant.

If you want to make it more specific, Malay often uses words like:

• ini = this
• itu = that / the

For example:

• perjanjian ini = this agreement
• perjanjian itu = that agreement / the agreement

Menandatangani means to sign something.

In this sentence, it is a transitive verb, which means it takes a direct object:

• menandatangani perjanjian = to sign an agreement

So you are not just producing a signature in general; you are signing a specific thing.

It is a derived verb built from the idea of tanda tangan / tandatangan, meaning signature.

A useful learner-level way to think about it is:

• meN- makes an active verb
• -i helps form a verb that acts on an object

So menandatangani becomes the standard verb meaning to sign something.

One detail learners often notice: the original t sound in the base disappears after the meN- prefix. That kind of sound change is normal in Malay verb formation.

Yes, in informal speech, many speakers do use tandatangan like a verb.

So you may hear:

• Saya tandatangan perjanjian hari ini

However, in standard or more careful Malay, menandatangani is the better choice, especially in writing, formal speech, or official contexts.

A simple way to remember it:

• tandatangan = common informal shortcut
• menandatangani = standard full verb

Perjanjian comes from the root janji, which means promise.

From that root, Malay builds related words such as:

• janji = promise
• berjanji = to promise
• perjanjian = agreement

So perjanjian is something like a formalized promise or agreement. Depending on context, it can mean:

• agreement
• contract
• treaty

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

So menandatangani itself does not tell you whether it means:

• sign
• am signing
• signed

The time is understood from context. Here, hari ini means today, so the sentence could be interpreted in English as:

• I am signing the agreement today
• I signed the agreement today

If you want to be more explicit, Malay can add markers such as:

• sedang = in progress
• sudah or telah = already / completed
• akan = will

Examples:

• Saya sedang menandatangani perjanjian hari ini = I am signing the agreement today
• Saya telah menandatangani perjanjian hari ini = I signed / have signed the agreement today

Saya is the neutral, polite, and very common word for I.

Compared with aku:

• saya = polite, neutral, safe in most situations
• aku = more informal, personal, or intimate

So Saya menandatangani perjanjian hari ini sounds natural in general use, especially if the context is formal enough for something like signing an agreement.

Can it be omitted? Sometimes, yes, if the subject is obvious from context. But as a standalone sentence, keeping saya is the clearest and most natural choice.

Yes, it can move.

Putting hari ini at the end is very natural:

• Saya menandatangani perjanjian hari ini

You can also put it at the beginning for emphasis:

• Hari ini, saya menandatangani perjanjian

Both are correct. The difference is mostly about focus:

• end position = neutral
• front position = emphasizes today

Also, hari ini literally means day this, which is a normal Malay pattern.

A passive version could be:

• Perjanjian itu ditandatangani oleh saya hari ini

This means The agreement was signed by me today.

However, with pronouns like saya, Malay often prefers another structure that sounds more natural:

• Perjanjian itu saya tandatangani hari ini

So if you are learning Malay grammar, it is useful to know that Malay has more than one passive-style pattern, and the most natural choice depends on the kind of subject or agent being used.

A rough English-friendly pronunciation is:

• muh-nan-dah-tah-ngah-nee

A few helpful points:

• ng is like the sound in sing
• Malay spelling is fairly regular, so words are usually pronounced close to how they are written
• Stress in Malay is generally much weaker than in English, so do not over-stress one syllable too strongly

You can think of it in syllables like this:

• me-nan-da-ta-nga-ni