Saya memulangkan barang rosak.

Because pulang and memulangkan do different jobs.

• pulang = to go home / to return oneself
• memulangkan = to return something

So:

• Saya pulang. = I go home / I return.
• Saya memulangkan barang. = I return the item.

In your sentence, barang is the thing being returned, so Malay uses the transitive verb memulangkan.

In this word, -kan helps form a verb that takes an object.

The root is pulang, but pulangkan / memulangkan means to return something rather than to return oneself.

A simple way to think about it is:

• pulang = return/go home
• memulangkan = return something

You do not always need to translate -kan by itself. It is better to learn memulangkan as a whole verb meaning to return something.

This is because of how the active prefix meN- works in Malay.

When meN- attaches to a root beginning with p, the p usually drops, and the prefix changes form:

• pulang → memulangkan

This kind of sound change is very common in Malay verbs.

For example:

• pakai → memakai
• pilih → memilih

So memulangkan is the regular form.

Malay usually does not use articles like English a/an/the.

So barang can mean:

• an item
• the item
• items
• the goods

The exact meaning depends on context.

If you want to be more specific, Malay can add words such as:

• itu = that / the one we both know
• ini = this
• sebuah / satu = one, a certain one

For example:

• Saya memulangkan barang itu. = I return the item / that item.
• Saya memulangkan satu barang. = I return one item.

Because in Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• barang rosak = damaged item / damaged goods
• kereta merah = red car
• rumah besar = big house

This is the normal Malay word order: noun + adjective.

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different.

• barang rosak = a shorter, more compact phrase: damaged item(s) / damaged goods
• barang yang rosak = the item(s) that are damaged

In everyday Malay, simple adjective phrases often omit yang, especially when the meaning is already clear.

So your sentence is grammatical. But Saya memulangkan barang yang rosak can sound a bit clearer or more natural in some contexts, especially if you want to emphasize that the item is the damaged one.

It can be singular or plural, depending on context.

So barang rosak may mean:

• the damaged item
• damaged items
• damaged goods

Malay often leaves number unstated unless it matters.

If you want to show plurality more clearly, you could say:

• barang-barang rosak = damaged items

But in many real sentences, Malay speakers do not bother marking plural if the context already makes it obvious.

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

So Saya memulangkan barang rosak could mean:

• I return the damaged item.
• I am returning the damaged item.
• I returned the damaged item.

The time is usually understood from context or added with time words:

• Saya memulangkan barang rosak semalam. = I returned the damaged item yesterday.
• Saya sedang memulangkan barang rosak. = I am returning the damaged item.
• Saya akan memulangkan barang rosak. = I will return the damaged item.

It is grammatical, but in real life many speakers would probably make it more specific.

Common natural versions include:

• Saya memulangkan barang yang rosak.
• Saya memulangkan barang rosak itu.
• Saya nak pulangkan barang yang rosak ini.
  This is especially natural in conversation, for example in a shop.

Without extra context, Saya memulangkan barang rosak can sound a little general, almost like I return damaged goods as a general statement.

It can behave a bit like both, which is normal in Malay.

In barang rosak, rosak functions like an adjective: damaged / broken.

But Malay also allows words like this to be used directly as predicates:

• Barang itu rosak. = The item is damaged / The item broke.

So you do not need a verb like is between barang itu and rosak.

This flexibility is very common in Malay.

You can add the recipient after the object, often with kepada.

For example:

• Saya memulangkan barang rosak itu kepada penjual. = I returned the damaged item to the seller.
• Saya memulangkan barang itu kepada kedai. = I returned the item to the shop.

So the basic pattern is:

Saya + memulangkan + object + kepada + person/place

Yes. Saya is polite and neutral, so it is a very safe default.

Other pronouns depend on situation and level of formality:

• aku = informal, casual, only with people you are close to
• kami/kita = we
• often the subject can even be omitted in casual speech if the context is obvious

But for a learner, saya is the best choice in most situations.