Polis memeriksa kes itu.

The sentence follows the common Malay pattern Subject + Verb + Object.

• Polis = subject
• memeriksa = verb
• kes itu = object

So the structure is very similar to normal English word order, even though some details work differently.

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

So polis can mean things like:

• police
• the police
• sometimes even a police officer in the right context, though other wording may be clearer

Malay usually leaves definiteness to context, or it can show it in other ways, such as with itu.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So polis can refer to:

• the police as a force or institution
• police officers in general
• sometimes one officer, depending on context

In this sentence, learners will often understand polis as the police. If Malay needs to be more specific, it can add extra words such as a number or classifier.

Memeriksa is a verb formed from the base periksa, meaning to inspect, to examine, or to investigate/check.

The prefix meN- is added to make an active verb. With periksa, this becomes memeriksa.

So:

• periksa = inspect/examine
• memeriksa = to inspect/examine, in active verbal form

This is a very common kind of Malay verb formation.

This happens because of a regular sound change with the meN- prefix.

When meN- is added to a root beginning with p, the p usually drops, and the prefix changes shape. So:

• periksa → memeriksa

This is part of a broader pattern in Malay verb morphology.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• kes itu = that case
• buku ini = this book

This is the normal Malay order, even though English puts this/that before the noun.

It mainly means that, but in many sentences it also helps make the noun definite, somewhat like the in English.

So kes itu can feel like:

• that case
• or, depending on context, the case

This is why translating itu word-for-word is not always enough; its function can be broader than simple distance.

No, Malay verbs do not usually change form to show tense.

So memeriksa could mean:

• examines
• is examining
• examined
• was examining

The exact time usually comes from context or from time words such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

So the sentence by itself does not force one specific tense.

Kes is a borrowed word, ultimately from English case.

Malay has many loanwords, and kes is very common in legal, police, and administrative contexts. A learner should not be surprised to find many such familiar-looking words in Malay.

Yes. Even if the meaning has already been given, Malay often allows more than one natural English translation because articles and tense are not marked the same way.

Depending on context, this sentence could match English versions such as:

• The police examined that case.
• The police are examining the case.
• Police investigate that case.

The most natural translation depends on the surrounding context.

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

POH-lis meh-meh-REEK-sah kes EE-too

A few notes:

• r in Malay is usually lightly rolled or tapped
• e in memeriksa is not like the long English ee
• itu has two clear vowels: ee-too

Malay spelling is generally much more regular than English spelling, so pronunciation is often easier to predict.

Yes, but it changes the nuance.

• Polis memeriksa kes itu = Police/The police examined that case
• Polis itu memeriksa kes itu = That police officer / those police / the police in question examined that case

Adding itu after polis makes the subject itself more specifically identified. Without it, polis is more general.