Sisa berselerak itu busuk dan menyebabkan pencemaran.

Sisa usually means waste, refuse, leftover material, or residue, depending on context. In this sentence, it most naturally refers to waste/litter/garbage rather than food leftovers specifically.

It is a broad word, so the exact English choice depends on the situation:

• sisa makanan = food waste / leftovers
• sisa toksik = toxic waste
• sisa berselerak = scattered waste / litter lying around

Berselerak means scattered, strewn about, or lying all over the place.

In Malay, words like this often sit somewhere between what English calls a verb and an adjective. In practical learner terms, here it works like a modifier describing sisa:

• sisa berselerak = scattered waste

The prefix ber- often forms intransitive or state-like words, and berselerak describes the state of being scattered around.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the whole noun phrase, not before it.

So:

• sisa berselerak itu = that scattered waste / the scattered waste

Not:

• itu sisa berselerak for this meaning

A useful pattern is:

noun + modifier + itu/ini

Examples:

• rumah besar itu = that big house
• budak kecil itu = that little child
• sisa berselerak itu = that scattered waste

It can feel like either, depending on context.

Malay does not have articles exactly like English the and a/an, so itu often helps mark something as definite. Because of that, sisa berselerak itu may be translated as:

• that scattered waste
• the scattered waste

If the speaker is pointing to something specific, that is a good translation. If the sentence is just referring to already-known waste, the may sound more natural in English.

Malay often does not use a verb like English to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Sisa berselerak itu busuk literally looks like That scattered waste rotten/smelly
• but naturally means That scattered waste is rotten/smelly

This is very normal in Malay. The adjective can act as the predicate without an extra is.

Busuk usually means rotten, decayed, foul-smelling, or stinking.

With waste, it often suggests both:

• it has gone bad / decomposed
• it smells bad

So depending on context, English might translate it as:

• rotten
• smelly
• stinking
• foul

Menyebabkan means causes or to cause.

It comes from the root sebab, meaning cause or reason, plus affixes:

• meN- → active verb marker
• -kan → often gives a causative or transitive sense

So:

• sebab = cause/reason
• menyebabkan = to cause

In this sentence:

• menyebabkan pencemaran = causes pollution

Pencemaran means pollution or contamination.

It is formed from the root cemar, which relates to being dirty, tainted, or polluted, with the circumfix:

• peN- ... -an

This pattern often forms abstract nouns or result nouns.

So:

• cemar = polluted/tainted/dirty
• pencemaran = pollution / contamination

Malay does not mark tense the same way English does. There is no verb ending here that specifically means present tense.

So busuk and menyebabkan do not by themselves tell you whether the action/state is present, past, or future. The time is understood from context.

In most contexts, this sentence will be read as:

• a present statement: The scattered waste is smelly and causes pollution or
• a general truth: waste like this causes pollution

If needed, Malay can add time words such as:

• sekarang = now
• semalam = yesterday
• akan = will

Malay usually does not have to mark plurals unless it is important to do so.

So sisa can refer to:

• waste in general
• a mass of waste
• multiple bits of waste

The context tells you whether English should use waste, trash, litter, or sometimes a plural wording like pieces of waste.

Malay can show plurality by reduplication:

• sisa-sisa = wastes / bits of waste / various remains

But in this sentence, plain sisa is perfectly natural.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Sisa berselerak itu = the subject noun phrase
• busuk = first predicate
• dan menyebabkan pencemaran = second predicate linked by dan

So the overall structure is:

[subject] + [description 1] + dan + [description/action 2]

In English terms:

• The scattered waste
  • is smelly
    • and
      • causes pollution

Yes, but it changes the structure slightly.

• Sisa berselerak itu... = that/the scattered waste...

  • here berselerak is part of the noun phrase describing sisa

• Sisa itu berselerak... = that waste is scattered...

  • here berselerak is part of the predicate

So:

• Sisa berselerak itu busuk... = The scattered waste is smelly...

• Sisa itu berselerak, busuk... = That waste is scattered and smelly...

Both are grammatical, but they are organized differently.

Yes. Natural English options include:

• causes pollution
• leads to pollution
• results in pollution
• causes environmental contamination

The most direct translation is causes pollution, but the best choice depends on how formal or natural you want the English to sound.