Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti.

Because baca is the verb to read, and here it is being used as a command: Read ...

Malay often forms simple commands by using the base verb directly, without a subject. So:

• Baca kontrak itu. = Read the contract.
• Tunggu di sini. = Wait here.

There is no separate word like English please read or you should read unless the speaker wants to add extra politeness or nuance.

Malay often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context, especially in commands.

So in Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti, the understood subject is you, but it does not need to be said.

English needs you only sometimes in commands for emphasis:

• Read the contract carefully.

Malay normally just says:

• Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti.

If you added a pronoun, it would usually sound more marked or less natural in a basic instruction.

Itu usually means that, but in many contexts it also works like the when referring to a specific thing already known in context.

So:

• kontrak = contract
• kontrak itu = that contract / the contract

Malay does not have articles like a and the in the same way English does. Words like ini and itu often help make a noun more specific:

• kontrak ini = this contract
• kontrak itu = that contract / the contract

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

So Malay says:

• kontrak itu = literally contract that
• buku ini = literally book this

This is normal Malay word order. English puts this/that before the noun, but Malay usually puts them after.

Dengan teliti means carefully.

It is made up of:

• dengan = with
• teliti = careful, thorough, meticulous

So literally it is something like with care/thoroughness, but natural English translates it as carefully.

Malay often expresses adverb-like meanings with phrases rather than a special -ly form. English uses careful → carefully, but Malay commonly uses:

• dengan teliti = carefully
• dengan cepat = quickly
• dengan perlahan = slowly

At its core, teliti is usually thought of as an adjective meaning careful, thorough, or meticulous. But in dengan teliti, the whole phrase functions adverbially, describing how the action is done.

So:

• teliti = careful/thorough
• dengan teliti = carefully / in a careful way

This is very common in Malay: an adjective can become part of an adverbial phrase with dengan.

Normally, no. The natural form is Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti.

Malay usually needs dengan in this kind of phrase when describing how an action is done. Without dengan, teliti would not sound right here in standard usage.

So use:

• dengan teliti = carefully not
• teliti by itself after the verb in this sentence

By itself, it is a fairly direct command, so it is best understood as neutral but firm, depending on tone and situation.

It could be normal in contexts like:

• workplace instructions
• legal or administrative advice
• written notices
• a teacher telling students what to do

If you want to make it more polite, you could say:

• Sila baca kontrak itu dengan teliti. = Please read the contract carefully.
• Tolong baca kontrak itu dengan teliti. = Please read the contract carefully / Help by reading the contract carefully.

Sila is especially common in formal instructions.

Both can make a command softer, but they are not exactly the same.

• Sila baca kontrak itu dengan teliti.
  • polite, formal, often used in notices, customer service, official settings
• Tolong baca kontrak itu dengan teliti.
  • also polite, but more like please in everyday speech, sometimes with a sense of asking for help or cooperation

For a sign, instruction sheet, or formal request, sila is especially common.

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

• baca ≈ BAH-cha
• kontrak ≈ KON-trak
• itu ≈ ee-too
• dengan ≈ DUH-ngan or DE-ngan depending on accent
• teliti ≈ teh-LEE-tee

A few helpful points:

• c in Malay is pronounced like English ch
• a is usually like the a in father
• Malay pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling

Baca is the base form of the verb.

Malay verbs often appear with prefixes such as meN- in full statements:

• Saya membaca kontrak itu. = I am reading / read the contract.

But in commands, the base form is very common:

• Baca kontrak itu. = Read the contract.

So baca is not incomplete here. It is exactly the form you expect in an imperative sentence.

No, not in the same way.

• Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti. = a command: Read the contract carefully.
• Membaca kontrak itu dengan teliti = reading the contract carefully, which sounds more like a verb phrase, not a complete command

If you use membaca, you usually need a full sentence around it, such as:

• Anda perlu membaca kontrak itu dengan teliti. = You need to read the contract carefully.
• Saya sedang membaca kontrak itu dengan teliti. = I am reading the contract carefully.

The basic order here is very natural:

• Baca = verb
• kontrak itu = object
• dengan teliti = manner phrase

So the normal pattern is:

Verb + Object + Adverbial phrase

You can sometimes move things around for emphasis in wider contexts, but for a straightforward learner-friendly sentence, Baca kontrak itu dengan teliti is the standard and best order to remember.