Questions & Answers about Lelaki tua itu meninggal semalam.
What is the basic structure of Lelaki tua itu meninggal semalam?
The sentence follows a very common Malay pattern:
Subject + Verb + Time expression
- Lelaki tua itu = the old man / that old man
- meninggal = passed away / died
- semalam = yesterday / last night, depending on context
So the whole sentence is built very straightforwardly: [the old man] [passed away] [yesterday]
Why is tua placed after lelaki instead of before it?
In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.
So:
- lelaki tua = old man
literally man old
This is normal Malay word order. English usually puts adjectives before the noun, but Malay usually puts them after.
More examples:
- rumah besar = big house
- budak kecil = small child
- kereta baru = new car
What does itu mean here?