Parti itu menang pilihan raya.

Itu literally means that. So parti itu can mean that party.

In real Malay, though, itu is also often used in a way that feels closer to the in English, especially when the speaker is talking about a specific, known thing. So depending on context, parti itu may be understood as either:

• that party
• the party

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) normally come after the noun.

So:

• parti ini = this party
• parti itu = that party

This is a very common Malay pattern, and it is different from English word order.

Here it means a political party.

Malay parti can refer to a political party, and in a sentence with pilihan raya (election), that is clearly the intended meaning.

A social party is usually understood from context, but in this sentence there is no doubt that parti means a political party.

Malay does not have articles like a, an, and the in the same way English does.

Instead, Malay often leaves nouns without any article, and the listener understands from context whether the meaning is:

• a party
• the party
• parties / the parties

Sometimes words like itu help make something feel more specific or definite, which is why parti itu can sound like that party or the party.

Pilihan raya is the standard Malay expression for election.

It is a fixed phrase, not something learners usually translate word-for-word in normal use. You should mainly learn it as a set expression meaning:

• election
• sometimes the election, depending on context

You may also see:

• pilihan raya umum = general election

In Malay, menang can take its object directly.

So:

• menang pilihan raya = win the election

This is normal Malay structure. English says win the election too, without a preposition, so in this case the two languages are actually fairly similar.

You can think of pilihan raya as the thing being won.

Here it is most naturally understood as singular: the election.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural. The same noun can often mean either one or more, depending on context.

So pilihan raya can mean:

• election
• elections

In this sentence, the most natural reading is the election.

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

So menang itself does not specifically mark:

• present: wins
• past: won
• future: will win

The time is understood from context, or from time words if they are added.

So Parti itu menang pilihan raya could mean:

• The party won the election
• The party wins the election
• The party will win the election

In most real contexts, if the election has already happened, English would translate it as won.

Yes, broadly it is Subject + Verb + Object, just like English:

• Parti itu = subject
• menang = verb
• pilihan raya = object

So the structure is:

• Parti itu | menang | pilihan raya
• The party | won | the election

That makes this sentence relatively easy for English speakers to follow.

Yes.

This is a very common point for English speakers. Although itu literally means that, in natural Malay it can also help mark a noun as specific and already known, which sometimes sounds more like English the.

So depending on context:

• Parti itu menang pilihan raya could be understood as That party won the election
• or The party won the election

Context decides which English translation sounds best.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• parti itu = that party / the party
• parti ini = this party

So:

• Parti itu menang pilihan raya = That party / The party won the election
• Parti ini menang pilihan raya = This party won the election

Both are grammatical.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• Parti itu menang pilihan raya
• PAR-tee EE-too muh-NANG pee-LEE-han RAH-yah

A few notes:

• r in Malay is usually trilled or tapped more than in English
• ng in menang is like the ng in sing
• pilihan has clearly pronounced syllables: pi-li-han
• raya sounds roughly like RAH-yah

Malay spelling is fairly regular, so pronunciation is usually more predictable than in English.