Jangan ambil dadah itu.

Jangan is the usual Malay word for a negative command. It means don't when you are telling someone not to do something.

So:

• Jangan = don't
• ambil = take
• Jangan ambil = don't take

You use jangan with the base form of the verb:

• Jangan pergi. = Don't go.
• Jangan cakap. = Don't speak.

After jangan, Malay normally uses the base verb, not the meN- form.

So:

• Jangan ambil dadah itu. = natural
• Jangan mengambil dadah itu. = possible in some formal contexts, but less common in everyday speech

For learners, a very useful rule is:

• negative command → jangan + base verb

That is why ambil is the normal choice here.

Yes. Ambil is a very common verb meaning take, get, pick up, or fetch, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is best understood as take.

Examples:

• Ambil buku itu. = Take that book.
• Saya ambil air. = I'll get some water.

With dadah, ambil can mean take/use drugs, depending on context.

No. Dadah usually means drugs, especially illegal drugs or narcotics.

It is not the normal word for medicine.

• dadah = drugs / narcotics
• ubat = medicine

So Jangan ambil dadah itu means something like Don't take those drugs / that drug, not Don't take that medicine.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini (this/these) and itu (that/those) usually come after the noun.

So:

• dadah itu = that drug / those drugs
• buku ini = this book

This is a very normal Malay pattern:

• noun + ini
• noun + itu

So English that drug becomes Malay dadah itu, not itu dadah in normal noun phrases.

It can mean any of those, depending on context.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural, so dadah can refer to:

• drug
• drugs

And itu can point to something already known or identified, so it may be translated as:

• that
• those
• sometimes even the, if English sounds more natural that way

So dadah itu could mean:

• that drug
• those drugs
• the drugs in question

Context decides which English translation sounds best.

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

In English, we say:

• Don't take that drug. The subject you is understood.

Malay works the same way:

• Jangan ambil dadah itu. The you is understood, so it does not need to be said.

If you add a subject, it can sound more pointed or emphatic:

• Jangan kamu ambil dadah itu. = You, don't take that drug. But this is not the most neutral everyday version.

By itself, it is fairly direct and neutral for a command or warning.

Whether it sounds polite depends on:

• tone of voice
• relationship between speaker and listener
• situation

If you want to soften it, Malay often adds particles such as lah:

• Janganlah ambil dadah itu. = Please don't take that drug / Come on, don't take that drug

You might also add a form of address:

• Jangan ambil dadah itu, ya.
• Jangan ambil dadah itu, Ahmad.

So the basic sentence is not automatically rude, but it is definitely a direct instruction.

Not if you want a command.

• Jangan ambil = Don't take it / Do not take it
  This is a command.
• tidak ambil or tak ambil = do not take / am not taking / does not take, depending on context
  This is usually a statement, not a command.

Compare:

• Dia tidak ambil dadah itu. = He/She did not take that drug or does not take those drugs
• Jangan ambil dadah itu. = Don't take that drug

So for prohibitions, jangan is the correct choice.

Yes. You may also see usah or tak usah, which can mean don't or no need to.

Examples:

• Usah ambil dadah itu.
• Tak usah ambil dadah itu.

However, jangan ambil is the clearest and most common basic pattern for learners to know.

A rough guide:

• jangan = standard negative command
• usah / tak usah = don't / need not, sometimes a bit softer or stylistically different

Normally, no, because dadah strongly suggests drugs, especially harmful or illegal ones.

If you mean medicine, Malay usually uses:

• ubat

So:

• Jangan ambil ubat itu. = Don't take that medicine
• Jangan ambil dadah itu. = Don't take that drug / those drugs

This vocabulary difference is important.

For a simple sentence like this, yes, that is the normal pattern:

• jangan
  • verb
    • object
• and if the object has ini/itu, that demonstrative usually comes after the noun

So:

• Jangan makan makanan itu. = Don't eat that food
• Jangan baca buku itu. = Don't read that book
• Jangan ambil dadah itu. = Don't take that drug / those drugs

This makes Jangan ambil dadah itu a very typical Malay sentence structure.

Yes, very possibly.

Because ambil is broad and because dadah refers to drugs, the sentence can naturally be understood as a warning not to take/use drugs, not only pick them up physically.

Malay often relies on context for the exact nuance. In real life, if someone says:

• Jangan ambil dadah itu.

it will often be understood as:

• Don't use those drugs
• Don't take that drug

especially if the topic is drug use rather than simply handling an object.