Questions & Answers about Datuk saya di sini.
Why is there no word for is in Datuk saya di sini?
Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences like this. So Datuk saya di sini is completely normal Malay, even though English needs is: My grandfather is here.
If you want to make the idea of presence a little more explicit, you can also say Datuk saya ada di sini.
Why does saya come after datuk instead of before it?
In Malay, possession usually works as:
noun + possessor
So:
datuk saya = my grandfather
rumah saya = my house
kawan saya = my friend
This is the opposite of English word order.
Does saya really mean both I and my?
Yes. Saya is the pronoun I / me, but after a noun it also functions as my.
For example:
Saya guru. = I am a teacher.
Buku saya = my book
So in Datuk saya, saya means my because it follows a noun.
What exactly does di sini mean?