Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Question Word 'Siapa' - Who
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey, welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I'm Lucas, and as always, I'm here with Luna. Luna: And I'm Luna. So Lucas, last episode we were playing with 'mana' – which one, right? Lucas: Exactly. But today, we're flipping to a question word you've seen before. We're revisiting 'siapa' – who. Luna: Oh, I remember that one. It's like when you ask someone's name. Lucas: Right. So let's start with a simple one. Siapa itu? Luna: Siapa itu. That's 'who is that?' Lucas: Perfect. So if you're pointing at someone across the street, you'd say, Siapa itu? Luna: And what's the answer? Like if it's your friend? Lucas: You'd say, Dia kawan saya. He is my friend. Luna: Dia kawan saya. Let me try that. Dia kawan saya. Lucas: Yeah, that was good. So let's put it in a tiny scene. Imagine we're at a party, and you see someone you don't know. Luna: Okay. So I'd ask you, Siapa itu? Lucas: And I'd say, Oh, dia kawan saya. He's my friend. Luna: Nice. So what about asking someone's name? That's a classic. Lucas: Yes. Siapa nama awak? That's 'what is your name?' – literally 'who is your name?'. Luna: Siapa nama awak. I've heard that before. So if I meet someone new, I can say that. Lucas: And they'd answer with their name. Like, Nama saya Aisyah. Luna: So that's a whole conversation starter right there. Lucas: Yeah. And to be honest, if you're learning Malay, that little phrase is going to get you so far. Luna: Totally. And you know what, I was thinking – if Fexingo has been helping you make real progress with Malay, like actually remembering these phrases, that's awesome. And what keeps this show going, without ads, is listener support. So if today was useful, you could say thanks by buying me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Just a thought. Lucas: Yeah, that's a nice way to keep us going. Anyway, back to 'siapa'. So we've got Siapa itu and Siapa nama awak. What else? Luna: How about asking about someone's teacher? Like, Siapa guru awak? Lucas: Nice one. Siapa guru awak? – 'Who is your teacher?' And the answer could be, Dia guru saya – 'He is my teacher.' Luna: Dia guru saya. So we're using 'dia' for both he and she, right? Lucas: Exactly. In Malay, 'dia' works for both. So that makes it easier. Luna: Let me try a full exchange. Siapa guru awak? Lucas: Dia guru saya. Perfect. Now let's do a quick practice round. I'll ask, you answer. Siapa itu? Luna: Dia kawan saya. Lucas: Great. Siapa nama awak? Luna: Nama saya Luna. Lucas: Awesome. Siapa guru awak? Luna: Dia guru saya. Wait, but what if I want to say 'she' specifically? It's still 'dia', right? Lucas: Yep. 'Dia' covers both genders. So 'dia guru saya' could mean he or she. Luna: That's convenient. So in a conversation, you just use 'siapa' and 'dia' to talk about people. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the core of today's lesson. Let's do one more callback to something from a while ago – remember we learned 'Siapa nama awak?' back in the intro episode? Luna: Oh yeah, that's like the first thing you learn. Lucas: And now you can go beyond that. You can ask about other people, not just names. Luna: So let's review all the phrases we have today. We've got Siapa itu, Siapa nama awak, Dia kawan saya, Siapa guru awak, and Dia guru saya. Lucas: That's a solid set. Let's hear them one more time. I'll say each, and you repeat after me. Lucas: Siapa itu? Luna: Siapa itu? Lucas: Siapa nama awak? Luna: Siapa nama awak? Lucas: Dia kawan saya. Luna: Dia kawan saya. Lucas: Siapa guru awak? Luna: Siapa guru awak? Lucas: Dia guru saya. Luna: Dia guru saya. Lucas: Perfect. Now let's put it all in a mini conversation. Imagine you're at a family gathering and you see someone you don't know. You ask me, Siapa itu? Luna: Siapa itu? Lucas: Dia kawan saya. And then you ask, Siapa nama dia? Luna: Wait, we didn't learn that. We learned Siapa nama awak, not 'dia'. Lucas: Good catch. Normally it's 'siapa nama awak' – 'what is your name?' But if you're asking about someone else, it's 'siapa nama dia' – 'what is his/her name?' But that's a bit beyond today. Let's keep it to what we have. Luna: Okay, so the five phrases are enough for today. I feel confident about those. Lucas: Great. And as always, practice them till we chat again. This has been Learn Malay with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. See you next time.