Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Question Word - Mengapa
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another Malay session? Luna: Absolutely! I've been practicing our question words, and I'm feeling pretty good. Lucas: Love that. And today we're adding another essential question word to your toolkit. Luna: Ooh, which one? Lucas: Today it's 'mengapa' — that's 'why' in Malay. You'll be asking all sorts of 'why' questions in no time. Luna: Why! That's so useful. I'm always asking why. Lucas: Then this is perfect for you. Let's start with the word itself: mengapa. Say it with me, Luna. Luna: Mengapa. Lucas: Great. Now, you know how 'di mana' means 'where' and 'bila' means 'when'? 'Mengapa' works the same way — you put it at the start of a question. Luna: So it's like 'mengapa kamu...'? Lucas: Exactly. For example: Mengapa dia menangis? That means 'Why is she crying?' Luna: Mengapa dia menangis? Why is she crying? Lucas: Perfect. You've got the structure. Now let's try another: Mengapa kamu datang? That's 'Why did you come?' Luna: Mengapa kamu datang? Hmm, that's 'Why did you come?' Lucas: Nailed it. And if you need to answer, you can say 'sebab' for 'because'. Like: Saya datang sebab saya mahu jumpa kamu. I came because I wanted to meet you. Luna: Saya datang sebab saya mahu jumpa kamu. That's a mouthful, but I like it. Lucas: You'll get there with practice. Now, a quick story to put this all together. Imagine you're at a market and you see your friend looking sad. Luna: Okay, I'm at the market, friend looks sad. What do I say? Lucas: You'd ask: Mengapa kamu sedih? Why are you sad? Luna: Mengapa kamu sedih? That's a good one to know. Lucas: And your friend might reply: Saya sedih sebab hujan. I'm sad because of the rain. Luna: Oh, so 'sebab' links the reason. Nice. Lucas: Exactly. Now let's do a quick review of our question words so far. We've got 'apa' for what, 'siapa' for who, 'di mana' for where, 'bila' for when, 'berapa' for how much, and now 'mengapa' for why. Luna: That's a solid set. I feel like a detective now. Mengapa? Siapa? Di mana? Lucas: You're basically a Malay question master. But before we move on, I want to share something personal. Luna: Sure, what's up? Lucas: You know, if Fexingo has been helping you make real progress with Malay, there's a small way you can support us. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these episodes going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it's like treating us to a teh tarik. Every bit helps keep the show free for everyone. Lucas: No pressure, just if you want to. Okay, back to 'mengapa'. Let's try one more example: Mengapa dia pergi? Why did he go? Luna: Mengapa dia pergi? And the answer could be: Saya tidak tahu mengapa. I don't know why. Lucas: There you go. That's a handy way to say you don't know. Saya tidak tahu mengapa. Luna: Saya tidak tahu mengapa. I'll definitely use that one a lot. Lucas: Let's practice a little dialogue. I'll ask, you answer. Mengapa kamu suka kopi? Luna: Saya suka kopi sebab ia sedap. I like coffee because it's tasty. Lucas: Oh, nice use of 'sebab' and 'sedap' from our adjectives. Impressive. Luna: Thanks! I've been reviewing. Now you ask me: Mengapa kamu belajar bahasa Melayu? Lucas: Saya belajar bahasa Melayu sebab saya suka. I learn Malay because I like it. Luna: And that's why we're here. So, to wrap up, let's say our key phrases one more time: Mengapa, Mengapa dia menangis?, Saya tidak tahu mengapa., Mengapa kamu datang?, and Saya datang sebab saya mahu jumpa kamu. Lucas: Perfect recap. Remember, practice these 'why' questions, and you'll be a natural in no time. Luna: Thanks for joining us, everyone. Keep practicing with Fexingo, and see you next time!