Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Saying 'In' and 'On' in Malay
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey there, welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I'm Lucas, and as always, Luna's here with me. Ready for another tiny but useful chunk of Malay? Luna: Hi, so ready. Last time we had fun with 'siapa' - asking who. Today what are we getting into? Lucas: Today we're talking about position - how to say where something is. We'll learn two little words: 'di' and 'dalam'. Luna: Oh, like 'in' and 'on'? That's handy. I always mix those up. Lucas: Exactly. 'Di' is like 'at' or 'on' - it points to a place. And 'dalam' means 'inside'. Let's start with 'di'. Listen: di. Luna: di. Lucas: Good. Now, a full sentence. Buku di atas meja. Luna: Buku di atas meja. Lucas: That means 'The book is on the table.' 'Buku' is book, 'atas' is on top, 'meja' is table. We'll get to 'atas' later, but for now, just know 'di' is the glue. Luna: So 'di' is like 'on' in that case. What about 'dalam'? Lucas: Right. 'Dalam' means 'inside'. So if the cat is inside the house, we say: Kucing dalam rumah. Luna: Kucing dalam rumah. Lucas: Perfect. 'Kucing' is cat, 'rumah' is house. So 'dalam' puts the cat inside. Luna: Got it. So 'di' is for location, 'dalam' is for inside. But can I say 'di dalam' together? Lucas: Great question. Yes, you can say 'di dalam' to emphasize 'inside' a specific container or place. Like 'Air dalam gelas' - water in a glass. You could also say 'Air di dalam gelas'. Both are fine. Luna: Oh, so 'di' is like the general location marker, and 'dalam' adds the inside detail. That makes sense. Lucas: Exactly. Let's practice. I'll say a sentence, you tell me if it uses 'di' or 'dalam'. Saya duduk di kerusi. Luna: That's 'I sit on a chair.' So 'di' is used because it's on a surface. Lucas: Right. 'Saya duduk di kerusi' - I sit on the chair. 'Kerusi' is chair. Now, what about 'Dia dalam bilik'? Luna: He is in the room. So that uses 'dalam' because it's inside a room. Lucas: Perfect. You're getting it. Now let's do a quick scenario. Imagine you're looking for your phone. You might ask, 'Di mana telefon saya?' - Where is my phone? And someone answers, 'Telefon dalam beg.' Luna: Phone is in the bag. So 'dalam' because it's inside the bag. Lucas: Exactly. You found it. Let's repeat that: Telefon dalam beg. Luna: Telefon dalam beg. Lucas: Good. Now let's go back to our main phrases. We have four. Let me say them slowly, and you repeat after me. Buku di atas meja. Luna: Buku di atas meja. Lucas: Kucing dalam rumah. Luna: Kucing dalam rumah. Lucas: Saya duduk di kerusi. Luna: Saya duduk di kerusi. Lucas: Air dalam gelas. Luna: Air dalam gelas. Lucas: Awesome. You're doing great. Now, let's play a quick game. I'll say a Malay word, you tell me if it's a place you can be 'di' on or 'dalam' inside. Ready? Luna: Ready. Lucas: Meja. Luna: On the table, so 'di'. But you could also say 'di atas meja'. Lucas: Nice. Rumah. Luna: Inside the house, so 'dalam'. 'Dalam rumah'. Lucas: Great. Kerusi. Luna: On the chair, so 'di'. 'Di kerusi'. Lucas: Perfect. Gelas. Luna: Inside a glass, so 'dalam'. 'Dalam gelas'. Lucas: You've got it. Now, let's put it all together in a tiny story. Imagine you're describing your room. You might say: 'Buku di atas meja. Kucing dalam rumah.' That's a nice start. Luna: Oh, I can do that. Buku di atas meja. Kucing dalam rumah. Lucas: See, you're already making sentences. Let's add one more. 'Saya duduk di kerusi.' Luna: Saya duduk di kerusi. Lucas: And if you want to talk about your drink, 'Air dalam gelas.' Luna: Air dalam gelas. Lucas: You're a natural. Now, before we wrap up, a quick honest thing. You know, a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making all these episodes. We keep it ad-free, and that support is the reason we can keep going like this. Luna: Yeah, it's a small thing that goes a long way. I've seen how much work you put into each episode. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. But hey, back to our phrases. Let's do one final review. Say them with me one more time. Buku di atas meja. Luna: Buku di atas meja. Lucas: Kucing dalam rumah. Luna: Kucing dalam rumah. Lucas: Saya duduk di kerusi. Luna: Saya duduk di kerusi. Lucas: Air dalam gelas. Luna: Air dalam gelas. Lucas: Perfect. Now you know how to say where things are in Malay. Practice these and see you next time. Take care. Luna: Bye, thanks for listening. See you soon.