You know how to describe a `kereta baru` (new car). But how do you say it's *your* new car? Showing possession in Malay is simple and follows the same "thing first" logic you learned with adjectives.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
To show that something belongs to someone, you simply put the pronoun (`saya`, `awak`, `dia`, etc.) after the noun.
| Malay (Noun + Pronoun) | English |
|---|---|
| buku saya | my book |
| kawan awak | your friend |
| bapa dia | his/her father |
| sekolah mereka | their school |
This is where everything comes together! The word order is logical: identify the **thing**, then **describe** it, then say **who** it belongs to.
| Thing (Noun) | Description (Adjective) | Owner (Pronoun) | = Full Malay Phrase | = English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kereta | baru | saya | kereta baru saya | my new car |
| rumah | besar | dia | rumah besar dia | his/her big house |
| kawan | baik | awak | kawan baik awak | your good friend |
For the third person (`dia` - he/she/it), there is a very common and useful shortcut: the suffix `-nya`. Attaching `-nya` to a noun is the same as saying `dia` after it. It often makes the sentence sound smoother and more natural.
Example: "What is his name?" can be `Apa nama dia?` but is more commonly asked as `Siapa namanya?`. You will hear and see `-nya` everywhere!
Master these possessive structures with dedicated flashcards.
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Arrange these words into the correct descriptive possessive phrase.
Translate the following phrases.
Two colleagues, Fatimah and Zul, are in the office parking lot.
Fatimah: Wah, Zul! Itu kereta baru awak ke? Cantiknya! (wah, zool! ee-too kuh-ray-tah bah-roo ah-wahk kuh? chahn-teek-nyah!)
Zul: Bukan, Fatimah. Ini bukan kereta saya. Kereta lama saya di sana. (boo-kahn, fah-tee-mah. ee-nee boo-kahn kuh-ray-tah sah-yah. kuh-ray-tah lah-mah sah-yah dee sah-nah.)
Fatimah: Habis itu, kereta siapa? (hah-bees ee-too, kuh-ray-tah see-ah-pah?)
Zul: Ini kereta bos kita. Namanya Encik Kamal. (ee-nee kuh-ray-tah bos kee-tah. nah-mah-nyah en-chik kah-mahl.)
Fatimah: Wow, Zul! Is that your new car? It's so beautiful!
Zul: No, Fatimah. This isn't my car. My old car is over there.
Fatimah: Then, whose car is it?
Zul: This is our boss's car. His name is Mr. Kamal.
Cemerlang! You can now create rich, descriptive phrases about who owns what. The next piece of the puzzle is location. In Chapter 15, we will learn Kata Sendi Nama Tempat (Prepositions of Place), which will allow you to describe exactly *where* things are, such as "my book is *on* the table".