Chapter 16: Membentuk Kata Majmuk (Forming Plurals)

You've learned to talk about a book (`buku`) or a car (`kereta`). But what if there are many? Forming plurals in Malay is wonderfully simple and logical. Let's explore how.

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Form plurals by reduplicating (repeating) a noun.
Understand that plurals are often indicated by context (numbers or quantifiers) without changing the noun.
Know when to use reduplication versus when it's not needed.

Method 1: Reduplication (Penggandaan)

The most direct way to make a noun plural is to simply say it twice. This is used when you want to say "many" or "various" of something without specifying a number.

Singular	Plural (Reduplicated)	English
buku	buku-buku	book / books
kereta	kereta-kereta	car / cars
kawan	kawan-kawan	friend / friends
meja	meja-meja	table / tables

Method 2: Context (Numbers and Quantifiers)

This is the most common way to handle plurals in everyday speech. If you already have a word that indicates a quantity (like a number or a word like "many"), you **do not** need to reduplicate the noun.

With Numbers:
- dua buku (two books) — NOT `dua buku-buku`
- sepuluh orang (ten people) — NOT `sepuluh orang-orang`
With Quantifiers (words indicating quantity):
- banyak kereta (many cars) — NOT `banyak kereta-kereta`
- semua pelajar (all students) — NOT `semua pelajar-pelajar`

The Rule of Efficiency: Don't Double Up!

Think of it this way: Malay grammar is efficient. It doesn't like saying the same thing twice. If a number or a word like `banyak` (many) or `semua` (all) has already told you the noun is plural, repeating the noun is unnecessary.

So, when do you use reduplication? When there are no other quantity words present.

I see cars on the road. → Saya nampak kereta-kereta di jalan raya. (No number, just "cars" in general).
I see three cars on the road. → Saya nampak tiga kereta di jalan raya. (The number `tiga` handles the plural).

Practice Activities

Recognition Practice:

Exercise 1: Correct or Incorrect?

Identify if the following Malay phrases are grammatically correct or incorrect.

banyak rumah-rumah
kucing-kucing itu comel
saya ada lima kawan-kawan
semua orang

Incorrect. Should be `banyak rumah`.
Correct. No quantifier, so `kucing-kucing` is fine.
Incorrect. Should be `saya ada lima kawan`.
Correct. `semua` is a quantifier, so `orang` is singular.

Production Practice:

Exercise 2: Translate to Malay

Translate the following phrases, choosing the correct plural form.

four chairs (`kerusi`)
many beautiful houses (`rumah`, `cantik`)
friends (`kawan-kawan`)

empat kerusi
banyak rumah cantik
kawan-kawan

Cerita Pendek (Short Story)

A story about a trip to the zoo (`zoo`).

Di Zoo (At the Zoo)

Semalam, saya pergi ke zoo. Ramai orang di sana. (suh-mah-lahm, sah-yah pur-gee kuh zoo. rah-mai oh-rahng dee sah-nah.)

Saya nampak monyet-monyet di atas pokok. (sah-yah nahm-pahk mohn-yet-mohn-yet dee ah-tahs poh-kohk.)

Ada tiga gajah besar, dan banyak ular. (ah-dah tee-gah gah-jah buh-sar, dahn bahn-yahk oo-lar.)

Burung-burung di sana sangat cantik. Warnanya cantik. (boo-roong-boo-roong dee sah-nah sah-ngaht chahn-teek. war-nah-nyah chahn-teek.)

At the Zoo (Translation)

Yesterday, I went to the zoo. There were many people there.

I saw monkeys in the trees.

There were three big elephants, and many snakes.

The birds there are very beautiful. Their colors are beautiful.

Looking Ahead

Bagus sekali! You now understand how to express quantity in Malay. This pairs perfectly with our next topic: expanding your knowledge of numbers. In Chapter 17, we will learn Nombor 11-100 (Numbers 11-100), allowing you to count higher and talk about prices, ages, and more.

Previous Chapter: Prepositions of Place Next Chapter: Numbers 11-100