Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Parts of Speech for "dalam"

In Malay, some words can be grouped under two or three categories. One such word is "dalam". As an adjective it means 'deep' and as a preposition it means "in"

An example of 'dalam' being used as an adjective is:
Saya tidak berani berenang di sungai itu kerana airnya sangat dalam itu.
[I dare not swim in the river because its water is very deep.]

The following is an example in which 'dalam' is used as a preposition:
Kami terpaksa hidup dalam kemiskinan.
[We are forced to live in poverty.]

When 'dalam' is preceded by another preposition such as 'di' or 'ke', it becomes kata arah or word indicating direction. Two examples of its usage in sentences are as follows:
a) Dia menuang air ke dalam botol itu.
[He poured water into the botol.]
b) Adik masih tidur di dalam biliknya.
[My brother is still sleeping in his room.]

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