Common mistakes in Malay 1

As we learn by imitation, we tend to make mistakes when the one we imitate do so. This is true in languages, and Malay is no exception.

Let us look at a few common errors in Malay.

1 Leaving prefix meN (me, mem, men, meng, meny, menge)in transitive verbs in statements.
Examples:
a) Saya terima sepucuk surat daripada sahabat penaku. [wrong]
Saya menerima sepucuk surat daripada sahabat penaku. [correct]
[I received a letter from my pen-pal.]

b) Dia gunakan tangan kiri semasa menulis sesuatu.[wrong]
Dia menggunakan tangan kiri semasa menulis sesuatu. [correct]
[He uses his left tangan when he writes.]

2 Leaving kata sendi nama (prepositions) when they must be present.
Examples:
a) Kanak-kanak suka gula-gula. [wrong]
Kanak-kanak suka akan gula-gula. [correct]
[Children like sweets.]

b) Aminah sangat sayang anak tunggalnya. [wrong]
Aminah sangat sayang akan anak tunggalnya.[correct]
Aminah sangat sayang kepada anak tunggalnya. [correct]
[Aminah loves her only child very much.]

c) Saya tidak tahu namanya. [wrong]
Saya tidak tahu akan namanya. [correct]
[I do not know his name.]

d) Dia lupa alamat baru kawannya. [wrong]
Dia lupa akan alamat baru kawannya. [correct]
[He forgot the new address of his friend.]

3 Using kata sendi nama 'di' for time when 'pada' should be used.
Examples:
a) Rumah Minah didatangi kawan-kawannya di Hari Raya Aidilfitri. [wrong]
Rumah Minah didatangi kawan-kawannya pada Hari Raya Aidiltri. [correct]
[Minah's house was visited by her friends on Hari Raya Aidiltri (the Muslim's New Year after fasting for a month.]

b) Johari banyak menerima hadiah di hari jadinya. [wrong]
Johari banyak menerima hadiah pada hari jadinya. [correct]
[Johari received a lot of presents on his birthday.]

4 Using 'dalam' in front of concrete objects with space in them.
Examples:
a) Dompet saya tertinggal dalam teksi itu. [wrong]
Dompet saya tertinggal di dalam teksi itu. [correct]
[My wallet was left in the taxi.]

b) Banyak dokumen yang penting disimpannya dalam laci itu. [wrong]
Banyak dokumen yang penting disimpannya di dalam laci itu. [correct]
[He kept many important documents in the drawer.]

c) Adik saya masih belajar dalam perpustakaan itu. [wrong]
Adik saya masih belajar di dalam perpustakaan itu. [correct]
[My brother is still doing his studies in the library.]

So much for today's post. I shall discuss more common mistakes in Malay in my future posts.