A1 Word Order 1 min read 简单

Placement of Demonstratives

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Malay, demonstratives like 'ini' (this) and 'itu' (that) always come AFTER the noun they describe.

  • Place 'ini' after the noun: 'Buku ini' (This book).
  • Place 'itu' after the noun: 'Kereta itu' (That car).
  • Never put the demonstrative before the noun: 'Ini buku' is incorrect.
Noun + ini/itu = Pointing at something

Demonstrative Placement

Noun Demonstrative Meaning
Buku
ini
This book
Buku
itu
That book
Kereta
ini
This car
Kereta
itu
That car
Orang
ini
This person
Orang
itu
That person

Meanings

Demonstratives are used to identify specific objects or people in relation to the speaker's distance.

1

Proximity (Near)

Used for items close to the speaker.

“Meja ini.”

“Kucing ini.”

2

Distance (Far)

Used for items further away.

“Bintang itu.”

“Gunung itu.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Placement of Demonstratives
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Noun + ini
Buku ini
Affirmative
Noun + itu
Buku itu
Negative
Bukan + Noun + ini
Bukan buku ini
Question
Noun + ini + kah?
Buku inikah?
Plural
Noun-Noun + ini
Buku-buku ini
Adjective
Noun + Adj + ini
Buku merah ini

正式程度

正式
Buku ini adalah milik saya.

Buku ini adalah milik saya. (Ownership)

中性
Buku ini saya punya.

Buku ini saya punya. (Ownership)

非正式
Buku ni saya punya.

Buku ni saya punya. (Ownership)

俚语
Buku ni aku punya.

Buku ni aku punya. (Ownership)

Demonstrative Map

Noun

Near

  • ini this

Far

  • itu that
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按水平分级的例句

1

Buku ini.

This book.

2

Kereta itu.

That car.

3

Kucing ini.

This cat.

4

Rumah itu.

That house.

1

Pensel ini mahal.

This pencil is expensive.

2

Beg itu berat.

That bag is heavy.

3

Orang ini baik.

This person is kind.

4

Baju itu cantik.

That shirt is beautiful.

1

Kereta-kereta itu sangat laju.

Those cars are very fast.

2

Idea ini sangat menarik.

This idea is very interesting.

3

Keputusan itu muktamad.

That decision is final.

4

Masalah ini rumit.

This problem is complicated.

1

Buku merah itu milik saya.

That red book is mine.

2

Rumah besar ini dibina tahun lepas.

This big house was built last year.

3

Kucing hitam itu sedang tidur.

That black cat is sleeping.

4

Kerja rumah ini perlu disiapkan.

This homework needs to be finished.

1

Cadangan yang dikemukakan oleh beliau ini sangat bernas.

This proposal submitted by him is very insightful.

2

Peristiwa yang berlaku pada tahun itu masih diingati.

That event which happened in that year is still remembered.

3

Langkah-langkah yang diambil oleh pihak pengurusan itu tepat.

Those steps taken by the management were accurate.

4

Penyelidikan yang dijalankan oleh kumpulan ini sangat mendalam.

This research conducted by this group is very deep.

1

Fenomena sosial yang kita saksikan pada era ini amat membimbangkan.

This social phenomenon we are witnessing in this era is very worrying.

2

Keputusan yang diambil pada masa itu mencerminkan visi pemimpin tersebut.

That decision taken at that time reflects the leader's vision.

3

Analisis yang terperinci mengenai isu ini telah diterbitkan.

This detailed analysis regarding this issue has been published.

4

Kesan jangka panjang daripada dasar itu akan dirasai oleh generasi akan datang.

The long-term effects of that policy will be felt by future generations.

容易混淆

Placement of Demonstratives 对比 Ini vs Sini

Learners mix up 'this' (ini) and 'here' (sini).

Placement of Demonstratives 对比 Itu vs Sana

Learners mix up 'that' (itu) and 'there' (sana).

Placement of Demonstratives 对比 Ini vs Itu

Learners mix up proximity.

常见错误

✗

Ini buku

✓

Buku ini

Demonstratives must follow the noun.
✗

Itu kereta

✓

Kereta itu

Word order is noun first.
✗

Ini adalah buku

✓

Ini buku

No need for 'adalah' here.
✗

Buku ini itu

✓

Buku ini

Don't use both.
✗

Ini-buku

✓

Buku ini

No hyphen needed.
✗

Buku-buku ini-ini

✓

Buku-buku ini

Demonstratives don't pluralize.
✗

Ini rumah besar

✓

Rumah besar ini

Demonstrative goes at the end of the phrase.
✗

Rumah ini besar itu

✓

Rumah besar ini

Incorrect word order.
✗

Ini rumah yang besar

✓

Rumah besar ini

Demonstrative should follow the noun.
✗

Rumah itu-itu

✓

Rumah itu

No reduplication of demonstrative.
✗

Ini adalah rumah yang saya beli

✓

Rumah yang saya beli ini

Demonstrative should be at the end of the noun phrase.
✗

Rumah ini yang saya beli

✓

Rumah yang saya beli ini

Demonstrative scope.
✗

Rumah-rumah itu-itu

✓

Rumah-rumah itu

Reduplication error.

句型

___ ini sangat bagus.

Saya suka ___ itu.

Adakah ___ ini milik anda?

___ itu lebih besar daripada ___ ini.

Real World Usage

Shopping constant

Saya mahu beli baju ini.

Texting very common

Tengok gambar ni.

Job Interview common

Projek ini sangat penting.

Travel common

Berapa harga tiket itu?

Food Delivery common

Saya mahu makanan itu.

Classroom constant

Buka buku itu.

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💡

Use your thumb

When pointing, use your thumb to be polite.
⚠️

Don't translate word-for-word

English word order will fail you here.
🎯

Keep it simple

Don't add extra words like 'adalah'.
💬

Casual speech

In casual speech, 'ini' becomes 'ni' and 'itu' becomes 'tu'.

Smart Tips

Flip the order: [noun] + [ini].

Ini buku. → Buku ini.

Put the demonstrative at the very end.

Buku ini merah. → Buku merah ini.

Use 'ni' and 'tu'.

Buku ini. → Buku ni.

Always check if the noun is first.

Ini kereta. → Kereta ini.

发音

ee-nee

ini

Pronounced 'ee-nee'.

ee-too

itu

Pronounced 'ee-too'.

Statement

Buku ini. ↘

Falling intonation for facts.

Question

Buku inikah? ↗

Rising intonation for questions.

记住它

记忆技巧

In Malay, the noun is the king; the demonstrative is the servant that follows behind.

视觉联想

Imagine a person holding a book. They say the book's name first, then point to it with their finger. The finger (ini/itu) always follows the object.

Rhyme

Noun comes first, don't be a fool, 'ini' and 'itu' follow the rule.

Story

Ali is in a shop. He picks up a pen. He says 'Pen'. Then he points to it and says 'ini'. He sees a car outside. He says 'Kereta'. Then he points and says 'itu'.

Word Web

iniitubendaorangtempatnoun

挑战

Point to 5 things in your room and say their names in Malay followed by 'ini'.

文化笔记

Pointing with the index finger is considered rude. Use the thumb instead.

These are native Malay demonstratives derived from Proto-Austronesian roots.

对话开场白

“

Apa ini?

“

Buku ini milik siapa?

“

Adakah kereta itu laju?

“

Mengapa anda memilih rumah ini?

日记主题

Describe 3 things on your desk using 'ini'.
Describe 3 things you see outside your window using 'itu'.
Compare a book you have and a book you see across the room.
Write about a project you are working on and one you finished.

常见错误

Incorrect

正确

Incorrect

正确

Incorrect

正确

Incorrect

正确

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with 'ini' or 'itu'.

Buku ___ (near).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ini
Near = ini.
Choose the correct sentence. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku ini
Noun + Demonstrative.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Itu kereta.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kereta itu
Noun first.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ini / buku / saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku saya ini
Noun phrase order.
Match the phrase to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: This book / That book
ini = this, itu = that.
Fill in the blank.

Kereta-kereta ___ (far).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: itu
Far = itu.
Choose the correct plural form. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku-buku ini
Demonstrative doesn't pluralize.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ini adalah rumah besar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Rumah besar ini
Demonstrative at the end.

Score: /8

练习题

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with 'ini' or 'itu'.

Buku ___ (near).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ini
Near = ini.
Choose the correct sentence. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku ini
Noun + Demonstrative.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Itu kereta.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kereta itu
Noun first.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ini / buku / saya

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku saya ini
Noun phrase order.
Match the phrase to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match 'Buku ini' and 'Buku itu'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: This book / That book
ini = this, itu = that.
Fill in the blank.

Kereta-kereta ___ (far).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: itu
Far = itu.
Choose the correct plural form. 多项选择

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buku-buku ini
Demonstrative doesn't pluralize.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ini adalah rumah besar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Rumah besar ini
Demonstrative at the end.

Score: /8

常见问题 (8)

No, that is grammatically incorrect.

No, it remains 'ini' even for plural nouns.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Because Malay requires the noun to precede the demonstrative.

Use the plural noun + 'ini'.

'Tu' is just the casual, spoken version of 'itu'.

Yes, 'Orang ini' means 'this person'.

The demonstrative goes after the adjective.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

English low

this/that + noun

Word order is reversed.

Spanish low

este/ese + noun

Malay demonstratives do not change for gender or number.

Japanese low

kono/sono + noun

Malay uses post-nominal.

French low

ce/cet/cette + noun

Malay is gender-neutral and post-nominal.

Arabic low

hatha/thalika + noun

Malay demonstratives follow the noun.

Chinese low

zhe/na + measure word + noun

Malay does not use measure words for demonstratives.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Pluralization

Builds On

You need to know how to pluralize nouns before adding demonstratives.

Adjectives

Similar

Adjectives follow the same post-nominal rule.

Possessives

Similar

Possessives also follow the noun.

Locatives

Contrast

Locatives like 'sini' are often confused with demonstratives.

Previous
Using 'Itu' (That)
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