A pronoun is a short word that stands in for a person, thing or group already named. The skill is to replace the pronoun with its full noun and check that the sentence still makes sense.
This lesson sits in reading and listening for meaning. It follows the corrected-detail lesson, where dia and itu often come after a change.
Which Malay pronouns cause trouble?
| Word | Meaning | Check |
|---|---|---|
| dia | he, she | Who did the last action? |
| mereka | they | Which group of two or more? |
| beliau | he, she (respectful) | Usually an older or senior person |
| -nya | his, her, its, the | Attached to a noun or verb: whose, or which thing? |
| itu / ini | that / this | Which noun was just described? |
| kami / kita | we (without / with listener) | Is the listener part of the group? |
The word -nya is the easiest to miss. It sits at the end of another word, as in adiknya (her younger brother) or membawanya (carried it).
Worked example
Invented text for practice:
Mira dan adiknya, Danial, pergi ke pasar. Dia membeli sayur, manakala adiknya membeli ikan. Beg sayur itu berat, jadi Danial membawanya. Mereka pulang dengan bas.
Question 1: Siapakah yang membeli sayur?
Step 1: find the pronoun, dia. Step 2: the next clause says adiknya membeli ikan. The word manakala sets up a contrast, so dia must be the other person. Step 3: adiknya is Danial, so dia is Mira.
Answer: Mira.
Question 2: Apakah yang dibawa oleh Danial? Membawanya has -nya, and the noun just before it is beg sayur itu. Answer: beg sayur.
Question 3: Siapakah mereka? Two people were named at the start. Answer: Mira dan Danial.
What goes wrong?
The usual mistake is to link the pronoun to the nearest noun. In Question 1, the nearest noun before dia is Danial, so a student writes “Danial”.
Mistaken answer: Danial
The contrast word manakala and the phrase adiknya membeli ikan show that Danial is the other person.
The correction is to ask three things before choosing: who is doing the action, is the pronoun singular or plural, and does a contrast word split the people? Substitute your answer back into the sentence and read it aloud. If the sentence now contradicts the next one, try the other referent.
Check yourself
Invented text: *Cikgu Lim bertemu Wani di perpustakaan. Beliau memberi Wani sebuah buku.
Wani membacanya pada malam itu. Ali berkata kepada Budi, “Kami akan ke pantai. Kita jumpa di sana.”*
1. Siapakah beliau?
Show answer
Beliau is the respectful form and refers to the senior person, Cikgu Lim.
2. Apakah yang dibaca oleh Wani?
Show answer
Membacanya uses -nya for the thing just given: sebuah buku.
3. Adakah Budi dalam kumpulan yang akan ke pantai?
Show answer
Kami excludes Budi, who is being spoken to. Tidak, but kita jumpa shows they will meet there.
Where this leads next
The last lesson in this module is explaining a choice after reviewing a transcript. To check pronouns in longer passages, use the reading and listening practice set.
Referents are easier to spot with someone listening to your reasoning, and our teachers do exactly that in online one-to-one Malay tuition.