Learning a new language comes with its challenges and excitements, especially when it comes to expressing basic yet essential aspects of daily communication like time and date. Today, let’s look at some key expressions for time and date in Malay, which will be invaluable for anyone looking to navigate life in Malaysia or simply to add another language to their repertoire.

Hari
The term ‘hari’ in Malay refers to a day. It is used to speak about days of the week or any day in a general sense.

Bilik mesyuarat itu akan digunakan pada hari Rabu.

Tarikh
‘Tarikh’ means date, specifically referring to the numerical day in a month.

Tarikh lahir saya adalah 15 Mei.

Bulan
When speaking about months, you use ‘bulan’ in Malay.

Kita akan pergi bercuti pada bulan Disember.

Tahun
The word ‘tahun’ stands for year in the Malay language.

Tahun depan saya akan mula bekerja.

Detik
For the smallest measure of time, ‘detik’ translates as second.

Setiap detik penting dalam perlumbaan itu.

Minit
For a slightly larger measure, ‘minit’ is the Malay word for minute.

Saya akan sampai dalam lima minit lagi.

Jam
The term ‘jam’ in Malay refers to both the object clock and the measurement of time, hour.

Sekarang jam tiga petang.

Pagi
Talking about specific times of the day, ‘pagi’ means morning in Malay.

Saya berjoging setiap pagi sebelum sarapan.

Tengahari
Midday or noon is called ‘tengahari’ in Malay.

Makan tengahari biasanya pada pukul dua belas.

Petang
The time of the day that is afternoon or evening is referred to as ‘petang’.

Saya ada kelas bahasa Inggeris setiap petang Jumaat.

Malam
‘Night’ or ‘evening’ in English is called ‘malam’ in Malay.

Kami akan pergi menonton wayang malam ini.

Semalam
If you wish to say something occurred yesterday, you would use ‘semalam’.

Saya pergi ke pasar semalam.

Esok
Meanwhile, if you’re talking about tomorrow, you’d say ‘esok’.

Esok saya ada temu janji dengan doktor.

Minggu
For week, you use the word ‘minggu’.

Saya akan pergi ke Kuala Lumpur minggu depan.

Hujung minggu
Looking forward to the weekend? That’s ‘hujung minggu’ in Malay.

Kita akan ke pantai pada hujung minggu ini.

Hari ini
To refer to today, Malaysians use the phrase ‘hari ini’.

Hari ini saya sibuk dengan kerja pejabat.

These expressions form the foundation of discussing time and date in Malay. As you continue your journey learning Malay, you will encounter these words frequently, and by using them, you will be able to express when events occur, set meetings, and discuss your schedule. Remember, practicing and using these in context is the key to mastering them, so be sure to try them out in your daily conversations. Selamat belajar! (Happy learning!)