Every basic sentence (ayat dasar) in Malay is a noun phrase plus one of four kinds of predicate. That gives four patterns: FN + FN (“Encik Lim seorang jurutera”), FN + FK (“Adik sedang menangis”), FN + FA (“Baju itu sangat cantik”) and FN + FS (“Rumah saya di Melaka”).
What your child will learn
- Name the four basic patterns
- Identify the pattern of a sentence
- Build a sentence to a given pattern
Look at the predicate
The subject of a basic sentence is always a noun phrase, so the pattern depends only on the predicate. Find where the subject ends, then ask what kind of phrase comes next.
Malay needs no “is”. “Sup itu masin” (FN + FA) and “Itu kereta ayah” (FN + FN) are complete sentences as they stand.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Apakah pola ayat ini? “Sup itu masin.”
🍲- FN + FS
- FN + FA
- FN + FN
- FN + FK
Show answer
Answer: FN + FA. Predikat “masin” ialah frasa adjektif.
2. Apakah pola ayat ini? “Hadiah ini untuk ibu.”
- FN + FK
- FN + FN
- FN + FS
- FN + FA
Show answer
Answer: FN + FS. Predikat “untuk ibu” ialah frasa sendi nama.
3. Apakah pola ayat ini? “Itu kereta ayah.”
🚗- FN + FK
- FN + FN
- FN + FS
- FN + FA
Show answer
Answer: FN + FN. Predikat “kereta ayah” ialah frasa nama.
Tips for grown-ups
- Describe one person four ways, once in each pattern.
- Sort sentences from a storybook page into the four patterns.