A negative statement tells you what is not true, not allowed or not yet done. The skill is to find the negative word, see exactly what it applies to, and answer about that, not about the keyword it sits next to.
This is the second lesson in reading and listening for meaning. It builds on locating a requirement in a notice, because notices often state a rule and then its exception.
Which Malay words make a sentence negative?
| Word | Meaning | Usually applies to | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| tidak / tak | not | verbs, adjectives | Dia tidak hadir. |
| bukan | is not | nouns, phrases | Itu bukan beg saya. |
| belum | not yet | actions still expected | Yuran belum dibayar. |
| jangan | do not | commands | Jangan berlari di koridor. |
| tiada | there is none | things that are absent | Tiada tempat kosong. |
| tanpa | without | what is left out | Masuk tanpa kasut. |
Each word removes something different from the picture. The reader’s job is to hold on to what was removed.
Worked example
Invented text for practice:
Notis Bilik Komputer (contoh rekaan) Perpustakaan tidak dibuka pada hari Ahad, tetapi bilik komputer dibuka sehingga pukul 5.00 petang. Murid tidak dibenarkan membawa minuman ke dalam bilik itu. Yuran keahlian belum dibayar oleh Hafiz.
Question: Apakah yang dibuka pada hari Ahad?
Step 1: find the keyword in the question, dibuka.
Step 2: find dibuka in the text. It appears twice: tidak dibuka (the library) and dibuka (the computer room).
Step 3: read the word before it. The library is negated, the computer room is not.
Answer: bilik komputer.
Question: Apakah yang tidak dibenarkan?
The text says tidak dibenarkan membawa minuman. Answer: membawa minuman ke dalam bilik komputer.
Question: Adakah Hafiz sudah membayar yuran?
Belum dibayar means not yet paid. Answer: Belum, yuran itu masih perlu dibayar.
What goes wrong?
The usual slip is to lock onto the keyword and ignore the small word before it. For the first question, a student sees Perpustakaan … dibuka pada hari Ahad and answers “perpustakaan”.
Mistaken answer: perpustakaan
The keyword dibuka is correct, but the sentence says tidak dibuka. The library is the thing that is closed.
The correction is to circle the negative word whenever you circle the keyword. Then ask: “What does this negative remove, and what is left?” Here the library is removed and the computer room is left.
A second slip is treating belum as tidak. Belum leaves the action open, so a deadline may still be coming.
Check yourself
Invented text: Pasar malam tidak diadakan pada malam Selasa, tetapi diadakan pada malam Rabu. Penjual tidak boleh memasang khemah sebelum pukul 4.00 petang. Belum ada penjual makanan laut yang mendaftar.
1. Pada malam apakah pasar malam diadakan?
Show answer
Tidak diadakan applies to Tuesday. The market is held on malam Rabu.
2. Bilakah penjual boleh mula memasang khemah?
Show answer
They tidak boleh put up tents before 4.00 pm, so they can start from pukul 4.00 petang.
3. Adakah penjual makanan laut sudah mendaftar?
Show answer
Belum ada … yang mendaftar means none have registered yet. Answer: belum, but they still may.
Where this leads next
Next, practise following an original conversation with a corrected detail, where a speaker states something and then withdraws it. The reading and listening practice set mixes all of these skills.
If one small word keeps flipping your answers, our teachers can mark where it happens in online one-to-one Malay tuition.