Today we will study how to use 'Pun' in Malay.
Assalamualaikum dan hai semua!
Hi everyone!
I hope everyone has a great start in 2024.
But never forget to practice speaking Malay, ok?
Alright, today we will study the Malay word:
Pun
Pun
Not pun like the word spoon in English but pon.
Although it is spelled with 'u' however, the pronunciation of the letter 'u' in pon is similar to the sound of 'o', small o..not aw -o but o.
One more time, pun, pun.
In English, it means... also, too and as well
Pun also has a synonym, which is juga and in spoken Malay, juga is commonly pronounced as jugak
with an added k at the end.
This is the first meaning of pun.
Let's see how we can use this type of pun in spoken Malay.
The first example; here we have two ladies. They could be friends or colleagues.
The first lady says -
Saya nak makan nasi lemak.
Saya nak makan nasi lemak.
Saya = I
nak = to want
makan = to eat
nasi lemak = is a common dish in Malaysia for any time of the day, basically rice cooked in coconut milk and served with many condiments.
In this picture, we have the spicy sauce - sambal, and then boilled egg and slices of cucumber.
The first lady said - Saya nak makan nasi lemak.
which means I want to eat nasi lemak
and her friend replies with
saya pun
saya pun
Saya pun means me too.
Basically, saying the idea that she wants to eat the same dish.
This is the shorter reply.
Actually you could say the whole complete sentence, like so:
Saya pun nak makan nasi lemak.
Saya pun nak makan nasi lemak.
which basically means
I want to eat nasi lemak too.
I want to eat nasi lemak as well.
I also want to eat nasi lemak.
I hope you can get the idea.
Let's see another example with a different verb.
Now we have pergi, pergi
which means to go
So, the first lady says,
Saya nak pergi (ke) pejabat.
in spoken Malay, we commonly drop the particle ke, which means to , to become
Saya nak pergi pejabat.
I want to go to the office.
and her collegue replys with
Saya pun
Saya pun
which means me too.
She also wants to go the office.
and just like the previous example you could reply with a longer sentence
Saya pun (nak pergi (ke) pejabat.)
Saya pun (nak pergi (ke) pejabat.)
or dropping the particle ke
Saya pun (nak pergi pejabat.)
Saya pun (nak pergi pejabat.)
The second meaning of Pun
is even, any
Let's see an example.
The man is proposing to the lady.
He says
Laut pun saya sanggup redah untuk awak.
Laut pun saya sanggup redah untuk awak.
a little bit faster
Laut pun saya sanggup redah untuk awak.
Laut pun saya sanggup redah untuk awak.
Laut means the sea / the ocean
Laut pun means even the sea / even the ocean
Saya means I
sanggup means willing to do something
Saya sanggup means = I am willing to
Redah
Redah
Redah means to pass through
untuk = for
untuk awak = for you
Even the sea I am willing to pass through for you.
However, the lady rejects his proposal
So, she says
Errr..saya tak nak terima
Errr..saya tak nak terima
Saya = I
tak nak =
tak is actually tidak which means No
Nak is actually hendak / mahu which means to want
terima = means to accept
Errr..saya tak nak terima
meaning Err..I don't want to accept.
Oohh, pity the man.
Let's look at another example.
Here we have a very beautiful traditional house. Probably an inherited house from the family.
The first lady says a statement,
Sesiapa pun boleh tinggal dekat rumah ni.
Sesiapa pun boleh tinggal dekat rumah ni.
Sesiapa pun = anyone
Sesiapa pun = even anyone
boleh tinggal = can live
dekat rumah ni = at this house
Anyone can live at this house
So the second lady, probably within the family
was shocked and says
orang luar pun?
orang luar pun?
Orang= People
luar =outside
pun=Even
Orang luar = outsiders ( not within the family)
Orang luar pun?
Even outsiders?
and the last example, here we have a male asking his friend.
Awak dah sihat?
Awak dah sihat?
Awak = You
dah / sudah = already
sihat = well/healthy
So, Awak dah sihat? it means
Are you already well?
and the lady replied,
Belum.
Nak berdiri pun saya tak boleh.
Belum.
Nak berdiri pun saya tak boleh.
Belum = Not yet
Nak / hendak / mahu=to want
berdiri = to stand up
berdiri pun= even to stand up
saya tak boleh = I cannot
Not yet, even if want to stand up, I cannot.
Belum = Not yet
Nak berdiri pun = even if want to stand up
saya tak boleh = I cannot
Alright, so that's it for today. I hope you could understand the lesson well. If you have any question, please write it down in the comment. I will try my best to answer.
And don't forget that, I also do Malay speaking classes, so if you want to practise with me head over to linktr.ee/ilearnmalay.
Well then, thank you, terima kasih.
See you soon. Sampai jumpa lagi!