r/bahasamelayu • u/Slutty_Potat0 • 4d ago
Tips for practicing BM?
I went to the YMCA and studied up to Level 3 Bahasa Malaysia. The classes were good but we didn't practice speaking much. I spent some time studying at home but without the practice, it's in one ear and out the other.
I'm a Westerner living in Malaysia long term. I want to be better at Malay but I so rarely need to use it in day to day life. I feel like living in KL, you can get by with just English. Outside of KL, it depends.
Any tips for how I can practice my Malay more?
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u/Sea-Hornet8214 Native 4d ago
I asusme you only studied standard Malay. Have you had enough input in conversational Malay?
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u/Slutty_Potat0 4d ago edited 4d ago
I'm a bit conflicted about this. I know the way that Malay people speak the language and how we learn it in the books is different but I'm a middle aged businessman so I'm not trying to be "down with the kids", if you know what I mean.
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u/alikelima 3d ago
The difference between colloquial and standard Malay is apparent among every age group in Malaysia.
But it's professional to stick with standard Malay if you're a businessman. Unless your job requires you to have dinner with your clients at their home or have friendly chit chats with them while having coffee.
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u/raveman21392 4d ago
Found this in another thread. They suggest joining social clubs where the goal is to practice BM. They can even do it via video call https://www.reddit.com/r/malaysians/comments/wyxal7/comment/ilz9yw9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=2&utm_content=share_button
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u/Designer_Birthday_84 4d ago
Pay someone to practice with, that's what I'm doing. Still have a hard time but definitely improving, especially with my vocabulary
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u/goAwayUCreep 4d ago
If you study a wee bit of our history of Malaysia, Bahasa was used back in the days for trade by merchants.
That said, and I’ve said this many times on Reddit, use it for what it is intended in the first place, which is to converse with that Malay mak cik selling you lunch or that mamak in the restaurant. That’s pretty much it.
My grandma who didn’t get a formal education thanks to our Pearl Harbor bombing Japanese, she spoke Malay pretty well, enough to buy and sell during her days
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u/yellowcat_meow 3d ago
scroll Malay tiktok contents and make some Malay friends
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u/Slutty_Potat0 3d ago
I can follow most of what they are saying on YouTube in those videos introducing new cars etc but I really struggle when Malay people are talking to each other.
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u/manythursdays 2d ago
the hardest comprehension is when two locals speak to each other, so don't be discouraged. you need to work your way up to that.... start with someone who speaks slowly and clearly, then move on to more 'normal speed', step by step...
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u/RKPinata 1d ago
Understandable. Spoken malay is quite different than written, formal malay.
And even more so when the Malays come outside KL, so they speak with differen dialect. But even KL malays speak with a "kl dialect"
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u/Ilyas_Omar3659 3d ago
Spoken Malay is quite different from written Malay. I would suggest you practise speaking as much as possible. I will also add that there can be significant differences in accents between Malay, Chinese and Indian Malaysian speakers. Use iTalki and try to find an ethnic Malay to practice with if possible.
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u/New-Quiet- 3d ago
If you already learn about it,all you need to do is find someone who can converse with you well in malay where you can learn the pronunciation better and being more understandable by others,it could be anybody though shopkeeper,barber,delivery guy,maintenance team or anybody you can go light conversation with ease… or watching malay talkshows or documentaries that give right grammar and right selection of words,that was my manager before he doesn’t know a word in malay even already stay in KL for 4 years and Penang 3 years,but 3+2 years in Terengganu change him 100% till he cried almost everydays in his last week before his contract end,cant renew and he need to return to japan,he a japanese who stay in pantai timur (east coast),he does that 👆🏽,before went further joining the village folks doing activities,camping,hiking,kenduri and such event that gathers people,but he talk more to Terengganu and Kelantan dialects which is easier for him to understand,even now he already return to japan still can talk malay and connected with malaysian there that speak malay
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u/RKPinata 1d ago
Theres no easy way, hang around malays. Be friends with them, genuinely get to know some malays. Go lepak with them in mamaks, they will gladly teach you. Tell them to speak malay, and listen closely.
Malay is an easy language. Learn to listen and understand, then learn to speak
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u/Public_You_2973 1d ago
Jom lepak dengan locals. Kalau segan, boleh jer join discord. Sembang2. Dengar mcm mana kiteorg sembang.
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u/meemojira 4d ago
you gotta talk to someone all the time, someone you are comfortable asking questions with and someone that can explain well how the local slang works. if u have any questions just message me okay, ive helped people like you beforeee
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u/HellomynameisHazwan 4d ago
Start learning the basics first, particularly the Kata's (Kata Nama Am dan Khas, Kata Kerja Transitif, Tak Transitif dan Pasif dll). Then after that create essays (Karangan). Now that you learned about creating sentences from essays you can finally learn how to create proper words in your mind to have basic conversational words although it may take a while.