Formal/Informal situations
I know that: saya, anda & kita are all used formally, however there are still more then 2 words that can mean the same thing, which I am not sure at what time or context to use them within (e.g. formality).

I also understand that aku, kamu and awak are informal.

E.G. : Kamu/awak

When should I use kamu and when should I use awak??

Are there any other formal or informal words I should be aware of that are used commonly.

Thanks =]

Question

Formal/Informal situations
I know that: saya, anda & kita are all used formally, however there are still more then 2 words that can mean the same thing, which I am not sure at what time or context to use them within (e.g. formality).

I also understand that aku, kamu and awak are informal.

E.G. : Kamu/awak

When should I use kamu and when should I use awak??

Are there any other formal or informal words I should be aware of that are used commonly.

Thanks =]

Answer

usually formalities are used with elder people and people who are in a higher rank than us such as ( a boss or a teacher ) ... so avoid using ( aku ) with them .... use ( saya ) .... and avoid using ( awak,kamu,kau, and engkau ) with them ... use ( Encik or Tuan for males as they are the equivalents of ( Mr ) ....... Cik ( Miss ) .... Puan ( Mrs ) ..... and there r many other words X _ X ... but lets not make it so hard to you right now .... i shall tell u about them later lol

Answer

Awak , Kamu and Kau , are interchangable ... u can use them with your friends ... in case of formality use ( Anda ) .... Saya and Aku means ( I , me ) .... Saya is formal ... ( aku ) is used between friends .... Kita is used as We ... but it includes u and the one ( or more ) you are speaking to ..... for example ... Kita ( u and me ) bukan orang melayu = we are not malays ( Hilmy is not included ) .... and there's another word for ( we ) ... its ( Kami ) but it doesnt include the one you are speaking to ... for example .... Kami ( Me and Hilmy ) boleh cakap bahasa melayu = we can speak malay .... notice that YOU are not included in ( Kami ) ... hope its clear

Answer

Woah, you're extremely helpful thank you!

Answer

Another 2 links:

http://malay.pgoh13.com/lesson1_malaypronoun.php

http://www-01.sil.org/asia/Philippines/ical/papers/othman-Current%20Trends%20in%20Pronoun%20Usage.pdf

Answer

http://www.bahasa-malaysia-simple-fun.com/you.html

http://mylanguages.org/malay_pronouns.php

http://macvaysia.com/2006/11/30/nizars-list-of-malay-pronouns/

Hope these help :-)

Answers · 5

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