Lesson 17 Bila..... (When.....)

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A second reading (by Michelle Nor Ismat, a native speaker)

Bilakah dia balik?
- Pagi ini.
Bilakah mereka tiba?
- Semalam.
Bilakah dia berhenti kerja?
- Minggu lalu.
Bilakah dia kahwin?
- Tahun lalu.

When did he return?
- This morning.
When did they arrive?
- Yesterday.
When did he stop working?
- Last week.
When did he get married?
- Last year.

Vocabulary
balik = to return
mereka = they
tiba = to arrive
berhenti = to stop
kerja = work
minggu = week
kahwin = to get married

When Bila is used to ask questions about future events the word akan, which indicates a future event (see Lesson 15), is always used with it. In such a case the above questions become:

Bilakah dia akan balik?
- Bulan depan.
Bilakah mereka akan tiba?
- Esok.
Bilakah dia akan berhenti kerja?
- Pada hujung bulan ini.
Bilakah dia akan kahwin?
- Tahun hadapan.

When will he return?
- Next month.
When will they arrive?
- Tomorrow.
When will he stop working?
- At the end of this month.
When will he get married?
- Next year.

Instead of saying Pada hujung bulan ini (= At the end of this month) you can also say Pada akhir bulan ini as both hujung and akhir mean "end".

The written form of the verb kahwin ("to marry") has the ber- prefix added to it (berkahwin). You might come across another word (bernikah) which means exactly the same thing.
The suffix kah is often added to Bila to indicate that a question is being asked. It is often omitted by native speakers as the rising intonation alone leaves no doubt that a question is being asked. Thus: Bila dia balik? instead of Bilakah dia balik?
There are two Malay words widely used for "yesterday", namely kelmarin and semalam. However as semalam could lead to confusion since it means "last night" in some places, it's better to stick to kelmarin for "yesterday".
"Last week, last month, last year" is usually translated as minggu lalu, bulan lalu, tahun lalu respectively though you will also hear minggu yang lalu, bulan yang lalu, tahun yang lalu as well as minggu lepas, bulan lepas, tahun lepas.

Question of priority:
When something has got to be done urgently (and in answer to the question Bila...) the usual answers are: Sekarang juga (Right now) or Dengan segera (Immediately). When it is not that urgent the answer can be Secepat mungkin (As soon as possible) or Bila-bila saja or Bila-bila masa sahaja, both of which mean "Anytime at all". You can also say Bila senang or Bila ada masa, both meaning "When you are free".

Cultural note (1):
Although dropping by a friend's house unannounced is common practice in a rural environment, most people in the city telephone in advance to fix a time that is convenient to both parties. Incidentally the Malaysian hospitality is such that if you are at a friend's house around lunch time or dinner time you are also invited to stay on for a meal. The following sentences might come in handy when socializing:
Saya hendak menjemput anda ke rumah saya. (I would like to invite you to my house.)
Datanglah ke rumah saya bila senang. (Come to my house when you are free.)
Another way of saying that is Datanglah ke rumah saya bila ada masa.
Note that senang has got two meanings depending on the context. It can mean "free, not busy" as in the above sentence. It can also mean "easy, simple" as you will learn in Lesson 47 and again in Lesson 58.
But when you are in Indonesia remember that senang over there usually means "happy" and that it can also be used as a verb to mean "like" eg. Aku senang nonton TV (= I like to watch TV.)
If you are very keen that a friend visit you, you can say to him:
Bilakah anda dapat datang ke rumah saya? (= When will you be able to come to my house?)

Cultural note (2):
The word balik, you have learnt, means "to return". While in Malaysia you might often hear the term balik kampung. It simply means to return to one's hometown (where one's roots are) especially during the Hari Raya holidays or when one takes a week's leave from work.

ENGLISH	INDONESIAN	MALAY
yesterday	kemarin	kelmarin
end	ujung	hujung
to marry	kawin	kahwin
next year	tahun depan	tahun hadapan
to invite	mengundang	menjemput
I would like to invite you to my house.	Aku hendak mengundang anda ke rumahku.	Saya hendak menjemput anda ke rumah saya.
happy	senang	gembira
to return home (to one's village)	pulang kampung	balik kampung