appearance is the same; “I like this best” would be, baik ini; “I have no more,” t’ada lagi.
153. The pronoun of the first person may be omitted altogether when it is evident to the person addressed that one is referring to oneself, and when no emphasis is to be laid upon the pronouns.
Note the absence of the pronoun in the following replies to direct interrogations:
Sudah pukol brapa? Blum tahu, tuan.
What time is it? I don't know, sir.
Apa nama orang itu? Kurang preksa.
What is that man's name? I have not inquired.
Sudah potong tali-ya? Ta’ boleh, pisau t’ada.
Have you cut the rope? I can't, I have no knife.
But see paragraph 61 on the use of sahya when replying in the affirmative or receiving a command.
154. Similarly in direct narration the pronoun of the 1st person is omitted wherever possible, or used in the possessive case, or the impersonal orang is made the subject of the sentence, as in the following examples.
I have been asked to sell my house, orary mau bli rumah sahya.
I think I had better not sell it, pada bichara sahya, jangan di-jual.
I heard that he was dead, orang kata dia sudah mati.
155. The impersonal phrases: agak-nya, at a guess, rupa-nya, rasa-nya, it seems, khabar-nya, it is said, are often used in Malay where the pronoun of the first person would be used in English, as,
I don't think this fruit is good, buah ini ta’baik rasa-nya.
I think it is going to rain, mau hujan rupa-nya.
156.The pronoun of the second person is similarly omitted in conversation between Malays of equal rank, though in addressing a superior the words tuan and tuanku used as pronouns are often repeated frequently. The following are characteristic Malay phrases:
hndak k-mana? where are you going?
mana suka, whichever you like.
apa khabar? how do you do?
