sama ... dengan
Equality with Sama ... Dengan
The pattern sama ... dengan is the standard way to say 'as [adjective] as' or 'the same as' in Malay. It links two entities to show they share a property to the same degree.
How It Works
In Malay, expressing equality is straightforward using the word sama (same) paired with the preposition dengan (with/as).
1. Adjective Comparison
When you want to say someone is 'as tall as' or 'as smart as' someone else, you place the adjective between sama and dengan. For example: Dia sama tinggi dengan abangnya (He is as tall as his brother).
2. Identity and Equivalence
When comparing nouns directly to say they are identical, you use sama dengan without an intervening adjective. This is also the standard term for 'equals' in mathematics (e.g., 2 + 2 = 4).
3. Register and Usage
This pattern is neutral to formal. In very formal or literary contexts, you might see the prefix se- used instead (e.g., setinggi instead of sama tinggi dengan). In casual conversation, speakers often replace dengan with macam (like), though sama dengan remains perfectly acceptable.
Examples (5)
- Rumah baharu itu sama besar dengan rumah lama kami.
The new house is as big as our old house.
Word by Word: House new that same big with house old our.
Here, 'sama besar dengan' compares the size (besar) of two houses.
- Warna baju Ali sama dengan warna baju saya.
The color of Ali's shirt is the same as the color of my shirt.
Word by Word: Color shirt Ali same with color shirt my.
This shows identity between two nouns (colors) using 'sama dengan'.
- Dua tambah dua sama dengan empat.
Two plus two equals four.
Word by Word: Two add two same with four.
In math, 'sama dengan' is the standard way to say 'equals'.
- Dia sama tinggi dengan saya.
He is as tall as I am.
Word by Word: He same tall with me.
A classic comparison of a physical attribute (height) using an adjective.
- Harga beg ini sama dengan harga beg itu.
The price of this bag is the same as the price of that bag.
Word by Word: Price bag this same with price bag that.
Used to compare numerical values like prices.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the preposition 'dengan'.
Dia sama tinggi saya.Dia sama tinggi dengan saya.In English, we say 'as tall as', but in Malay, the 'dengan' (with/as) is mandatory to complete the comparison.
Using 'dari' instead of 'dengan' for equality.
Buku ini sama mahal dari buku itu.Buku ini sama mahal dengan buku itu.Learners often confuse 'dengan' (used for equality) with 'dari/daripada' (used for 'than' in comparative degrees).
Adding a redundant copula 'adalah'.
Keputusan itu adalah sama dengan tahun lepas.Keputusan itu sama dengan tahun lepas.While 'adalah' is sometimes used in very formal writing, it is usually redundant and sounds less natural than the direct comparison.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand 'sama ... dengan', learners need to be familiar with how adjectives function as predicates in Malay and how the preposition 'dengan' (with) is repurposed to mean 'as' in comparative contexts. It is also helpful to have exposure to other degree-based comparisons like 'lebih ... daripada'.
- denganWith with Dengan
The pattern 'sama ... dengan' uses the preposition 'dengan' to link the two entities being compared.
Level 1 - lebih ... daripadaComparative with Lebih
Understanding the basic structure of comparative constructions in Malay provides the necessary framework for learning equality comparisons.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- se-As ... as with Se-
The prefix 'se-' is a more concise way to express the same equality (e.g., 'setinggi' vs 'sama tinggi dengan').
Level 3 - sepertiSimilarity with Seperti
Used for qualitative similarity ('like') rather than measurable equality.
Level 2 - Adjectives can be predicates
Malay comparisons often function as predicates without needing a verb like 'is'.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice sama ... dengan in Bubblegum
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