agak + Adjective

Moderate Degree with Agak

Level 1

The word agak is a degree adverb used to indicate a moderate intensity. It is placed directly before an adjective to soften a statement or describe something that is 'somewhat' or 'rather' a certain way.

How It Works

The pattern agak + adjective is one of the most common ways to qualify a description in Malay.

1. Softening Criticism:
Malay culture often values politeness and indirectness. Using agak helps soften a negative observation. For example, saying something is agak mahal (somewhat expensive) sounds less blunt than simply saying it is mahal (expensive).

2. Moderate Intensity:
It sits in the middle of the intensity scale. It is stronger than sedikit (a little) but weaker than sangat (very) or terlalu (too).

3. Grammatical Rules:

  • Position: Always precedes the adjective.
  • Morphology: The word agak never changes its form.
  • Register: It is appropriate for all levels of speech, from textbooks to daily chats.

Examples (4)

  1. Rumah itu agak besar untuk kami berdua.

    That house is somewhat big for the two of us.

    Word by Word: House that somewhat big for we two.

    Here, 'agak' modifies the adjective 'besar' (big) to show it is moderately large.

  2. Peperiksaan tadi agak sukar.

    The exam just now was rather difficult.

    Word by Word: Examination just-now rather difficult.

    Using 'agak' before 'sukar' (difficult) makes the statement less absolute.

  3. Warna baju ini agak terang.

    The color of this shirt is quite bright.

    Word by Word: Color shirt this quite bright.

    'Agak' is used here with a neutral/positive adjective to describe the intensity of the color.

  4. Makanan di restoran itu agak pedas.

    The food at that restaurant is somewhat spicy.

    Word by Word: Food at restaurant that somewhat spicy.

    This is a common way to give a moderate review of food.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 'agak' after the adjective.

    Bilik ini luas agak.
    Bilik ini agak luas.

    Unlike 'sangat' (very), which can sometimes follow an adjective in casual speech, 'agak' must always come before the adjective.

  • Confusing 'agak' with 'agak-agak'.

    Baju ini agak-agak mahal.
    Baju ini agak mahal.

    'Agak' is the degree modifier. 'Agak-agak' is a verb meaning 'to guess' or 'to estimate' and is not used to modify adjectives in standard Malay.

How It Connects

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agak + AdjectiveLevel 1Moderate Degree with Agak

Learn This First

To use 'agak' (somewhat/rather), a learner first needs to understand the basic placement and function of adjectives in Malay, specifically that they follow nouns and can act as predicates without a copula.

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Words in This Pattern

agak