tempat yang ...

Relative Clauses After Place Nouns

Level 3

In Malay, relative clauses for places are formed using tempat yang (the place that/which) or simply tempat. Unlike English, which uses 'where', Malay uses yang to link descriptive adjectives or to identify a place as the object of an action.

How It Works

In formal Malay, the relative marker yang is used to connect a noun to a descriptive clause. When the noun is a location (like tempat, rumah, or sekolah), learners often mistakenly use di mana (where) because of English influence. However, standard Malay prefers yang or a direct connection.

1. Descriptive Clauses
When describing a place with an adjective, you must use yang.
Example: tempat yang luas (a place that is spacious).

2. Object Relativization
If the place is the object of the action (the thing being visited or seen), the verb form depends on the actor:
• For 1st and 2nd person (saya, kamu, anda), use the object voice by removing the meN- prefix.
Example: tempat yang saya lawati (the place that I visited).
• For 3rd person (dia, mereka, Ali), you must use the di- passive form.
Example: tempat yang dilawati oleh mereka (the place that was visited by them).

3. Avoiding 'Di Mana'
While 'di mana' is common in casual speech, the non-locative use of di mana as a relative pronoun is considered non-standard. For 'the house where I stay', use rumah tempat saya tinggal instead of rumah di mana saya tinggal.

Examples (4)

  1. Ini ialah tempat yang cantik.

    This is a place that is beautiful.

    Word by Word: This is place that beautiful.

    Here, 'yang' links the noun 'tempat' to the adjective 'cantik' to provide a description.

  2. Itulah tempat yang kami cari.

    That is the place that we were looking for.

    Word by Word: That-is place that we search.

    The place is the object of the search. Note that 'cari' is used without a prefix because it is in the object voice.

  3. Dia mahu tinggal di tempat yang selamat.

    He wants to live in a place that is safe.

    Word by Word: He want live at place that safe.

    The phrase 'tempat yang selamat' acts as a single unit describing the type of location.

  4. Saya melawat tempat yang awak cadangkan.

    I visited the place that you suggested.

    Word by Word: I visit place that you suggest.

    The place is the object of the suggestion. 'Cadangkan' is the root verb + suffix, used here in the object voice.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'di mana' as a relative pronoun like the English 'where'.

    Rumah di mana saya tinggal sangat besar.
    Rumah tempat saya tinggal sangat besar.

    In standard Malay, 'di mana' is an interrogative (question) word. Using it to link clauses is a literal translation from English and is discouraged in formal writing.

  • Using the wrong verb form for third-person actors in relative clauses.

    Inilah tempat yang dia kunjungi.
    Inilah tempat yang dikunjunginya.

    While first and second-person actors (saya, kamu) use the zero-prefix object voice, third-person actors (dia, mereka) must use the di- passive form in these relative clauses.

How It Connects

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tempat yang ...Level 3Relative Clauses After Place Nouns

Learn This First

To understand relative clauses modifying place nouns, you first need to be comfortable with the basic 'yang' relative clause structure. You should also understand how Malay handles relative clauses where the noun's role is implied by context rather than explicitly marked by a pronoun, and have a basic grasp of locative concepts.

Words in This Pattern

tempat