manakala

When or Whenever with Manakala

Level 6

Manakala is a formal conjunction primarily used to mean 'whereas' or 'while' when contrasting two different subjects or actions. In older or literary texts, it can also mean 'when' or 'whenever'.

How It Works

1. Contrastive Usage (Neutral Contrast)
The most frequent use of manakala is to provide a neutral contrast between two facts, equivalent to the English 'whereas'. Unlike tetapi (but), which implies a contradiction or an obstacle, manakala simply places two independent pieces of information side-by-side without suggesting they are in conflict.
Example: Ali suka membaca, manakala adiknya suka bermain bola. (Ali likes reading, whereas his brother likes playing football.)

2. Temporal Usage (Subordinating)
In formal or literary contexts, manakala functions as a subordinating conjunction meaning 'when' or 'at the time that'. In this role, it introduces a dependent clause that provides time-based context to the main action.
Example: Manakala matahari terbenam, burung-burung kembali ke sarang. (When the sun sets, the birds return to their nests.)

3. Syntactic Rules

Dual Classification: According to Tatabahasa Dewan, it is a coordinating conjunction (kata hubung gabungan) when used for contrast, and a subordinating conjunction (kata hubung pancangan keterangan masa) when used for temporal meanings.
It usually requires a comma before it when connecting two independent clauses in a contrastive sense.
It should not be used to start a sentence as a replacement for 'However' (use namun instead).

Examples (4)

Bapa sedang membaca surat khabar, manakala ibu sedang memasak di dapur.
Father is reading the newspaper, whereas mother is cooking in the kitchen.
Word by Word: Father [progressive] read letter news, whereas mother [progressive] cook at kitchen.
This is the standard contrastive use, showing two different people performing different actions at the same time.
Yuran pendaftaran adalah sebanyak RM50, manakala yuran bulanan adalah RM100.
The registration fee is RM50, while the monthly fee is RM100.
Word by Word: Fee registration is as much RM50, whereas fee monthly is RM100.
Used here in a formal context to compare two different sets of data or facts.
Manakala bulan purnama terbit, sang kancil pun keluar dari persembunyiannya.
Whenever the full moon rose, the mousedeer emerged from its hiding place.
Word by Word: Whenever moon full rise, [honorific] mousedeer [emphasis] go out from hiding-place-its.
An example of the literary/archaic use where 'manakala' functions as 'whenever' or 'at the time'.
Kumpulan A akan bertolak pagi ini, manakala Kumpulan B akan bertolak petang nanti.
Group A will depart this morning, whereas Group B will depart later this evening.
Word by Word: Group A will depart morning this, whereas Group B will depart evening later.
Demonstrates the use of 'manakala' to contrast schedules in a formal report style.

Common Mistakes

Using 'manakala' for a single subject performing two actions.
Saya makan manakala menonton televisyen.
Saya makan sambil menonton televisyen.
If the same person is doing two things at once, use 'sambil'. 'Manakala' is for contrasting two different subjects or situations.
Starting a new sentence with 'Manakala' to mean 'However'.
Dia sangat rajin. Manakala, adiknya malas.
Dia sangat rajin, manakala adiknya malas.
'Manakala' is a conjunction that normally links two clauses in one sentence. Careful writers avoid starting a sentence with it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

manakalaLevel 6When or Whenever with Manakala

Learn This First

Manakala is a formal and literary conjunction used to connect two clauses. It functions either as a time connector (meaning 'when' or 'whenever') or as a contrastive connector (meaning 'while' or 'whereas'). Learners should already be familiar with basic time connectors like 'ketika' and contrastive connectors like 'sedangkan' or 'sementara' before moving to this higher-level literary form.

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