This is the smartphone version. The earlier and fuller version, which discusses the Indonesian language as well, can be found here.
Lesson 60 Penjodoh bilangan (Classifiers)
Click to listen to the Malay sentences.
A second reading (by Michelle Nor Ismat, a native speaker)
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seorang anak dua orang bini sebuah rumah tiga buah kereta seekor anjing |
one child two wives one house three cars one dog |
empat ekor kucing enam biji telur tiga biji durian sepuluh batang rokok dua pucuk surat |
four cats six eggs three durians ten cigarettes two letters |
Enam ekor kucing (= 6 cats)
The use of numerical coefficients can be summarized as follows:
orang is used for people. The word itself means "person, people".
ekor is used for animals. The word itself means "tail".
buah is used for most objects eg. books, tables, cars, houses, schools. The word itself means "fruit".
biji is used for small, round objects such as eggs, sweets and fruits. The word itself means "seed".
batang is used for long, slim items such as pencils, pens, or sticks.
keping is used for a piece/pieces of paper, bread, cake, cheques, photographs.
pucuk is used for letters and arms.
More examples in the table below:
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Anda ada anak?* Ya, saya ada tiga orang anak. Tidak, saya tidak ada anak. Dia menghisap** lima batang rokok tiap hari. Dia ada dua buah kereta. Saya ada seekor anjing. Jiran saya ada dua ekor kucing. |
Do you have any children? Yes, I've got three children. No, I do not have any children. He smokes five cigarettes a day. He has got two cars. I have a dog. My neighbour has two cats. |
Also, as it is a question, remember to raise your voice at the last syllable (or add the suffix -kah).
**menghisap is also spelt mengisap