In direct narration the personal pronoun “I” should often be left untranslated, and the sentence put in an impersonal form. We are accustomed to commence sentences frequently with “I think,” “I hear,” “I hope,” “I wish,” and there is a temptation therefore to overload Malay sentences with “Sahaya fikir,” “Sahaya dengar khabar,” &c. These, though not ungrammatical, should be used sparingly. Rasa-nia, the feeling is, agak-nia, the guess is, rupa-nia, the appearance is (it seems), khabar-nia, the report is, and similar phrases, should often take their place.
Examples.
Instead of— I am told, or people tell me, Orang bilang sama sahaya; Say, People say, Kata orang.
Instead of— I hear that he is coming here, Sahaya dengar khabar dia handak mari sini; Say, He is coming here, the report goes, Dia handak kamari khabar-nia.
Instead of— I think there are five quarts, Sahaya fikir ada lima chupah; Say, There are five quarts, the estimate is, Ada lima chupah agak-nia.
Instead of— I think it is going to rain, Sahaya fikir hari handak hujan; Say, It is going to rain, it seems, Hari handak hujan rupa-nia.
Instead of— I like driving better than walking, Sahaya lagi suka naik kreta deri-pada jalan kaki; Say, It is better to drive than to walk, Baik ber-kreta deri-pada ber-jalan.
Note the impersonal way of putting the statement in the following sentences:—
I was very glad to hear it— Sangat-lah suka hati sahaya akan men-dengar.
I very much wish to go to Meccah— Niat hati sahaya handak pergi ka-Makah.