When to use "boleh"
Ever wonder what "boleh" means and when to use it? Download the free cheat sheet after reading our easy-to-understand explanation of this word.
Boleh means can, could, or able. Pair boleh with other words to say simple things like:
- Boleh makan
Dia boleh makan makanan 🌶️ pedas walaupun baru berumur 3 tahun. (She can eat spicy food even though she's only 3 years old.) - Tidak/tak boleh
Saya tak boleh minum 🥛 susu, nanti loya. 🤢 (I cannot drink milk, otherwise I'll be sick.)
Other basic forms of boleh
Membolehkan : to allow/to let
❇️ Pengumuman itu membolehkan pelancong dari negara terlibat memasuki Thailand tanpa visa...
⬆️(The announcement allows tourists from the countries involved to enter Thailand without visa...)
Kebolehan : ability/capability
❇️ ...pemilihan pemain dilakukan dengan menilai kebolehan teknikal...
⬆️(...player selection was done by evaluating technical ability...)
✳ The above example sentences are taken from real news articles. Click on the sentences to read the full text.
When to use BOLEH?
📗 Agreeing on a time to meet up with friends
👦Kita jumpa di sana pada pukul tiga, boleh tak?
👩Boleh. Jumpa nanti, ya!
(👦 Let's meet there at three o'clock, is that okay?)
(👩 Okay. See you then!)
📗 Convincing your parent
👵Kamu tak boleh keluar dengan kawan esok!
😩 Apa? Biarlah saya keluar. Bolehlah, mak...
(👵 You can't go out with your friends tomorrow!)
(😩 What? Let me go out. Please let me, mom...)
📗 Motivating a friend
😟 Saya takut gagal ujian esok.
🤩 Awak mesti boleh buat!
(😟 I'm scared of failing the test tomorrow.)
(🤩 You can do it for sure!)
You can also casually just say:
Mesti boleh!
Mesti boleh punya! (slang)
Common motivational phrases 🏅
Malaysia boleh! : Malaysia can do it!
Yakin boleh! : Be confident you can do it!
Check out this classic song that features the phrase "you can" in Malay:
📗 Expressing slight disappointment
👳 Macam mana ujian hari ini?
😐 Bolehlah.
(👳 How was the test today?)
(😐So-so.)
The meaning of bolehlah can lean slightly towards a more positive or negative meaning depending on the tone of your voice and facial expression:
😅 Bolehlah~ 👌 (Perhaps you mean it's quite good but you're trying to be humble)
😒 Bolehlah... 💁♂️(Perhaps you're annoyed that it did not meet your expectations)
😶 Bolehlah. 🤷(Perhaps you're saying this just to change the topic and not give too much information)
Take a look at the one-page cheat sheet below that perfectly sums up:
- What is boleh
- When to use boleh
- How to use boleh
Pick the colour of your choice and download the picture to your device so you can refer to it whenever you need to. Or, get the PDF version in black and white so you can print it out. Yakin boleh!
