Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mengambil mangkuk dari lemari.

The prefix meN- makes an active transitive verb, so mengambil is the standard/neutral way to say “to take.” The bare root ambil is also common:

Imperatives: Ambil mangkuk! (Take the bowl!)
Casual/concise statements: Saya ambil mangkuk. Colloquially you’ll also hear ngambil (reduced from mengambil). Meaning is the same; the difference is mostly style/register.

Is Saya ambil mangkuk dari lemari correct, or must I say Saya mengambil?

Both are correct. Saya mengambil… is neutral/formal. Saya ambil… is a bit more casual/concise and very common in speech. Your sentence works either way.

How do I express past, present, or future? Indonesian verbs don’t change form, right?

Right—no tense inflection. Use time/aspect words:

Past: Saya tadi mengambil…, Saya sudah mengambil…, Saya baru saja mengambil…
Present/progressive: Saya sedang mengambil… (neutral), Saya lagi ngambil… (colloquial)
Future/intention: Saya akan mengambil…, Nanti saya ambil…, Saya mau mengambil…

How do I say “a bowl” vs. “the bowl”?

Indonesian doesn’t require articles; mangkuk can mean “a/the bowl” from context.

To emphasize “a/one bowl”: sebuah mangkuk or satu mangkuk
To specify “the bowl/that bowl”: mangkuk itu or mangkuknya (context decides whether -nya means “the” or “his/her/its”)

Do I need a classifier with mangkuk? What about semangkuk?

A plain count: sebuah mangkuk, dua mangkuk, beberapa mangkuk
semangkuk means “a bowlful (of something),” e.g., semangkuk sup (a bowl of soup). Don’t use semangkuk if you mean the physical bowl as an object—use sebuah mangkuk.

How do I make it plural (“bowls”)?

Often context is enough: Saya mengambil mangkuk can be singular or plural.
To make it explicit: beberapa mangkuk, dua/ tiga mangkuk, banyak mangkuk
Reduplication is possible but less common here: mangkuk-mangkuk

Why dari lemari and not di lemari?

dari = from (source): Saya mengambil mangkuk dari lemari.
di = in/at (location): Mangkuk ada di lemari. If you want to stress “from inside,” say dari dalam lemari. To state location, use di (dalam) lemari.

What’s the difference between dari and daripada here?

Use dari for “from” (a place/source). Daripada is mainly for comparisons or preferences (e.g., lebih besar daripada…, daripada diam, lebih baik…). Don’t say daripada lemari for “from the cupboard” in Indonesian.

Would mengeluarkan be better than mengambil?

mengambil = take (neutral, general)
mengeluarkan = take something out (emphasizes removal from inside) Both are fine; choose based on nuance:
Saya mengambil mangkuk dari lemari. (I took a bowl from the cupboard.)
Saya mengeluarkan mangkuk dari lemari. (I took the bowl out of the cupboard.)

How do I say this in the passive voice?

Agentless passive: Mangkuk diambil dari lemari.
With agent: Mangkuk diambil dari lemari oleh saya. (formal)
Common conversational style (object fronting): Mangkuknya saya ambil dari lemari.

How do I politely ask someone to get me a bowl from the cupboard?

Use the benefactive -kan:

Tolong ambilkan saya (sebuah) mangkuk dari lemari.
Tolong ambilkan (sebuah) mangkuk dari lemari untuk saya. If you’re fetching for someone: Saya mengambilkan Ibu sebuah mangkuk.

Can I omit Saya?

Yes, if context makes the subject clear:

Sudah mengambil mangkuk dari lemari. (I’ve already taken a bowl from the cupboard.) For commands, just use the root: Ambil mangkuk dari lemari.

Are there other natural word orders?

Yes, Indonesian allows fronting for focus:

Mangkuk (itu) saya ambil dari lemari. (Focusing on the bowl)
Dari lemari saya mengambil mangkuk. (Focusing on the source) Avoid Saya mengambil dari lemari mangkuk—that order is unnatural.

What does the clitic -nya do in mangkuknya or lemarinya?

-nya can mark definiteness or possession:

Definiteness: mangkuknya = the bowl (already known)
Possession: mangkuknya = his/her/its bowl (context decides) Similarly, lemarinya = the cupboard / his/her cupboard.

What does lemari mean exactly? Is it “cupboard,” “closet,” or “cabinet”?

lemari is a general word for storage furniture with doors/shelves. Common compounds:

lemari pakaian (wardrobe/closet)
lemari dapur (kitchen cabinet/cupboard)
lemari es (refrigerator) “Cabinet” as furniture can also be kabinet, especially in kabinet dapur (kitchen cabinets).

Is it mangkuk or mangkok?

Standard Indonesian prefers mangkuk. mangkok is a widespread variant in informal writing/speech, but mangkuk is the recommended standard spelling.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

mengambil: the ng is a single sound [ŋ], like “sing.” Stress is light and tends toward the second-to-last syllable: me-NGAM-bil.
mangkuk: ng again is
lemari: le-MA-ri (light stress on MA). Overall, Indonesian stress is softer than in English.