Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Minyak goreng kami hampir habis.

In Indonesian, possessors typically follow the noun. So it’s noun + possessor: minyak goreng kami = “our cooking oil.” “Kami minyak goreng” is ungrammatical. Other common possessive patterns:

minyak gorengku (my cooking oil), minyak gorengmu (your), minyak gorengnya (his/her/its/the).
minyak goreng itu punya kami = “that cooking oil is ours.”

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

Both mean “we/us,” but:

kami = exclusive (excludes the person spoken to).
kita = inclusive (includes the person spoken to). So changing to Minyak goreng kita hampir habis implies the listener shares the oil (household, team, etc.).

Is habis a verb or an adjective? Where is “is” in this sentence?

Habis is a stative predicate meaning “finished/used up.” Indonesian doesn’t need a separate “is” for such predicates. So Minyak goreng kami habis = “Our cooking oil is (already) finished/used up” without any copula.

What exactly is hampir doing here, and where does it go?

Hampir means “almost” and comes before the word/phrase it modifies:

hampir habis (almost finished/out)
hampir semua (almost all)
hampir satu liter (almost one liter) You don’t put it after: ✗ habis hampir.

How do hampir habis, sudah habis, belum habis, and tinggal sedikit differ?

hampir habis = almost out (very little left).
sudah habis = already out (none left).
belum habis = not finished yet (still some left).
tinggal sedikit = only a little left (colloquial; similar to “almost out”).

How do I say the opposite of “almost out” naturally?

Instead of literal “not almost out,” use:

belum habis (not finished yet)
masih ada (there’s still [some])
masih banyak (there’s still a lot) “Tidak hampir habis” is grammatical but rarely used in everyday speech.

Can I drop the possessor or use -nya instead of kami?

Yes:

Minyak goreng hampir habis. (Cooking oil is almost out—general/unspecified.)
Minyak gorengnya hampir habis. Commonly means “the cooking oil (here/that we have) is almost out”; -nya may mark definiteness (“the”) or a 3rd-person possessor (“his/her/its”), so context decides.

How else could I phrase this in a practical context (e.g., asking someone to buy more)?

Minyak gorengnya hampir habis, tolong beli lagi. (The cooking oil’s almost out; please buy more.)
Minyak goreng kita hampir habis—bisa beliin, ya? (Inclusive “we”.)
Stok minyak goreng hampir habis. (The cooking oil stock is almost out.)

Why is it minyak goreng, not something like minyak menggoreng or minyak digoreng?

The bare root goreng can modify a noun to show type/purpose: minyak goreng = oil for frying (cooking oil). Affixed forms mean different things:

menggoreng = to fry (verb)
digoreng = (to be) fried (passive/participial)
gorengan = fried snacks So minyak digoreng would mean “oil that is fried,” which isn’t the intended meaning.

Is minyak goreng always “cooking oil”? How do I specify types?

Yes, minyak goreng is the general term for cooking oil. To specify:

minyak sayur (vegetable oil), minyak sawit (palm oil)
minyak zaitun (olive oil), minyak kelapa (coconut oil)
minyak canola, minyak bunga matahari (sunflower oil)

How do I talk about amounts or containers?

Use measure words:

sebotol / dua botol (a bottle / two bottles)
satu liter / setengah liter (one liter / half a liter)
tinggal setengah botol (only half a bottle left) Example: Minyak goreng kami tinggal sedikit—cuma setengah botol.

How do I say “We ran out of cooking oil”?

Use kehabisan (“to run out of” + noun):

Kami kehabisan minyak goreng. Contrast: Minyak goreng kami habis states the result (it’s out); Kami kehabisan… highlights the event/experience of running out.

Should I use habis or kosong?

habis = the contents are used up (good for consumables: oil, rice, sugar).
kosong = the container/space is empty. Examples: Minyaknya habis (the oil is used up). Botolnya kosong (the bottle is empty).

How would I pronounce the tricky bits?

minyak: “min-yak” (ny = the ñ sound as in “canyon”)
goreng: “go-reng” (ng = the final ŋ in “sing”)
kami: “kah-mee”
hampir: “hum-peer” (plain vowels)
habis: “hah-bees” (final s is unvoiced)

Can I generalize this pattern to other supplies?

Yes. Examples:

Beras kami hampir habis. (We’re almost out of rice.)
Gula kami hampir habis. (We’re almost out of sugar.)
Tisu kami hampir habis. (We’re almost out of tissues.)

How do I add time/aspect nuance like “already almost” or “about to”?

Minyak goreng kami sudah hampir habis. (already almost out)
Minyak goreng kami sebentar lagi habis. (about to run out/any moment now) Both are natural and common.