Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya mengelap kacamata dengan tisu.

Saya is polite/neutral and safe in most situations (talking to strangers, in writing, at work).
Aku is informal/intimate (friends, family, casual chats).
Very colloquial in Jakarta: gue/gua.
The sentence works with any of these; choose based on formality: Aku mengelap…, Gue mengelap…

Can I omit Saya?

Yes. Subjects are often dropped when context makes them clear: Mengelap kacamata dengan tisu. If you want to stress an ongoing action, add sedang: (Saya) sedang mengelap kacamata dengan tisu.

Why mengelap and not melap or just lap?

The verb is formed with the meN- prefix pattern for monosyllabic bases: menge- + lap → mengelap (to wipe).
In everyday speech people often drop the prefix: Saya lap kacamata… (colloquial).
You may hear melap in some speech, but standard Indonesian prefers mengelap.

What exactly does mengelap mean? Is it the same as membersihkan, menyeka, or menggosok?

mengelap: to wipe (usually with a cloth/tissue) to dry or remove smudges.
membersihkan: to clean (general, not tied to a specific method).
menyeka: to wipe/dab (often for sweat/tears/liquid).
menggosok: to rub/scrub/polish (more friction). For glasses, mengelap kacamata is the most typical.

How is mengelap formed morphologically?

Base: lap (wipe; also a rag/cloth as a noun).
Prefix variant for many one-syllable roots: menge- → mengelap.
Passive counterpart uses di- with the base: dilap (not dielap).

What does dengan do here? Could I use pakai, memakai, or menggunakan?

dengan introduces the instrument: with/by means of.
Alternatives:
- pakai/pake (very common, informal): … pakai tisu.
- memakai (neutral/formal): … memakai tisu.
- menggunakan (formal): … menggunakan tisu. All are acceptable; they differ mainly in register.

Do I need to say “a piece of” tissue? How?

Indonesian has no articles, so tisu can mean a/one/some tissue by default. To be specific:

selembar tisu or sehelai tisu = a sheet/piece of tissue. Example: Saya mengelap kacamata dengan selembar tisu.

Is tisu the same as English “tissue”? Any other related words?

Standard spelling is tisu (you’ll also see nonstandard tissue on signs).
Useful compounds: tisu wajah (facial tissue), tisu toilet (toilet paper), tisu basah (wet wipes).
A cloth/rag is lap or kain; a cloth napkin is serbet.

What exactly does kacamata mean? Is it singular or plural?

kaca (glass) + mata (eye) → kacamata = eyeglasses/a pair of glasses.
It refers to the whole item; singular vs. plural isn’t marked. For multiple pairs: beberapa kacamata or kacamata-kacamata (the latter is less common in speech).
You can also say sepasang kacamata to emphasize “one pair.”

How do I say my glasses explicitly?

kacamataku (my glasses; informal/written-leaning).
kacamata saya (my glasses; neutral/formal).
Colloquial Jakarta: kacamata gue.
For his/her: kacamatanya or kacamata dia.

Can I move dengan tisu to the front?

Yes, for emphasis on the instrument: Dengan tisu, saya mengelap kacamata. The default word order is still SVO: Saya mengelap kacamata dengan tisu. Avoid Saya mengelap dengan tisu kacamata, which can sound like “glasses tissue.”

What is the passive version?

Kacamata saya dilap dengan tisu. (My glasses are wiped with a tissue.)
You can add the agent if needed: Kacamata saya dilap oleh saya, but Indonesian often omits oleh
- agent when it’s obvious.

Is kacamata one word or two (kaca mata)?

Standard modern Indonesian writes it as one word: kacamata. The spaced form is nonstandard/older.

Any pronunciation tips?

kacamata: ka-cha-ma-ta (c = ch as in “church”).
mengelap: məng-ə-lap (the first e is a schwa).
tisu: tee-soo (u = “oo”).
Saya: sah-yah.

Could I say Saya mengelap kacamata dengan lap?

Yes. Here lap is a noun meaning a rag/cloth. So:

… dengan tisu = with a tissue (paper).
… dengan lap/kain = with a cloth (e.g., microfiber cloth), which is often better for lenses.

Does dengan ever mean and?

No; dan means “and.” dengan means “with” (together with/by means of). You might see X dengan Y in set phrases that feel like “X with Y,” but for plain “and,” use dan.