Pada tahap pertama, kami membersihkan meja dengan pembersih lantai.

In the first stage, we clean the table with floor cleaner.

Breakdown of Pada tahap pertama, kami membersihkan meja dengan pembersih lantai.

• kami: we
• dengan: with
• pada: in
• pertama: first
• meja: the table
• membersihkan: to clean
• tahap: the stage
• pembersih lantai: the floor cleaner

Questions & Answers about Pada tahap pertama, kami membersihkan meja dengan pembersih lantai.

What does the preposition pada do here, and could I say di tahap pertama instead?

Pada marks time/abstract references (at/in/on) and is the standard choice in formal/neutral Indonesian for things like stages, dates, occasions. So pada tahap pertama = “at the first stage.” You will often hear di tahap pertama in casual speech; it’s widely understood, but pada is safer in writing or formal contexts.

What’s the difference between tahap, langkah, and fase?

• tahap = stage/phase of a process (broader chunk): e.g., tahap persiapan (preparation stage).
• langkah = step (a discrete action/instruction): e.g., langkah pertama: bersihkan meja.
• fase = phase (loanword), often technical/scientific or project management contexts.
  In your sentence, tahap fits a multi-stage procedure.

Why tahap pertama and not tahap kesatu? And how do pertama-tama and yang pertama differ?

• pertama is the usual word for “first” in ordinals.
• tahap kesatu exists but sounds technical/old-fashioned; tahap pertama is far more common.
• pertama-tama means “first of all” and modifies the whole clause: Pertama-tama, kami…
• yang pertama is used when listing items: Yang pertama, … Yang kedua, …
• pertama kali means “the first time (ever).”

Why use kami instead of kita?

Both mean “we,” but:

• kami = exclusive (the listener is NOT included).
• kita = inclusive (the listener IS included). In instructions or reports written by a team, kami is common. If you’re speaking to teammates doing it together, kita might be more natural.

Is membersihkan the right verb? Could I say mengelap or mencuci?

• membersihkan = to clean/make clean (general, transitive).
• mengelap = to wipe (with a cloth). Great for tables: mengelap meja.
• mencuci = to wash (with water/soap), e.g., dishes, clothes, hands.
• bersih-bersih = to clean up (intransitive, no direct object).
  Your sentence is fine, but if the action is wiping a table, mengelap is the most specific.

How is membersihkan formed, and what do mem- and -kan do?

Root: bersih (clean).
Pattern: meN- + bersih + -kan → membersihkan.

• meN- is a verbalizer; before words starting with b, it becomes mem- (assimilation).
• -kan makes it causative/applicative: “to make X clean.”
  So membersihkan meja = “to make the table clean.” It’s a transitive verb, so it normally takes an object.

Does this sentence express past, present, or future?

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense on the verb. Context/adverbs do the work:

• Past/completed: sudah/telah → Pada tahap pertama, kami sudah membersihkan meja.
• Progressive: sedang → … kami sedang membersihkan meja.
• Future: akan → … kami akan membersihkan meja. Without markers, it can be read as general/habitual or context-dependent.

Is dengan the best way to express the tool here? Can I use menggunakan or pakai?

Yes. dengan can mark the instrument: “with/by means of.”
Alternatives:

• menggunakan (to use; more formal): Kami menggunakan pembersih lantai untuk membersihkan meja.
• pakai/pake (to use; colloquial): Kami bersihin meja pake pembersih lantai.

What does pembersih mean, and how does the compound pembersih lantai work?

pembersih is a noun from bersih with the pe-…-r/agentive pattern, meaning “cleaner” (a person or a product).
Noun compounds in Indonesian are head-first: pembersih (head) + lantai (modifier) = “floor cleaner.” You can stack modifiers: pembersih lantai antibakteri (antibacterial floor cleaner).

Is it natural to clean a table with pembersih lantai?

It sounds odd in everyday contexts, because floor cleaner is formulated for floors. More natural options for a table:

• pembersih serbaguna (multi-purpose cleaner)
• pembersih meja / cairan pembersih / disinfektan
• You could also specify the tool: mengelap meja dengan kain lap dan pembersih serbaguna.

Do I need an article like “a” or “the”? How can I be specific about the table?

Indonesian has no articles. meja can be “a table” or “the table,” depending on context. To be explicit:

• “the table”: meja itu, meja tersebut, or mejanya (topic/possessive-like nuance).
• “a table” (singular emphasis): sebuah meja (used when you need to stress “one table,” not usually required).

Is the comma after Pada tahap pertama required?

It’s customary (and helpful) to use a comma after a fronted time/stage phrase. You may omit it in short sentences, but keeping it improves readability: Pada tahap pertama, …

Can I move pada tahap pertama elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes:

• Kami membersihkan meja pada tahap pertama. (end position)
• Pada tahap pertama, kami membersihkan meja. (fronted; most common in instructions) Avoid splitting the subject and verb unnaturally: Kami, pada tahap pertama, membersihkan meja is grammatical but clunky.

How would this sound in casual speech?

A natural colloquial version might be:

• Pertama-tama, kita bersihin meja pake pembersih serbaguna. Notes: kita (inclusive), bersihin (spoken reduction of membersihkan), pake (colloquial for pakai).