Breakdown of Kami memadamkan unggun api sebelum tidur.
sebelum
before
tidur
to sleep
kami
we
unggun api
the campfire
Questions & Answers about Kami memadamkan unggun api sebelum tidur.
What does kami mean here, and how is it different from kita?
Kami means we, but it is the exclusive form: it includes the speaker and other people, but not the listener.
So if I say Kami memadamkan unggun api, I mean we put out the campfire, but you were not part of our group.
By contrast, kita is inclusive: it means we, including the listener.
This is a very important distinction in Malay, and English does not usually make it.
Why is the verb memadamkan so long? What parts is it made of?
Memadamkan is built from:
- padam = extinguished / go out / off
- meN- → mem- here = an active verb-forming prefix
- -kan = a suffix often used when the verb acts on something
So:
- padam = to be out / extinguished
- memadamkan = to extinguish something, to put something out
In this sentence, the thing being extinguished is unggun api.
A useful way to think of it is:
- padam = be extinguished
- memadamkan = cause something to become extinguished
Could I say memadam instead of memadamkan?