Kami memadamkan unggun api dan menyimpan kayu api.

Malay has two different words for we:

• kami = we, but not including the listener
• kita = we, including the listener

So Kami memadamkan unggun api... means the speaker is talking about their group, not the person being spoken to.

This is a very common thing English speakers ask about, because English we does not make this distinction.

Padam is the basic idea of being out, extinguished, or switched off.

Examples:

• Api itu padam. = The fire is out.
• Lampu itu padam. = The light is off.

Memadamkan is the verb to extinguish / to put out something.
It is built from:

• padam
• prefix meN-
• suffix -kan

So:

• padam = to be out / extinguished
• memadamkan = to cause something to go out, to extinguish it

In this sentence, memadamkan unggun api means to put out the campfire.

The suffix -kan often makes a verb more clearly transitive, meaning it acts on an object.

Here, the object is:

• unggun api

So memadamkan unggun api means to extinguish the campfire.

Without getting too technical, -kan often gives a sense like:

• do something to/for/onto something
• cause something to become X

In this sentence, it helps show that the action is being done to the fire.

Simpan is the root word, meaning something like keep, store, or save.

Menyimpan is the active verb form, with the meN- prefix.

This is very common in standard Malay:

• simpan = root
• menyimpan = to store / to keep

English learners often notice that dictionaries usually list the root form, but real sentences often use the prefixed form.

A very rough pattern is:

• dictionary form: simpan
• normal active verb in a sentence: menyimpan

This happens because of how the meN- prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root word.

With roots beginning with s, the s usually disappears, and the prefix becomes meny-.

So:

• simpan → menyimpan

This is a normal sound change in Malay verb formation.

Other examples:

• sapu → menyapu
• sebut → menyebut

So menyimpan is exactly what you should expect from simpan.

Not by itself.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.
So this sentence could mean different things depending on context, such as:

• We extinguished the campfire and stored the firewood
• We are extinguishing the campfire and storing the firewood
• We extinguish the campfire and store the firewood

In real use, time is usually shown by:

• context
• time words like semalam (yesterday), tadi (just now), esok (tomorrow)
• aspect markers like sudah, sedang, akan

So if there is no extra time information, you rely on context.

Because these are two different noun phrases:

• unggun api = campfire / bonfire
• kayu api = firewood

Here api helps form set expressions:

• unggun api is not just fire by itself; it refers to a fire built from stacked wood
• kayu api means wood for burning, or firewood

So although api appears twice, the two phrases refer to different things:

• the fire itself
• the wood used for burning

This is normal in Malay, where noun combinations often work a bit differently from English compounds.

You can say api if you just mean fire, but unggun api is more specific.

• api = fire
• unggun api = campfire / bonfire

So in this sentence, unggun api is better because it tells you what kind of fire it is.

If you said Kami memadamkan api, that would mean We put out the fire, but it would be less specific.

The basic Malay word order is usually:

• Subject + Verb + Object

So here:

• Kami = subject
• memadamkan = verb
• unggun api = object
• dan = and
• menyimpan = second verb
• kayu api = second object

This is very similar to English word order in simple sentences, which makes it easier for English speakers.

Usually yes.

In this sentence, dan simply joins two actions:

• memadamkan unggun api
• menyimpan kayu api

So it works much like English and.

Malay also has other linking words, but dan is the normal general word for joining nouns, phrases, or clauses in this way.

It can mean any of those, depending on context.

Menyimpan is quite flexible:

• store something
• keep something
• save something

In this sentence, with kayu api, the most natural idea is probably store or put away the firewood.

So a learner should not expect one single English translation every time. The core idea is to keep/put something somewhere for later use.

No. Malay does not normally use articles the way English does.

So:

• unggun api could mean a campfire or the campfire
• kayu api could mean firewood, the firewood, or some firewood

English translations add a/the based on context, but the Malay sentence itself does not require them.

This is another thing English speakers often notice quickly: Malay is much less dependent on articles.

Sometimes, yes, if the context already makes it clear who is acting.

For example, in conversation, someone might just say:

• Memadamkan unggun api dan menyimpan kayu api.

But in a normal full sentence, especially in writing or when clarity matters, keeping kami is natural and clear.

So:

• with kami = explicit and complete
• without kami = possible in context, but less explicit