Kami menggunakan sekop bukan kerana cangkul rosak, tetapi kerana tanah keras.

We use the shovel not because the hoe is broken, but because the soil is hard.

Breakdown of Kami menggunakan sekop bukan kerana cangkul rosak, tetapi kerana tanah keras.

• rosak: broken
• kerana: because
• tetapi: but
• kami: we

Questions & Answers about Kami menggunakan sekop bukan kerana cangkul rosak, tetapi kerana tanah keras.

Why is kami used instead of kita?

Malay has two words for we:

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

So kami menggunakan sekop means the speakers used the shovel, but they are not including the person they are speaking to.

What does menggunakan mean, and why not just guna?

The basic root is guna, meaning use.

menggunakan is the more fully formed standard verb:

• meng-
  • guna
    • -kan

In this sentence, menggunakan sekop means to use a shovel.

In everyday speech, many speakers would simply say guna:

• Kami guna sekop...

That sounds more casual, while menggunakan sounds more standard or formal.

What is the difference between sekop and cangkul?

They are different tools:

• sekop = shovel / spade
• cangkul = hoe

So the sentence contrasts two tools: they used a shovel, not a hoe.

Why does the sentence use bukan instead of ?