Kami merumput setelah menyiram batas itu.

In Malay, kami and kita both translate as we, but they are not interchangeable.

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

So Kami merumput... means the speaker is talking about their group, but the person being spoken to is not part of that group.

The root rumput means grass. The verb merumput has the basic idea of doing something involving grass.

Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• clearing grass
• weeding
• cutting/pulling grass

In some contexts, especially with animals, merumput can also mean to graze. Here, because the subject is kami, it is understood as a human activity, not animals eating grass.

It is formed from:

• rumput = grass
• meN- = an active verb-forming prefix

When meN- is added to a root beginning with r, the result is commonly mer-:

• rumput → merumput

So merumput is an active verb based on rumput.

This is because of how the prefix meN- changes depending on the first sound of the root.

The base word is:

• siram = to water, to sprinkle

When meN- is added to a root beginning with s, the s usually disappears and the prefix becomes meny-:

• siram → menyiram

This is a very common pattern in Malay.

Setelah means after. It introduces a time relationship between two actions.

So the structure is:

• Kami merumput = we did the grass-clearing/weeding
• setelah menyiram batas itu = after watering that batas

In other words, the watering happened first, and the weeding/grass work happened afterward.

Malay often leaves out the subject in a subordinate clause when it is understood to be the same as the main subject.

So in:

• Kami merumput setelah menyiram batas itu

the understood subject of menyiram is also kami.

In fuller English, it would be like:

• We weeded after we watered that ...

If the subject were different, Malay would normally state it:

• Kami merumput setelah Ali menyiram batas itu.

That means we weeded after Ali watered that ...

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So:

• merumput does not mean specifically weeded, weed, or will weed by itself
• menyiram does not specifically mean watered or watering by itself

Time is usually understood from:

• context
• time words
• sequencing words such as setelah

Because setelah shows one action happened after another, English often translates this naturally with past tense if the context is about completed events.

In normal Malay word order, demonstratives such as ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• batas itu = that batas
• rumah itu = that house
• orang ini = this person

This is one of the most noticeable differences from English, where this and that come before the noun.

Batas can be a tricky word because it has several related meanings depending on context. It can refer to things like:

• a boundary
• an edge
• a border
• a raised strip or bed in a garden or field

So the exact English translation depends on the situation being described. If the meaning has already been given to you, it is worth remembering that batas is a context-sensitive word rather than a one-to-one match with a single English word.

It is the object of menyiram.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Kami = subject
• merumput = main verb
• setelah menyiram batas itu = time clause

Inside that time clause:

• menyiram = verb
• batas itu = object of menyiram

So the sentence means that the group did the merumput action, and this happened after they did the menyiram action to batas itu.

Yes. In many contexts, setelah, sesudah, and selepas can all mean after.

For example:

• Kami merumput setelah menyiram batas itu.
• Kami merumput sesudah menyiram batas itu.
• Kami merumput selepas menyiram batas itu.

All are possible, though the most natural choice can depend on region, register, and style. Setelah is a very standard and neutral choice.