Kami berunding sebelum tawar-menawar bermula.

Because kami means we, but not you. It is the exclusive form of we.

Malay distinguishes between:

• kami = we excluding the listener
• kita = we including the listener

So if the speaker is talking about their own group negotiating, but the person being spoken to is not part of that group, kami is the correct choice.

Berunding usually means to discuss together, to consult, or to negotiate.

It often suggests a discussion meant to reach a decision or agreement, not just casual talking. Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• discussing something seriously
• consulting one another
• holding talks
• negotiating

So it has a more purposeful feeling than simply bercakap (to talk) or berbincang (to discuss), though there can be overlap.

The prefix ber- often forms intransitive verbs, and it commonly gives the sense of:

• doing an action
• being engaged in something
• having something

In berunding, it creates the verb to hold discussions / to negotiate / to consult.

A useful learner-friendly way to think about ber- is that it often means to be involved in the activity named by the root.

So:

• root: runding
• verb: berunding = to discuss/consult/negotiate

You do not need to translate ber- by itself every time, but recognizing it helps you see that berunding is a verb.

Because sebelum means before, and here it introduces the clause tawar-menawar bermula.

The structure is:

• Kami berunding = main clause
• sebelum tawar-menawar bermula = time clause

So the sentence literally follows the pattern:

We negotiated/discussed before the bargaining began.

Malay allows this kind of clause either after or before the main clause. You could also say:

Sebelum tawar-menawar bermula, kami berunding.

That means the same thing, just with a different emphasis.

Tawar-menawar is a fixed expression meaning bargaining, haggling, or negotiation over terms.

The repeated form with a hyphen is very common in Malay. Reduplication can have different functions, and in this case it helps form a noun-like expression referring to the bargaining process.

So tawar-menawar is not just a random repetition. It is a standard word/phrase meaning:

• bargaining
• haggling
• negotiation over price or terms

In context, it can be used for:

• market bargaining
• business negotiations
• broader negotiation situations

Not always. It often does suggest bargaining over price, especially in everyday situations like markets, but it can also refer more generally to negotiation or back-and-forth over terms.

So in some contexts it feels like:

• haggling
• bargaining

and in others more like:

• negotiation
• give-and-take discussion

The exact feel depends on context.

Both mula and bermula can mean to begin or to start, but bermula is a common intransitive verb form and often sounds a bit more complete or formal in this kind of sentence.

So:

• mula = begin/start
• bermula = begin/start

In many contexts, both are possible. Bermula often sounds natural when something begins on its own or when stating that an event starts.

Here, tawar-menawar bermula means the bargaining begins/began.

No. Malay usually does not mark tense the way English does.

The sentence itself does not explicitly say past, present, or future. The time is understood from context.

So depending on context, it could mean:

• we discussed before the bargaining began
• we discuss before the bargaining begins
• we will discuss before the bargaining begins

In real use, surrounding context or time words make the time clear.

Malay does not use articles like English a, an, and the in the same way.

So a phrase like tawar-menawar bermula can mean:

• bargaining begins
• the bargaining begins
• negotiations begin
• the negotiations begin

Which English version sounds best depends on context, but Malay usually does not need a separate word for the.

Berunding is usually treated as an intransitive verb, so it often appears:

• by itself, if the context is clear
• with a preposition such as dengan (with) or tentang/mengenai (about/regarding)

For example:

• Kami berunding. = We discussed / negotiated.
• Kami berunding dengan mereka. = We negotiated with them.
• Kami berunding tentang harga. = We discussed the price.

In your sentence, there is no extra phrase because the context already tells us what the discussion is connected to.

Yes, absolutely.

That version is fully natural and means the same thing. The difference is mainly emphasis and flow:

• Kami berunding sebelum tawar-menawar bermula.
  starts with what we did
• Sebelum tawar-menawar bermula, kami berunding.
  starts with the time relationship

Both are good Malay.

Yes. It is a clause because it has:

• a subject-like element: tawar-menawar
• a verb: bermula

So sebelum tawar-menawar bermula means before the bargaining begins/began.

This is a very common Malay pattern: a conjunction like sebelum followed by a full clause.

Sometimes, yes, but the nuance changes slightly.

• berbincang = to discuss
• berunding = to discuss/consult/negotiate, often with a more formal or strategic sense

If the idea is that we had internal talks before the bargaining started, berunding works well because it can suggest more deliberate consultation.

If you used berbincang, it might sound a bit more like general discussion. Not wrong in many contexts, but a little different in tone.