Apa kata kita pilih duet ini?

Here, apa kata is an idiomatic expression meaning how about... or what do you say we....

So Apa kata kita pilih duet ini? is a natural way to make a suggestion.

Literally, apa means what and kata can mean say/word, but in this expression you should learn apa kata as a set phrase, not word-for-word.

No. It depends on the structure.

• Apa kata kita pilih duet ini? = How about we choose this duet?
• Apa kata dia? = What did he/she say?

So when apa kata is followed by a clause suggesting an action, it often means how about....
When it asks about someone’s words, it can mean what did ... say?

Because kita means we, including the listener.

Malay has two common words for we:

• kita = we including the person you are speaking to
• kami = we excluding the person you are speaking to

Since this sentence is making a shared suggestion — how about we choose this duet? — kita is the correct choice.

Malay verbs do not change form the way English verbs do.
So pilih stays pilih regardless of subject:

• saya pilih = I choose / I chose / I will choose
• kita pilih = we choose / we will choose

Time is usually understood from context or shown with time words such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• nanti = later

In this sentence, the meaning is naturally about a suggestion for now or the near future, so no extra tense marking is needed.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• duet ini = this duet
• lagu ini = this song
• rumah itu = that house

This is normal Malay word order.

Yes, duet in Malay means the same thing as English duet: a performance by two singers or musicians.

It is a loanword and is very easy for English speakers to recognize.

In this sentence, duet ini means this duet.

It is natural, neutral, and conversational. It sounds friendly and polite enough for everyday speech.

It is not extremely formal, but it is not rude or slangy either. It works well when suggesting something to a friend, classmate, teammate, or colleague in a normal conversation.

Yes. Bagaimana kalau... is another common way to say how about... / what if...

So these are both natural:

• Apa kata kita pilih duet ini?
• Bagaimana kalau kita pilih duet ini?

The second can sound a little more explicit or slightly more formal depending on context, but both are good.

For learners, it is best to treat apa kata as a fixed expression when it means how about.

Even though the individual words are familiar, the whole phrase has a special function: making a suggestion.

So instead of thinking too literally, it is more useful to remember patterns like:

• Apa kata kita... = How about we...
• Apa kata saya... = How about I...
• Apa kata kalau kita... = How about if we...

Because in form it is a question, even though its function is to make a suggestion.

English does the same thing:

• How about we choose this duet?
• What do you say we choose this duet?

These are questions grammatically, but they are really inviting agreement. Malay Apa kata kita pilih duet ini? works in the same way.