Kami mengeringkan tanah liat.

Kami means we, but it is the exclusive form: it includes the speaker and other people, but not the listener.

So Kami mengeringkan tanah liat means we are drying clay, but you are not part of the we.

By contrast, kita is inclusive: it means we, including the listener.

• kami = we, not you
• kita = we, including you

This is a very important distinction in Malay.

Mengeringkan comes from the root kering, which means dry.

It is formed like this:

• kering = dry
• meN- ... -kan = a common verb pattern that often means to make something become X or to do X to something

So:

• mengeringkan = to dry something, to make something dry

In this sentence, it is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object:

• mengeringkan tanah liat = to dry clay

This happens because of how the meN- prefix works in Malay.

When meN- attaches to a root beginning with k, the k is usually dropped.

So:

• kering
• meN- + kering + -kan
• becomes mengeringkan

This is a normal sound and spelling change in Malay word formation.

Similar patterns happen with other initial consonants too.

In this sentence, -kan helps turn the root into a verb meaning to cause something to become that state.

So:

• kering = dry
• mengeringkan = to dry something / to make something dry

This is why mengeringkan tanah liat means drying the clay itself, not just being dry.

A useful contrast:

• tanah liat itu kering = the clay is dry
• kami mengeringkan tanah liat = we dry / are drying the clay

Tanah liat is the normal Malay term for clay.

Literally:

• tanah = earth / soil / land
• liat = tough, sticky, pliable, tenacious depending on context

But together, tanah liat is a fixed expression meaning clay.

So it is best learned as a whole vocabulary item, not translated word-for-word every time.

Yes. This sentence follows the common Malay word order:

• Kami = subject
• mengeringkan = verb
• tanah liat = object

So it is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is very similar to English:

• We dry clay

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

So Kami mengeringkan tanah liat can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• We dry clay
• We are drying clay
• We dried the clay
• We will dry the clay

If the speaker wants to make the time clearer, they can add time words, for example:

• Kami sedang mengeringkan tanah liat = We are drying the clay
• Kami telah mengeringkan tanah liat = We have dried / dried the clay
• Kami akan mengeringkan tanah liat = We will dry the clay

Malay does not normally use articles like the, a, or some in the same way English does.

So tanah liat could mean:

• clay
• the clay
• some clay

The exact meaning depends on context.

If needed, Malay can add other words to make things clearer, but very often no article is used.

Yes. Adding itu can make the noun more specific.

• tanah liat = clay / the clay / some clay
• tanah liat itu = that clay / the clay

So:

• Kami mengeringkan tanah liat = We are drying clay / the clay
• Kami mengeringkan tanah liat itu = We are drying that clay / the clay

Itu often helps point to something specific already known in the conversation.

Yes, sometimes. Malay often omits subjects if they are already clear from context.

So in the right situation, you could simply say:

• Mengeringkan tanah liat.

But on its own, this can sound less complete and more dependent on context. In a full neutral sentence, kami is perfectly natural.

You use tidak before the verb.

So:

• Kami tidak mengeringkan tanah liat. = We do not / are not drying the clay.

In Malay:

• tidak is used to negate verbs and adjectives
• bukan is usually used to negate nouns or identifications

So here, because mengeringkan is a verb, tidak is the correct choice.

Mengeringkan is standard and completely correct.

In more casual speech, Malay sometimes uses shorter forms, and in some contexts speakers may say something less formal depending on region and style. But for standard written Malay and careful speech, mengeringkan is a very good choice.

For learners, it is best to understand and use mengeringkan first.

A simple approximation is:

• tanah → ta-nah
• liat → usually li-at (two syllables)

So the whole phrase is roughly:

• ta-nah li-at

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• ng in Malay sounds like the ng in sing
• r is usually tapped or rolled more lightly than in many English accents
• vowels are generally pronounced more clearly and consistently than in English

And mengeringkan can be broken up like this:

• me-nge-ring-kan

That makes it easier to say step by step.