Kami mengosongkan bengkel.

Kami means we, but it is the exclusive form: it does not include the person being spoken to.

So:

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

In Kami mengosongkan bengkel, the speaker is talking about their group emptying the workshop, and the listener is not part of that group.

Mengosongkan can be broken down like this:

• kosong = empty
• meng- = a common active verb prefix
• -kan = a suffix that often means to cause/make something become something

So:

• kosong = empty
• mengosongkan = to empty something, literally to make something empty

This is a very common pattern in Malay:

• adjective or noun root
• plus meN- ... -kan
• becomes a transitive verb

In this sentence, -kan helps turn kosong into a verb meaning to make something empty or to empty something.

Compare:

• kosong = empty
• mengosongkan bengkel = to empty the workshop

A useful way to think about -kan here is:

• make X become Y
• cause X to be Y

So mengosongkan bengkel is literally something like make the workshop empty.

This happens because of how Malay prefixes combine with roots.

The active prefix is often written as meN-, where the final nasal sound changes depending on the first sound of the root. With kosong, the result is:

• meN- + kosong + -kan
• becomes mengosongkan

The k at the beginning of the root is dropped after this prefix. This is a normal sound/word-formation pattern in Malay.

You will see similar changes in other words too.

By itself, kosong is usually an adjective, meaning empty.

Examples:

• Bilik itu kosong. = The room is empty.
• Tong ini kosong. = This container is empty.

When you add the verb-forming parts, it becomes:

• mengosongkan = to empty something

So Malay often builds verbs from simpler roots like this.

Bengkel usually means workshop.

Depending on context, it can refer to:

• a mechanical workshop
• a repair shop
• a workroom
• sometimes a training workshop or practical session

In a sentence like this, many learners would first understand it as a physical workshop or garage/work area.

As always, context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes. The word order is very normal:

• Kami = subject
• mengosongkan = verb
• bengkel = object

So the pattern is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is the same basic order as in English:

• We emptied the workshop

Malay often uses this straightforward order in active sentences.

No, not by itself. Malay verbs do not normally change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So Kami mengosongkan bengkel could mean different things depending on context, such as:

• we empty the workshop
• we are emptying the workshop
• we emptied the workshop
• we will empty the workshop

If you want to make the time clearer, Malay often adds time words such as:

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

For example:

• Kami sedang mengosongkan bengkel. = We are emptying the workshop.
• Kami telah mengosongkan bengkel. = We have emptied / emptied the workshop.
• Kami akan mengosongkan bengkel. = We will empty the workshop.

Malay can sometimes leave out the subject if it is already clear from context.

So in conversation, you might hear:

• Mengosongkan bengkel.

But on its own, that sounds less complete and more context-dependent. In a full neutral sentence, Kami mengosongkan bengkel is clearer.

So:

• with subject = more explicit and complete
• without subject = possible in context, especially in casual speech

Yes, in colloquial Malay, Kami kosongkan bengkel is possible and natural in many situations.

Compare:

• Kami mengosongkan bengkel.
  More standard, more formal, textbook-like.

• Kami kosongkan bengkel.
  More casual, conversational.

Learners should recognize both, but if you are studying standard written Malay, mengosongkan is the safer form to produce.

You usually negate a verb like this with tidak:

• Kami tidak mengosongkan bengkel. = We do not / did not empty the workshop.

If you want to say not yet, you can use:

• Kami belum mengosongkan bengkel. = We have not emptied the workshop yet.

So:

• tidak = general negation
• belum = not yet

A common passive version is:

• Bengkel dikosongkan oleh kami.

This means The workshop was emptied by us.

Breakdown:

• bengkel = workshop
• dikosongkan = was emptied / is emptied
• oleh kami = by us

In Malay, passive constructions are common, but the active version Kami mengosongkan bengkel is often more straightforward for learners.

A rough guide is:

me-ngo-song-kan

A few pronunciation notes:

• ng is like the sound in sing
• o is usually a clear o sound
• the final -kan is pronounced clearly

So try something like:

muh-ngo-song-kahn

That is only an approximation for English speakers, but it is close enough to get started.

Usually, yes. In this form, it is a transitive verb, which means it normally takes an object.

Examples:

• mengosongkan bengkel = empty the workshop
• mengosongkan bilik = empty the room
• mengosongkan tong = empty the container

If you just say mengosongkan by itself, listeners will often expect you to say what is being emptied.

That is one reason this sentence feels complete: bengkel supplies the object.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Kami = we
• mengosongkan = make empty / empty
• bengkel = workshop

So the grammar is roughly:

We make the workshop empty.

That literal sense helps explain why Malay uses kosong plus -kan here. Even if the natural English translation is simply We emptied the workshop, the Malay structure is built around the idea cause something to become empty.