Kamera mengawasi kawasan itu.

Malay normally does not use articles like the or a/an.

So:

• kamera can mean a camera or the camera
• kawasan can mean an area or the area

Definiteness is usually understood from context, or shown with words like itu (that/the aforementioned).

In this sentence, kawasan itu means something like that area or the area in question.

Mengawasi means to monitor, to supervise, to keep watch on, or to watch over.

It is a verb used when the subject is actively observing or keeping track of something.

So in this sentence, the camera is not just looking in a casual sense. It is more like:

• monitoring
• watching over
• keeping surveillance on

Awas by itself is not the verb form used here.

In Malay, many active verbs take the meN- prefix. Here, the verb appears as mengawasi, which is the normal active transitive form meaning to monitor/watch over something.

A useful way to think about it is:

• mengawasi = an active verb used with an object
• object here = kawasan itu

So Kamera mengawasi kawasan itu is structurally Subject + Verb + Object.

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

So:

• kawasan itu = that area
• kamera ini = this camera

This is different from English, where we say that area with that before the noun.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Most directly:

• kawasan itu = that area

But in natural translation, it can also be:

• the area
• that particular area
• the area in question

Malay often leaves this slightly flexible, and context tells you which English wording sounds best.

Yes. This sentence follows a very familiar order:

• Kamera = subject
• mengawasi = verb
• kawasan itu = object

So it is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That makes it fairly straightforward for an English speaker.

No. Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense.

So mengawasi by itself does not specifically mark:

• present
• past
• future

Depending on context, Kamera mengawasi kawasan itu could be understood as:

• The camera monitors that area
• The camera is monitoring that area
• in the right context, even The camera monitored that area

If you want to make time clearer, Malay usually adds time words, for example:

• sedang for ongoing action
• telah / sudah for completed action
• akan for future

By default, kamera here is understood as singular: the camera or a camera.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for plural the way English does. If you want to show plurality clearly, context usually does it, or Malay may use repetition:

• kamera-kamera = cameras

But in this sentence, kamera most naturally means one camera.

Yes. That would mean:

• That camera is monitoring that area
• or The camera is monitoring that area, if the camera has already been identified

The difference is:

• Kamera mengawasi kawasan itu = more general or less specifically identified subject
• Kamera itu mengawasi kawasan itu = the camera itself is specifically identified

So adding itu after kamera makes the subject more definite.

Because sedang is only needed if you want to emphasize that the action is currently in progress.

Compare:

• Kamera mengawasi kawasan itu = The camera monitors / is monitoring that area
• Kamera sedang mengawasi kawasan itu = The camera is currently monitoring that area

Without sedang, the sentence is more neutral and can describe a general function or a present action depending on context.

Yes, it can also be used for people.

For example:

• Pengawal itu mengawasi pintu. = The guard watches the door.
• Guru mengawasi pelajar. = The teacher supervises the students.

So mengawasi is not limited to cameras. It works for any subject that monitors, supervises, or watches over something.

You would usually use tidak before the verb:

• Kamera tidak mengawasi kawasan itu.

That means:

• The camera does not monitor that area
• The camera is not monitoring that area

Use tidak to negate verbs and adjectives.

Yes, it is natural and standard Malay.

It sounds like the kind of sentence you might see in:

• security-related writing
• technical descriptions
• reports
• signage or official language

If you wanted a slightly different nuance, you might also see other verbs in other contexts, but mengawasi is a very normal choice for monitor/watch over.