Selepas perjalanan panjang di bandar, kita berehat sebentar sebelum makan malam.

After a long trip in the city, we rest for a while before dinner.

Breakdown of Selepas perjalanan panjang di bandar, kita berehat sebentar sebelum makan malam.

• kita: we
• di: in
• sebelum: before
• bandar: the city
• berehat: to rest
• selepas: after
• panjang: long
• sebuah: a
• perjalanan: the trip
• sebentar: for a while
• makan malam: the dinner

Questions & Answers about Selepas perjalanan panjang di bandar, kita berehat sebentar sebelum makan malam.

Why does the sentence use kita instead of kami?

In Malay, kita is an inclusive pronoun that refers to the speaker and everyone else present, including the person being spoken to. Kami, on the other hand, excludes the listener. Because the sentence implies everyone in the conversation is involved in the activity, kita is used.

What does selepas mean, and could I use sesudah instead?

Selepas means after or following, and sesudah has essentially the same meaning. Both words are interchangeable in many contexts. It’s often a matter of personal preference or regional usage.

Why is it berehat sebentar rather than just rehat?

The word berehat is the verb form (to rest), while rehat can sometimes be treated like a noun (rest). Sebentar means for a short while or briefly, so berehat sebentar literally translates to rest for a short while. It’s a common phrase in Malay to imply a quick rest.

What does sebelum mean, and is it common to use it before makan malam like this?

Sebelum means before. It’s very common in Malay to use sebelum in front of another action or event to indicate when something happens in relation to another event. In this sentence, it indicates that the rest takes place prior to dinner.

Why do we say di bandar? Can we say ke bandar instead?

The preposition di usually indicates a location in or at a place, while ke indicates movement towards a place. In the sentence, perjalanan panjang di bandar suggests the journey happened around or within the city, not just traveling to the city. If you change it to ke bandar, it implies traveling to the city from somewhere else, which would change the meaning slightly.