Petang ini, kami menghadiri jamuan universiti bersama rakan sekelas.

Petang ini literally means this evening or this late afternoon. In Malay, demonstratives like ini (“this”) and itu (“that”) always follow the noun they modify. For example:

• buku ini (this book)
• kereta itu (that car)

Here, ini comes after petang because it’s marking “this” time period. Also, petang refers roughly to 3 p.m. until sunset, so you can choose “late afternoon” or “early evening” in English depending on context.

• kami = we (excluding the listener)
• kita = we (including the listener)

Use kita when you want your listener to feel included in the action (e.g., kita pergi = “we, you and I, are going”), and kami when you’re talking about yourself and others but not the person you’re speaking to (e.g., kami pergi = “we – but not you – are going”).

jamuan means feast, banquet, or reception—an event where guests are served food, often in a formal or semi-formal setting. Common collocations:

• jamuan hari jadi (birthday feast)
• jamuan sekolah (school banquet)
• jamuan rasmi (official reception)

• bersama rakan sekelas = together with classmates (a bit more formal or literary)
• dengan rakan sekelas = with classmates (neutral, everyday usage)

Both mean essentially the same thing. bersama often appears in announcements or formal writing, while dengan is more colloquial.

Malay nouns are not obligatorily marked for number. rakan sekelas can mean “a classmate” or “classmates” depending on context. To stress plurality, you can:

• Reduplicate: rakan-rakan sekelas (“classmates”)
• Add a numeral or quantifier: dua orang rakan sekelas (“two classmates”)
• Specify singular: seorang rakan sekelas (“one classmate”)

In your sentence, context (the word kami, “we”) tells you there are multiple classmates.

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Instead, time is shown with adverbs or auxiliary words. For example:
• Future: akan menghadiri or a future time marker like esok (“tomorrow”)
• Present/progressive: sedang menghadiri (“is/are attending”)
• Past: telah menghadiri or sudah menghadiri, or a past time marker like semalam (“yesterday”)

In your sentence, Petang ini signals that the action is happening (or will happen) this evening.

• petang ini = this evening/late afternoon (upcoming or current period)
• petang tadi = earlier this afternoon/late afternoon (a period that has already passed)

Use tadi when referring to a time that just passed (e.g., pagi tadi, petang tadi), and ini for the current or imminent time slot.