Breakdown of Kami menunggu di pentas sebelum konsert bermula.
sebelum
before
menunggu
to wait
di
on
kami
we
bermula
to begin
pentas
the stage
konsert
the concert
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Questions & Answers about Kami menunggu di pentas sebelum konsert bermula.
Why is kami used instead of kita?
In Malay, kami means “we” excluding the person you’re talking to, whereas kita means “we” including the listener. If the speaker and their friends are waiting on stage but the listener is not part of that group, you choose kami. If you wanted to include your listener in the group that is waiting, you would say kita.
Why is there no article like the before pentas?
Malay does not have definite or indefinite articles. A noun like pentas can mean “a stage” or “the stage” depending on context. You simply use the bare noun and let the situation tell whether it’s “a” or “the.”
Why do we use menunggu without any tense markers like “is waiting” or “waited”?
Malay verbs are not inflected for tense. Menunggu can cover simple present, continuous (“is waiting”), or even habitual past/future, with time understood from context. If you need to specify time, you add an adverb or auxiliary (e.g., sedang menunggu for “is waiting right now,” or telah menunggu for “has waited”).
What does the prefix meN- do in menunggu?
The meN- prefix turns a root into an active verb. Here, tunggu is the root “wait,” and the prefix attaches to form menunggu. Note how the initial t of tunggu becomes n in menunggu—that’s a sound change typical of the meN- prefix.
Why is the preposition di used before pentas, and not ke?
Di marks a static location—“at the stage.” Ke marks direction—“to the stage.” Since the sentence says “we are waiting at the stage” (we’re stationary there), you use di pentas. If you wanted to express going toward the stage, you’d say ke pentas.
Could we say di atas pentas instead of di pentas? What’s the nuance?
Yes, di atas pentas literally means “on top of the stage,” highlighting the surface. Di pentas is a more general locative: “at the stage area.” Both are correct; choose di atas pentas if you want to stress physically being on the platform itself.
How does sebelum function, and can we move it to the front of the sentence?
Sebelum is a conjunction meaning “before.” It introduces a time clause. You can place it at the start without changing meaning:
Sebelum konsert bermula, kami menunggu di pentas.
That order is perfectly natural in Malay.
What is the structure of bermula, and can we use mula instead?
Bermula consists of the intransitive prefix ber- plus the root mula (“start”). You normally use bermula to say “start” intransitively. Simply saying konsert mula is possible colloquially but less standard. For formal or written Malay, stick with bermula.
Could we use Sebelum bermulanya konsert instead of sebelum konsert bermula?
Yes. Adding -nya to bermula yields a noun phrase “the start”: bermulanya konsert. So you get a more formal structure: Sebelum bermulanya konsert, kami menunggu di pentas. Both sentences mean the same, but the -nya version sounds a bit more literary.