Learn Hardcore Malay: Kita perlu bertindak sebelum isu besar berlaku. - We need to act before a major issue happens.

kita means “we” or “us,” including both the speaker and the listener. It’s an inclusive first-person plural. By contrast, kami also means “we” but excludes the listener (it’s the exclusive “we”). So if you want to say “we (you and I) need to act,” you use kita; if you mean “we (others and I, but not you),” you use kami.

What exactly does perlu mean here, and can I use harus, patut, or wajib instead?

perlu means “need” or “have to.”
• harus is very similar to perlu, often interchangeable in everyday speech (both mean “must” or “should”).
• patut is milder, like “ought to” or “it’s appropriate to.”
• wajib is stronger and more formal, meaning “obligatory” or “mandatory” (often used in legal or religious contexts).
In this sentence you could say Kita harus bertindak… but wajib would sound too heavy unless you’re quoting a rule.

What part of speech is bertindak, and why not just tindakan?

bertindak is a verb meaning “to act” or “to take action.” The prefix ber- turns the root tindak (“act,” “step”) into a verb form.
tindakan is a noun meaning “an action” or “a measure.” If you said Kita perlu tindakan…, it would mean “we need an action” but it’s not idiomatic. You need the verb bertindak to say “we need to act.”

How does sebelum function, and does it affect word order?

sebelum means “before” and functions as a subordinating conjunction linking two clauses. Malay word order remains [main clause] sebelum [subordinate clause], just as in English: “We need to act before the big issue happens.” You don’t invert the order; it’s always “sebelum + subject + verb.”

What nuance does berlaku carry compared to terjadi?

Both berlaku and terjadi mean “to occur” or “to happen.”
• berlaku can also mean “to be in effect” (e.g., peraturan berlaku = “the rule applies”). In the sense of “happen,” it’s somewhat more formal.
• terjadi is more colloquial and neutral for “to happen/occur.”
You can say sebelum isu besar terjadi without changing the meaning much.

Could you break down the grammatical structure of the whole sentence?

Sure.
• Kita (subject)
• perlu (modal verb = “need to”)
• bertindak (main verb = “act”)
• sebelum (subordinating conjunction = “before”)
• isu besar (subordinate clause’s subject + adjective = “big issue”)
• berlaku (subordinate clause’s verb = “happens”)

Is isu besar best translated as “big issue” or “major issue”?

Both are fine. big and major carry the same idea here. If you want to sound a bit more formal, “major issue” works well, while “big issue” is perfectly natural in everyday speech.

Can I turn Kita perlu bertindak into an imperative command?

Not directly: Kita perlu bertindak is a statement (“We need to act”). For an imperative, Malay often drops the subject:
• Bertindaklah! (“Act now!”) or
• Mari bertindak sebelum isu besar berlaku! (“Let’s act before a major issue happens!”)

What other synonyms could I use for bertindak or perlu to vary the sentence?

For bertindak you could use:
• bertindak balas (to respond; slightly different nuance)
• mengambil tindakan (to take action)

For perlu you could use:
• harus (“must/should”)
• wajib (stronger: “mandatory”)
• patut (softer: “ought to”)

Example variation:
“Kita harus mengambil tindakan sebelum isu besar terjadi.”