Learn Hardcore Malay: Orang ramai berkumpul di lobi hotel.

In news/formal style, orang ramai often means “the public.”
In event descriptions, it’s naturally read as “a crowd” or “many people.” So in this sentence, think “a crowd/many people” gathered; in general advisories, it’s “the public.”

What’s the difference between Orang ramai and Ramai orang?

Orang ramai is a set phrase and can mean “the public” or “the crowd.” It’s common in formal writing and news.
Ramai orang literally “many people,” emphasizing quantity. It’s neutral and very common in everyday language. Both are grammatical; choose based on whether you want the set-phrase feel (orang ramai) or a clear “many people” reading (ramai orang).

Can I say Orang-orang instead?

You can, but it’s not the best choice for “a crowd/many people.” Orang-orang just marks plural “people” (often “various people” or “the people” in a specific context). For “many people/a crowd,” prefer orang ramai or ramai orang.

Natural: Ramai orang berkumpul di lobi hotel.
Natural: Orang ramai berkumpul di lobi hotel.
Less natural for this meaning: Orang-orang berkumpul di lobi hotel.

What does the ber- prefix in berkumpul do?

ber- forms intransitive verbs (“to do/be in a state of X”). Root kumpul = “gather/collect.”

berkumpul = “to gather (come together).” No direct object. Related forms:
mengumpulkan (transitive) = “to gather/collect (something/someone).”
kumpulan = “group.”
terkumpul = “to be collected/accumulated.”

Does berkumpul take an object? How do I say gather people?

Berkumpul is intransitive (no object). To gather people, use the transitive form:

mengumpulkan orang = to gather people Example: Penganjur mengumpulkan orang di lobi hotel.

How do I show past, present, or future with this sentence?

Malay has no tense inflection; use time markers:

Past (context/time word): Tadi, orang ramai berkumpul di lobi hotel.
Completed: Orang ramai telah/sudah berkumpul di lobi hotel.
Progressive: Orang ramai sedang berkumpul di lobi hotel.
Future: Orang ramai akan berkumpul di lobi hotel.

How do I negate it correctly—tidak or bukan?

Use tidak before verbs/adjectives:

Orang ramai tidak berkumpul di lobi hotel. Use bukan to negate nouns/identities or to correct:
Itu bukan lobi hotel. (That is not the hotel lobby.)

When do I use di versus ke here?

di = location (at/in/on): berkumpul di lobi hotel.
ke = direction (to/towards): pergi ke lobi hotel, bergerak ke lobi hotel. You wouldn’t say berkumpul ke; use berkumpul di to state where they gather.

Is di in di lobi the same as the passive prefix di-?

No. Different words and different spacing:

di (preposition “at/in”) is written separately: di lobi, di bilik.
di- (passive verb prefix) is attached to the verb: ditahan, diambil. So write di lobi, not “dilobi” in this sense.

Why is it lobi hotel and not hotel lobi?

In Malay noun phrases, the head comes first, modifiers after:

lobi hotel = “the hotel’s lobby / hotel lobby” (head = lobi; modifier = hotel). If the hotel has a name: di lobi Hotel Majestic.

How can I make the lobby or the hotel specific (that lobby, that hotel)?

Use demonstratives or other determiners:

That specific hotel lobby: di lobi hotel itu / di lobi hotel tersebut.
Named hotel: di lobi Hotel Majestic.
Possessive/definite feel: di lobi hotelnya (“in his/her/their hotel’s lobby” or “in the hotel’s lobby,” depending on context). For “a hotel lobby” (explicitly indefinite): di lobi sebuah hotel.

What’s the typical word order, and can I front the place phrase?

Typical: Subject–Verb–Place.

Orang ramai (S) berkumpul (V) di lobi hotel (Place). Fronting for emphasis/topicalization is fine:
Di lobi hotel, orang ramai berkumpul.

Can I say di dalam lobi hotel? Does it change the meaning?

Yes. Di dalam adds “inside,” but since a lobby is already inside a hotel, di lobi hotel is usually enough. Use di dalam lobi hotel to stress the interior (e.g., contrasting with “outside the lobby”).

Are there useful synonyms or near‑synonyms for berkumpul?

berhimpun: formal/literary “gather, assemble.”
berkerumun: “to crowd/swarm around (something),” denser/closer quarters.
beramai-ramai: adverb “in large numbers, together.” E.g., Mereka berkumpul beramai-ramai di lobi hotel.
berkumpul-kumpul: reduplication; suggests repeated/scattered gathering or casual clustering. Choose based on nuance; for neutral “gather,” berkumpul is safest.

Is ramai only used for people? What about banyak?

ramai quantifies people: ramai orang, orang ramai, Tempat itu ramai (the place is crowded—with people).
banyak is for things/abstracts: banyak kerusi, banyak masa. With people, banyak orang is common in Indonesian; in Malaysian Malay, ramai orang is more idiomatic (though banyak orang is understood).

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

orang: final ng = velar nasal /ŋ/ (not a hard g).
ramai: ai like English “eye”; roughly RAH‑my.
berkumpul: stress the second syllable of the root: ber‑KOOM‑pool.
lobi: LO‑bee.
hotel: HO‑tel; pronounce the initial h. Malay stress is generally light and falls near the penultimate syllable.