Learn Hardcore Malay: Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang. - The day after tomorrow, we will practice in the park in the evening.

Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang.
Kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang lusa.
Kita lusa akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang. (less common, but possible in speech)

The most common are:

At the beginning (for emphasis on when):
Lusa, kita akan…
At the end:
…pada waktu petang lusa.

Meaning does not change; only the emphasis and rhythm change.

What is the difference between kita and kami?

Both mean “we / us,” but:

kita = “we (including the person you are talking to)”
- You + me + maybe others
kami = “we (excluding the person you are talking to)”
- Only me + my group, not you

In the sentence Lusa, kita akan berlatih…, using kita implies that the speaker and the listener will both take part in the practice.

If the speaker’s group will practice but the listener is not included, it would be:

Lusa, kami akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang.

Is akan necessary to show the future, or can I drop it?

Akan is a marker that often indicates future or intended actions, like “will” or “going to.”

Kita akan berlatih. – We will practice.
Kita berlatih. – We practice / we are practicing / we will practice (depending on context).

Malay often drops akan in everyday speech if the time is already clear:

Lusa kita berlatih di taman pada waktu petang. – Still understood as future because of lusa.

Using akan makes the sentence a bit clearer and slightly more careful/formal, but it is not strictly required when the time word (like lusa) already tells you it’s about the future.

What does the verb berlatih mean, and how is it different from melatih or latihan?

berlatih = to practice / to train (yourself, together, or as a group)
- Focus: you are doing the practice
- Example: Kami berlatih bola sepak. – We practice football.
melatih = to train (someone else)
- Focus: you are coaching or training others
- Example: Jurulatih itu melatih pemain. – The coach trains the players.
latihan = practice / training (the noun)
- Example: Latihan bermula pada pukul 5. – Practice starts at 5.

So in kita akan berlatih, it means “we will practice” (we are the ones doing the practice).

Does taman mean “park” or “garden”? How do I know which one it is?

Taman can mean:

park – a public park
garden – especially in general use
It can also appear in place names or housing areas, e.g. Taman Melati (a residential area)

In berlatih di taman, the natural interpretation is “in the park”, because practicing (sports, exercises, group activities) is more commonly done in a park than in a small private garden. Context tells you which is meant.

If you specifically wanted “garden,” you might say di taman bunga (in the flower garden) or clarify with more detail.

Why is it di taman and not ke taman?

di = in / at / on (location)
ke = to / towards (movement)

In berlatih di taman, the focus is on where the practice happens: in the park. There is no movement verb like “go” in the sentence.

If you want to mention going there, you would use ke with a verb of movement:

Lusa, kita akan pergi ke taman dan berlatih pada waktu petang.
– The day after tomorrow, we will go to the park and practice in the afternoon.

So:

di taman = at/in the park
ke taman = to the park

Why do we say pada waktu petang and not just petang?

Waktu petang literally means “evening/afternoon time” (in Malay, petang usually covers late afternoon to early evening).

You have several correct options:

pada waktu petang – quite clear, slightly more formal
pada petang – also correct, a bit shorter
waktu petang – often used without pada in speech
petang – simplest and very common

For example:

Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman petang.
Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada petang.
Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang.

All can be understood as “in the afternoon / early evening.”
The version in your sentence (pada waktu petang) is just a fuller, slightly more formal-sounding form.

Is pada always needed before time expressions like waktu petang?

No, pada is not always required, but it is very common and grammatically safe.

Typical patterns:

With pada (more formal/complete):
- pada pukul 5 – at 5 o’clock
- pada hari Isnin – on Monday
- pada waktu petang – in the afternoon
Without pada (very common in speech, still correct):
- pukul 5 kita berlatih. – We practice at 5.
- Isnin kita berlatih. – We practice on Monday.
- waktu petang kita berlatih. – We practice in the afternoon.

In your sentence, pada waktu petang sounds natural and neutral. In casual speech, you might also hear di taman waktu petang without pada.

Is the word order Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang the only correct one?

No. Malay word order is flexible, especially for time and place expressions. These versions are all acceptable:

Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang.
Lusa, kita akan berlatih pada waktu petang di taman.
Kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang lusa.

In general, a common neutral pattern is:

[Time] + [Subject] + [Future marker] + [Verb] + [Place] + [Time]

Your sentence fits this pattern nicely. Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would I say this to friends?

The sentence Lusa, kita akan berlatih di taman pada waktu petang. is neutral and fully natural in everyday use. You can say it:

to friends
to teammates
to colleagues
in slightly formal situations (e.g. a coach speaking to players)

In very casual conversation, people might shorten it, for example:

Lusa petang kita berlatih kat taman.
- kat is colloquial for di
- time and place phrases are shortened

But your original sentence is correct, clear, and safe to use in almost any context.