Learn Hardcore Malay: Kami duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem. - We sit on the soft sofa while watching a movie.

kami = we (but not you, the person we’re talking to)
- Example: Kami duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
  → We (some group) are on the sofa, and the listener is not part of that group.
kita = we (including you, the listener)
- Example: Kita duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
  → You and I are sitting on the sofa together watching a movie.

So in the given sentence, the speaker is talking about their group, excluding the listener.

Does duduk only mean “to sit,” or can it mean “to live/stay” too?

duduk primarily means to sit, as in this sentence.

It can also mean to live / to reside / to stay (somewhere) in many contexts, especially in everyday speech:

Saya duduk di Kuala Lumpur.
→ I live in Kuala Lumpur.

But in your sentence, because it’s followed by di atas sofa lembut (on a soft sofa), the meaning is clearly to sit.

Why do we say di atas sofa and not just di sofa? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but there is a nuance:

di sofa = on/at the sofa (general, very natural and common)
di atas sofa = literally on top of the sofa, slightly more explicit

In everyday Malay, people would often just say:

Kami duduk di sofa sambil menonton filem.

Using di atas sofa is not wrong; it just sounds a bit more explicit or descriptive about the position (sitting on top of it, not beside it or under it).

Is di atas one word or two? How does it work grammatically?

It should be written as two words: di atas.

di = a locative preposition (at, in, on)
atas = a noun meaning top / upper part / above

Together, di atas literally means “at the top (of)”, but functionally it often just means on.

So:

di atas meja = on the table
di atas sofa = on the sofa

Writing diatas as one word is considered incorrect in standard Malay for this meaning.

Why is it sofa lembut and not lembut sofa? Where do adjectives go in Malay?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

sofa lembut = soft sofa
- sofa (noun)
- lembut (adjective: soft)

Putting the adjective first (lembut sofa) would be wrong in standard Malay.

More examples:

rumah besar = big house
baju cantik = pretty shirt/clothes
filem menarik = interesting film

Can I say sofa yang lembut instead of sofa lembut? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say sofa yang lembut, and it is grammatically correct.

sofa lembut = soft sofa (simple noun + adjective)
sofa yang lembut = the sofa that is soft / the soft sofa (slightly more emphatic or descriptive)

yang here functions like “that/which/is” to link the noun and its description.
In many cases, both versions are acceptable; sofa lembut is more concise and more typical in casual speech.

What does sambil mean exactly, and how is it used?

sambil means while / as / at the same time, and it’s used when one person is doing two actions simultaneously.

Pattern:

[Subject] + [Action 1] + sambil
- [Action 2]

In your sentence:

Kami duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
→ We sit on the soft sofa while watching a movie.

Both actions share the same subject (kami):

Action 1: duduk di atas sofa lembut
Action 2: menonton filem

If two different people did different actions at the same time, you would normally use other words like sementara or just rephrase the sentence.

How is sambil different from sementara?

Both can be translated as “while”, but they’re used differently:

sambil: same subject doing two actions at once
- Saya makan sambil menonton TV.
  → I eat while watching TV. (I do both)
sementara: often used for two different subjects or to emphasize the time period
- Saya makan sementara adik saya menonton TV.
  → I eat while my younger sibling watches TV. (two different people)

In your sentence, sambil is correct because kami is doing both actions.

Why is it menonton filem and not melihat filem? What’s the difference?

Both menonton and melihat relate to seeing, but they’re used differently:

menonton = to watch (something you follow or pay attention to, like a show or movie)
- menonton filem = to watch a film
- menonton TV = to watch TV
melihat = to see / to look at (more general, like to see something with your eyes)
- melihat gambar = to look at a picture
- melihat pemandangan = to look at the view

For movies or shows, menonton is the natural verb.
Also, in informal Malay you will often hear tengok (colloquial):

Kami tengok filem. (informal)
= We watch a movie.

Does filem mean “movie” as well as “film”? Is there any other common word?

Yes, filem is the standard Malay word for film / movie.

Other related words you might hear:

wayang
- Traditionally: shadow puppet shows
- Colloquially (especially in Malaysia): often used to mean “movie” or “cinema” in some expressions
  - pergi tengok wayang = go watch a movie (colloquial)

But in clear, standard sentences, filem is the normal choice for movie/film.

There is no word for “are” in the sentence. How do we know it means “are sitting … while watching”?

Malay generally does not use a separate word for “am/is/are” in the present tense.

Kami duduk can mean:
- We sit
- We are sitting

Context tells you whether it’s a general habit or something happening now.
If you want to make the “right now” feeling clearer, you can add sedang or tengah:

Kami sedang duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
Kami tengah duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem. (more informal)

Both emphasize that the action is happening at this moment.

Is the pronoun kami necessary? Can it be dropped?

You can drop kami if the subject is understood from context. Malay often omits pronouns when they’re obvious.

So you might hear:

Duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
→ (We/They/Someone) sit on the soft sofa while watching a movie.

However:

Including kami makes it clear that the speaker is talking about their own group (excluding the listener).
In teaching materials and more formal writing, it’s common to keep the pronoun for clarity.

So it’s not grammatically required, but it helps specify who is doing the action.

Can I change the word order to Kami menonton filem sambil duduk di atas sofa lembut? Is that still correct?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and natural:

Kami menonton filem sambil duduk di atas sofa lembut.
→ We watch a movie while sitting on the soft sofa.

Both versions are acceptable:

Kami duduk di atas sofa lembut sambil menonton filem.
Kami menonton filem sambil duduk di atas sofa lembut.

The meaning is the same; you’re just emphasizing a different action first:

First version highlights sitting then mentions watching.
Second version highlights watching then mentions sitting.