Learn Hardcore Malay: Kadang-kadang saya bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat, seolah-olah meja boleh bercakap. - Sometimes I dream about a strange situation in the office, as if the tables can talk.

You will hear kadang in speech, but it is more informal and sounds a bit clipped. For good, neutral Malay (especially in writing), use kadang-kadang.

Word order is quite flexible:

Kadang-kadang saya bermimpi... – Sometimes I dream…
Saya kadang-kadang bermimpi... – I sometimes dream…

Both are correct. Putting kadang-kadang at the start sounds a bit more emphatic or storytelling-like.

What is the function of bermimpi here, and how is it different from mimpi?

Bermimpi is a verb meaning to dream (while sleeping).

Prefix ber- often makes intransitive verbs from nouns.
mimpi by itself is a noun: a dream.

Examples:

Saya bermimpi tentang pejabat. – I dream about the office.
Saya ada mimpi pelik semalam. – I had a strange dream last night.

In your sentence, you need the verb form, so bermimpi is correct: saya bermimpi = I dream / I have dreams.

Why do we use tentang after bermimpi? Can I use other words like mengenai or pasal?

Tentang is a preposition meaning about / regarding. It is very commonly used after verbs of thinking, talking, or dreaming:

bercakap tentang – talk about
fikir tentang – think about
bermimpi tentang – dream about

You can sometimes replace tentang with:

mengenai – also about / regarding, slightly more formal or neutral.
pasal – about, but more informal / colloquial.

So:

Saya bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat.
Saya bermimpi mengenai keadaan pelik di pejabat.
Both sound fine in standard Malay.

Pasal would be more casual: Saya bermimpi pasal keadaan pelik di pejabat. – something you might say in relaxed conversation.

What does keadaan pelik mean exactly? Why not just say mimpi pelik?

Keadaan pelik literally means strange / weird situations or conditions.

keadaan = condition, state, situation
pelik = strange, weird

So keadaan pelik di pejabat suggests weird scenarios / strange circumstances in the office, not just a single object being strange. It paints a picture of the whole setup at the office being odd.

You could say something like:

Saya bermimpi pelik di pejabat. – I have strange dreams at the office. (less natural)
Saya mempunyai mimpi pelik tentang pejabat. – I have a strange dream about the office.

But the original keadaan pelik di pejabat focuses on the situation being strange, not simply the dream itself.

Why is it di pejabat and not di dalam pejabat or di pejabat saya?

Di pejabat means at the office / in the office, and is often enough by itself.

di = at / in / on (location marker)
pejabat = office

Malay often does not need extra words like in, inside if the context is clear.

More specific alternatives:

di dalam pejabat – literally inside the office (emphasises interior)
di pejabat saya – at my office

The sentence is general: strange situations at the office, so di pejabat is perfectly natural and idiomatic.

What does seolah-olah mean, and how is it used here?

Seolah-olah means as if, as though, or as though it were. It introduces a comparison that is not literally true but feels like it.

In the sentence:

...seolah-olah meja boleh bercakap.
= ...as if the desk could talk.

Usage pattern:

seolah-olah + clause

Examples:

Dia buat seolah-olah dia tak kenal saya. – He acts as if he doesn’t know me.
Langit gelap, seolah-olah nak hujan. – The sky is dark, as if it is going to rain.

It is quite similar to English as if in tone and formality.

Are there other words similar to seolah-olah that I might hear?

Yes, you might also hear:

seakan-akan – very close in meaning: as if, as though, seemingly
macam – very common, informal, and versatile, similar to like / as if

For your sentence, more casual versions could be:

...seakan-akan meja boleh bercakap.
...macam meja boleh bercakap. (more colloquial)

Seolah-olah is a good neutral choice, especially in writing or semi-formal speech.

Why is it meja boleh bercakap and not meja boleh bercakap-cakap or something else?

A few points:

meja = desk / table
No plural marker is needed in Malay. Meja can mean a desk or desks depending on context. Here, the learner already knows which makes sense.
boleh = can, is able to
It expresses ability or possibility: can talk.
bercakap = to talk, to speak
The ber- prefix makes it a verb.

Bercakap-cakap exists, but it suggests chatting / small talk, usually between people. For a magical desk, boleh bercakap (can talk) is simpler and more natural.

Why do we use boleh here instead of dapat?

Both boleh and dapat can translate to can, but they are used a bit differently.

boleh – can, is able to, allowed to; often about ability or permission.
dapat – can, be able to, manage to; often about succeeding in doing something or getting something.

For natural ability like a desk can talk, boleh is the standard choice:

meja boleh bercakap – the desk can talk (has the ability)

Using dapat here ( meja dapat bercakap ) would sound odd, as if the desk manages to talk or obtains the opportunity to talk.

Is the comma before seolah-olah necessary, and what does it signal?

The comma before seolah-olah is stylistically helpful but not absolutely mandatory. It signals a pause and marks the start of a new clause that describes how the situation feels:

Main clause: Kadang-kadang saya bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat
Comparative clause: seolah-olah meja boleh bercakap.

It functions like a comma before as if in English:

I sometimes dream about strange situations at the office, as if the desk could talk.

Using the comma makes the sentence easier to read and mirrors how it would naturally be spoken.

Why do we use saya and not aku in this sentence?

Both saya and aku mean I / me, but they differ in formality and context:

saya – polite, neutral, used in most public, formal, or neutral situations. Safe default.
aku – informal, used with close friends, family, or in certain expressive contexts (songs, poems, etc.).

The sentence feels like neutral narrative or written text, so saya is the natural, polite pronoun. If you were telling this to a very close friend in a casual chat, you might say:

Kadang-kadang aku bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat, seolah-olah meja boleh bercakap.

Can I move kadang-kadang to another position, like Saya kadang-kadang bermimpi...? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can move kadang-kadang, and the basic meaning (sometimes) remains the same:

Kadang-kadang saya bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat...
Saya kadang-kadang bermimpi tentang keadaan pelik di pejabat...

Both are correct.

Subtle nuance:

Putting kadang-kadang at the beginning sounds a bit more storytelling or emphasises the frequency: Sometimes, I dream...
Putting it after the subject is a more neutral, inline placement: I sometimes dream...

In everyday speech, both patterns are common and acceptable.