Learn Hardcore Malay: Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem, tetapi hubungan kami tetap baik. - We sometimes argue about movies, but our relationship is still good.

In the sentence Kami kadang-kadang berhujah…, the speaker is talking about their own group (e.g. they and their partner/friends), not necessarily including the person they are talking to. That’s why kami is used.

If the speaker wanted to say you and I sometimes argue about films, they would say:

Kita kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem…

What does kadang-kadang mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

Kadang-kadang means sometimes.

In this sentence:

Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem…
= We sometimes argue about films…

Common positions for kadang-kadang:

After the subject (very natural):
- Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem.
At the beginning of the sentence (more emphasis on sometimes):
- Kadang-kadang kami berhujah tentang filem.

You normally don’t put kadang-kadang at the very end like in English “We argue about films sometimes”; it usually comes before the verb.

Why is there a hyphen in kadang-kadang? Can I just write kadangkadang or kadang?

The hyphen marks reduplication (repeating a word), which is very common in Malay.

Base word: kadang (occasion, time – rarely used on its own in modern everyday speech)
Reduplicated: kadang-kadang = sometimes / occasionally

Correct forms:

kadang-kadang ✅
kadangkadang ❌ (not standard)
kadang alone as “sometimes” ❌ in standard modern Malay (though you may see it in older texts or dialects)

So for sometimes, you should use kadang-kadang.

What does the verb berhujah mean, and how is it formed?

Berhujah comes from:

Root noun: hujah = argument (reasoning, justification, argument in debate)
Prefix: ber- = often forms intransitive verbs meaning to have / to be in the state of / to do (related to the root)

So:

ber-
- hujah → berhujah = to argue, to give arguments, to debate

In this context, berhujah ≈ to argue (in a discussion / debate sense).

It can sound more like arguing intellectually or debating rather than a heated fight, depending on context.

What’s the difference between berhujah, bergaduh, and bertengkar?

All can relate to disagreeing or fighting, but with different nuances:

berhujah
- focus: giving arguments, reasoning
- often more intellectual or formal, like debating a point
- used in court, essays, debates, or polite arguments
bertengkar
- focus: quarrelling, arguing (can be emotional, raised voices)
- less physical, more verbal conflict
- e.g. Mereka selalu bertengkar. – They always quarrel.
bergaduh
- focus: fighting (can be physical or very heated)
- stronger, more negative
- e.g. Mereka bergaduh di sekolah. – They fought at school.

In your sentence, berhujah suggests they disagree or argue about films, but not necessarily in a destructive way—more like discussing or debating.

What does tentang mean, and can I use pasal or mengenai instead?

Tentang means about / regarding / concerning.

berhujah tentang filem = argue about films

You can often replace tentang with:

mengenai – more formal, often in writing
- berhujah mengenai filem ✅ (sounds more formal)
pasal – more colloquial, informal speech
- berhujah pasal filem ✅ (very natural in casual conversation)

All three are understandable, but:

Neutral/standard: tentang
Formal: mengenai
Informal/spoken: pasal

Why is filem used instead of an English loanword like movie?

Filem is the standard Malay word for film / movie. It’s widely used in both formal and informal contexts.

Malay does borrow some English words, but:

filem is well-established and standard
Saying movie in a Malay sentence would sound very English-influenced and less natural

So:

berhujah tentang filem = argue about films/movies (natural Malay)

Why do we say hubungan kami tetap baik instead of just hubungan kami baik?

Both are grammatical, but the meanings differ slightly:

hubungan kami baik
= our relationship is good (a simple description)
hubungan kami tetap baik
= our relationship remains/stays good
The word tetap adds the idea of continuity or persistence despite something.

In this sentence, there is a contrast:

Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem, tetapi hubungan kami tetap baik.
= We sometimes argue about films, but our relationship still/remains good.

Tetap emphasizes that even though they argue, the relationship continues to be good.

What exactly does tetap mean, and how is it different from masih?

Both tetap and masih relate to continuing, but they’re used differently:

tetap = still / remain / stay (unchanged)
- often with a sense of firmness or persistence, especially despite difficulties
- Dia tetap tenang. – He/She remains calm.
masih = still (not yet stopped/changed)
- focuses more on ongoing state or action
- Dia masih tidur. – He/She is still sleeping.

In your sentence:

hubungan kami tetap baik
suggests: Our relationship stays good (even though we sometimes argue).

Using masih (hubungan kami masih baik) would sound more like “our relationship is still good (for now)”, sometimes implying it might change later or was nearly not good. Tetap is more about firmly remaining good.

Why is kami repeated in hubungan kami? Could you just say hubungan tetap baik?

Hubungan kami literally means our relationship:

hubungan = relationship
kami = our / we (possessive when placed after a noun)

You could say hubungan tetap baik and it would be understood as the relationship remains good, but:

you would lose the explicit “our”
it sounds more general and a bit less clear about whose relationship

So:

hubungan kami tetap baik = our relationship remains good (clear and natural)
hubungan tetap baik = the relationship remains good (grammatical but less specific)

What does tetapi mean, and how is it different from tapi?

Both mean but.

tetapi
- more formal/standard
- common in writing and in careful speech
tapi
- informal/colloquial
- very common in everyday conversation

In your sentence:

…, tetapi hubungan kami tetap baik. ✅ standard, neutral
…, tapi hubungan kami tetap baik. ✅ very natural in casual speech

Grammar is the same; the difference is mainly formality.

Is the comma before tetapi necessary?

In standard written Malay, it is normal and recommended to put a comma before tetapi when it connects two independent clauses:

Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem, tetapi hubungan kami tetap baik.

This is similar to English punctuation with but joining two full clauses. In very informal writing (texts/chats), people sometimes omit it, but in proper writing, keep the comma.

Could the word order be changed to Kami berhujah tentang filem kadang-kadang?

That sentence is understandable, but it sounds less natural.

For adverbs of frequency like kadang-kadang, the most natural positions are:

After the subject:
- Kami kadang-kadang berhujah tentang filem. ✅
At the beginning (for emphasis):
- Kadang-kadang kami berhujah tentang filem. ✅

Putting kadang-kadang at the very end (… tentang filem kadang-kadang) sounds influenced by English word order (… about films sometimes). It’s not wrong, but it’s not the usual pattern in Malay.

Is there any plural marking in this sentence, or how do we know it’s “films” and “we”?

Malay generally does not mark plural with endings like -s.

We know plurality from:

kami = we (by definition plural; never singular)
filem = can mean film or films, depending on context

In this sentence:

Kami → clearly plural subject: we
filem → films is the natural translation in English, because people don’t usually argue repeatedly about only one specific film unless context says so.

If you really wanted to emphasize plural films in Malay, you could say:

tentang filem-filem (reduplication to show plurality)
But typically, filem alone is enough, and filem-filem can sound slightly more formal or emphatic.