Learn Hardcore Malay: Daripada terus baring di sofa, saya rasa lebih baik kami keluar berjalan sekejap. - Rather than continuing to lie on the sofa, I feel it is better for us to go out for a short walk.

Both daripada and dari can translate to from, but daripada is used for comparison / preference and abstract sources, not physical locations.

dari – mainly physical origin or starting point:
- Saya datang dari London – I come from London.
daripada – comparison, preference, or “from” a more abstract source:
- Lebih baik tidur awal daripada tidur lewat. – Better to sleep early than sleep late.

In the sentence, daripada terus baring di sofa means rather than continuing to lie on the sofa, which is a preference/comparison, so daripada is correct, not dari.

What does daripada terus baring di sofa actually do in the sentence?

This chunk works like an English rather than / instead of phrase.

daripada – rather than, instead of (in a comparative sense)
terus baring – to keep lying / to continue lying
di sofa – on the sofa

So daripada terus baring di sofa = rather than continuing to lie on the sofa.
It sets up a contrast with what comes next: lebih baik kami keluar berjalan sekejap.

What does terus add to baring?

terus means continuously / keep on / go on.

baring – lie down / be lying
terus baring – to keep on lying (not stopping, just staying there)

Without terus, baring di sofa is just lying on the sofa.
With terus, it has the sense of just keep lying around on the sofa (and not doing anything else), which makes the contrast with going out stronger.

What is the difference between baring and berbaring?

In modern usage, they are very close and often interchangeable in casual speech.

berbaring – more complete/standard verb form, often used in writing or more careful speech.
baring – shorter form, very common in spoken Malay.

Examples:

Dia berbaring di katil.
Dia baring di katil.

Both usually mean He/She is lying on the bed.
In your sentence, terus baring sounds natural, casual, and conversational.

Why is it di sofa and not something like pada sofa?

di is the normal preposition for location (in, at, on) in Malay.

di rumah – at home
di meja – on the table
di sofa – on the sofa

pada is used more for abstract or less physical relations (time, topic, etc.), for example:

pada masa itu – at that time
pada pendapat saya – in my opinion

So with a physical object like sofa, di is the natural choice.

What does saya rasa mean here: “I feel” or “I think”?

In this context, saya rasa is closer to I think (expressing an opinion or judgment).

Saya rasa dia betul. – I think he/she is right.
Saya rasa lebih baik kami keluar… – I think it would be better if we go out…

Malay can also use saya fikir for I think, but saya rasa is more common and sounds softer and more natural in everyday conversation.

What exactly is lebih baik doing in the sentence?

lebih means more, and baik means good.
Together lebih baik functions like better / it’s better (to).

In saya rasa lebih baik kami keluar berjalan sekejap:

saya rasa – I think
lebih baik – it’s better (that)
kami keluar berjalan sekejap – we go out for a short walk

So the structure is very similar to:
I think it’s better [that] we go out for a short walk.

Why is kami used here instead of kita?

Malay distinguishes between two kinds of we:

kami – we (not including the listener)
kita – we (including the listener)

So:

If the speaker is talking about themselves and some other people, but not including the person they’re speaking to, they use kami.
If the speaker wants to include the listener in the group, they use kita.

In this sentence, kami implies the speaker is talking about their own group, possibly not including the person being spoken to. If the speaker is inviting the listener along, kita would be more natural:

…lebih baik kita keluar berjalan sekejap. – It’d be better if we (you and I) go out for a walk.

Is keluar berjalan redundant? Why use two verbs “go out” and “walk”?

This kind of double-verb expression is very common in Malay.

keluar – go out / exit
berjalan – walk

Together, keluar berjalan is understood as go out for a walk / go out walking. The combination gives a more specific picture:

keluar alone could just mean go out (for any purpose).
berjalan alone could be walking anywhere, even inside a building.
keluar berjalan clearly suggests going outside to walk for leisure or a short outing.

Could you say just keluar or just berjalan instead?

Yes, but the nuance changes slightly:

…lebih baik kami keluar sekejap.
– Better if we go out for a while (purpose is vague: shopping, visiting, etc.).
…lebih baik kami berjalan sekejap.
– Better if we walk a bit (could even be indoors, or just stand up and walk around).
…lebih baik kami keluar berjalan sekejap.
– Better if we go out and walk for a while (strong sense of a short outdoor walk).

The original phrase gives a clearer “go out for a short walk” idea.

What does sekejap really mean, and how strong is that “short time” feeling?

sekejap means for a short while / briefly / a moment.

It suggests:

Not long, but the exact length depends on context (could be a few minutes or more).
Informal and very common in speech.

Examples:

Tunggu sekejap. – Wait a moment.
Saya nak keluar sekejap. – I want to go out for a bit.

In your sentence, it softens the suggestion: not a big outing, just a short walk.

Is the word order keluar berjalan sekejap fixed, or can I move the words around?

Some changes are acceptable, but some will sound odd or change the meaning.

Natural:

keluar berjalan sekejap – go out, walk a bit (most natural).
Less natural / different nuance:
keluar sekejap berjalan – sounds awkward and uncommon.
berjalan keluar sekejap – can be understood, but now berjalan keluar hints more at walking out (of somewhere), not “go out for a walk”.

So if you want the meaning go out for a short walk, keluar berjalan sekejap is the standard and most natural order.

Could the sentence be written with daripada in the middle instead of at the start?

Yes. You can also say:

Saya rasa lebih baik kami keluar berjalan sekejap daripada terus baring di sofa.

Meaning is essentially the same. Differences:

Daripada at the start (Daripada terus baring di sofa, ...) feels slightly more like a contrastive opener, similar to Instead of lying on the sofa, I think…
Daripada in the middle (…lebih baik kami keluar… daripada terus baring…) mirrors English It’s better to… than to… more directly.

Both are grammatical and natural.

Why is there no tense marker? How do we know this is about now / the near future?

Malay usually does not mark tense with verb endings like English does. Time is understood from:

context
time words (tadi, nanti, sekarang, etc.)
or is simply left flexible.

In this sentence:

The structure saya rasa lebih baik kami… strongly suggests a suggestion about what to do now / next.
Because lying on the sofa and going out are everyday actions, listeners naturally interpret it as present/near-future.

If you needed to be very explicit, you could add time words, e.g.:

Sekarang ini, daripada terus baring di sofa… – Right now, rather than keep lying on the sofa…
Lepas ini, saya rasa lebih baik kami keluar… – After this, I think it’s better if we go out…