Kami berbincang dengan tenang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.

We calmly discuss work matters at that small café.

Breakdown of Kami berbincang dengan tenang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.

• itu: that
• di: at
• dengan: with
• kecil: small
• tentang: about
• tenang: calm
• kami: we
• kerja: work
• kafe: the café
• hal: the matter
• berbincang: to discuss

Questions & Answers about Kami berbincang dengan tenang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.

Does kami just mean we, or is there something special about it?

Malay distinguishes between two kinds of we:

• kami = we (excluding the listener)
  
  • Used when the speaker is talking about their group, but the person being spoken to is not part of that group.
• kita = we (including the listener)
  
  • Used when the speaker and the listener are in the same group.

So in Kami berbincang..., it implies: We (but not you) were discussing...
If the listener had also been part of the discussion, you would say Kita berbincang... instead.

What is the role of the ber- prefix in berbincang?

Berbincang comes from the root bincang (discuss). The prefix ber- is very common in Malay and often:

• turns a root into an intransitive verb (no direct object), and/or
• suggests doing the action involving more than one person or in a reciprocal way, like “to talk/discuss with each other”.

So:

• bincang – the bare root (you usually don’t use it by itself in a normal sentence)
• berbincang – to discuss / to have a discussion

In this sentence, berbincang means something like “to have a discussion, to discuss together”.

How do I know if this sentence is past, present, or future? There’s no tense marking.

Malay verbs usually don’t change form for tense. Berbincang itself doesn’t say whether it’s past, present, or future.

The tense is understood from context or from time words like:

• tadi – earlier, just now
• semalam – last night
• esok – tomorrow
• nanti – later

So, depending on context, this sentence could be:

• We are calmly discussing work matters at that small café.
• We calmly discussed work matters at that small café.
• We will calmly discuss work matters at that small café.

If you really want to make it clearly past, you might say:

• Tadi kami berbincang dengan tenang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.
  (Earlier, we calmly discussed work matters at that small café.)

Why is it dengan tenang instead of just tenang to mean “calmly”?

In Malay, one common way to make an adverb of manner (how something is done) is to use:

• dengan + adjective

So:

• tenang = calm (adjective)
• dengan tenang = calmly / in a calm way

You can sometimes drop dengan and just say tenang after the verb, and people will still understand the meaning:

• Kami berbincang tenang. (more casual, less standard-sounding)

Another, slightly more formal pattern is:

• secara tenang = in a calm manner

But dengan tenang is very natural and common in everyday Malay.

What does tentang mean here, and is it the only way to say “about”?

Tentang means “about / regarding / concerning”.

In tentang hal kerja, it links the discussion to its topic: “discuss about work matters”.

Other words that can play a similar role:

• mengenai – about, regarding (a bit more formal/neutral)
• berkenaan (dengan) – concerning, regarding (more formal)

You could say:

• Kami berbincang dengan tenang mengenai hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.

The meaning is very close. Tentang is a good, general-purpose word for “about” in everyday speech and writing.

What exactly does hal kerja mean? Why not just tentang kerja?

• hal roughly means matter, issue, affair, thing (in the sense of a topic).
• kerja means work (as in a job or work tasks).

So hal kerja together means “work-related matters / issues related to work”. It sounds a bit more like topics or issues around work, not just the word work in isolation.

Compare:

• tentang kerja – about work (more general)
• tentang hal kerja – about work matters / issues at work (slightly more specific and natural in this context)

You could say tentang kerja and people would still understand you, but tentang hal kerja sounds a bit more like natural, complete speech.

Why is it di kafe kecil itu and not di itu kafe kecil? What’s the word order?

Malay noun phrases usually follow this order:

[noun] + [adjective] + [demonstrative (ini/itu)]

So:

• kafe – café
• kecil – small
• itu – that

Put together in the normal order: kafe kecil itu = that small café.

So:

• di kafe kecil itu = at that small café

Ini = this
Itu = that

Examples:

• buku baru ini – this new book
• kereta merah itu – that red car

What is the difference between kafe kecil itu and kafe itu kecil?

They look similar but function differently:

1. kafe kecil itu

   • A noun phrase: that small café
   • Used as a thing/location:
     
     • Kami berbincang di kafe kecil itu.
       We discussed at that small café.

2. kafe itu kecil

   • A full sentence: that café is small
   • Subject = kafe itu (that café)
   • Predicate = kecil (is small)

In your sentence, you need the location phrase (“at that small café”), so it must be di kafe kecil itu, not di kafe itu kecil.

Can I change the word order of the adverbial parts, like moving dengan tenang or di kafe kecil itu around?

Yes, Malay word order is fairly flexible for adverbial phrases (manner, place, time), as long as it stays clear and natural.

Your original:

• Kami berbincang dengan tenang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu.

Other natural options:

• Kami berbincang tentang hal kerja dengan tenang di kafe kecil itu.
• Kami berbincang tentang hal kerja di kafe kecil itu dengan tenang.

All keep the same basic meaning. The original order (manner → topic → place) is very normal:

• (How) dengan tenang – calmly
• (About what) tentang hal kerja – about work matters
• (Where) di kafe kecil itu – at that small café

Extremely scrambled orders can start to sound awkward, but these variations are fine.

Is berbincang the same as just “talking”? How is it different from bercakap or berbual?

They’re related but have slightly different nuances:

• berbincang – to discuss, to have a discussion
  
  • Suggests a more purposeful or serious talk, often about a topic or issue (like work, plans, problems).
• bercakap – to talk, to speak
  
  • Very general; can mean just talking, speaking.
• berbual / bersembang – to chat
  
  • More casual, like small talk or informal chatting.

So:

• Kami berbincang tentang hal kerja...
  → We discuss work matters (sounds appropriate and purposeful).

If you said:

• Kami berbual tentang hal kerja...
  → We chat about work (sounds more casual, maybe lighter conversation).

Berbincang fits well here because “work matters” implies a more focused discussion rather than just casual chit-chat.