Learn Hardcore Malay: Kita hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat. - We respect the fair leader at the office.

So kita hormat… means you and I (and possibly others) respect….
If you said kami hormat pemimpin…, it would mean we (but not you) respect the leader…, which is a different social meaning. The sentence likely assumes the speaker and listener are part of the same group in the office, so kita is appropriate.

Is hormat a verb or a noun in this sentence?

In this sentence hormat functions as a verb, meaning to respect.

As a verb: kita hormat pemimpin = we respect the leader
As a noun: rasa hormat = respect (as a feeling), tanda hormat = a sign of respect

Malay often uses the same root word as both noun and verb. Context tells you which it is. Here, because hormat comes after kita (a subject) and before pemimpin (an object), it is clearly verbal.

Could I say Kita menghormati pemimpin… instead of Kita hormat pemimpin…? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say both, but there is a nuance:

Kita hormat pemimpin…
- Shorter, more colloquial or neutral.
- Common in speech and informal writing.
Kita menghormati pemimpin…
- Uses the prefix meN- (here meng-) to make a clear verb form.
- Sounds more formal, careful, or written.
- Very common in formal speeches, essays, news, etc.

Meaning-wise, both are we respect the leader, but menghormati feels more polished.

Do we need a preposition like kepada after hormat, as in hormat kepada pemimpin?

In this sentence you don’t need kepada. The normal pattern is:

[verb] + [object] → hormat pemimpin = respect the leader

You would typically use kepada when:

Hormat is more like a noun:
- beri hormat kepada pemimpin = give respect to the leader
- tunjuk hormat kepada orang tua = show respect to the elderly
You want a slightly more formal or explicit structure:
- kita menunjukkan hormat kepada pemimpin yang adil
  = we show respect to the fair leader

So kita hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat is perfectly natural without kepada.

Does pemimpin mean “leader” or “leaders” here? How can I make it clearly singular or plural?

By itself, pemimpin is number‑neutral. It can mean leader or leaders, depending on context.

To make it clearly singular:

seorang pemimpin yang adil = a/an fair leader
pemimpin itu yang adil = that leader is fair

To make it clearly plural:

para pemimpin yang adil = the (various) fair leaders
pemimpin-pemimpin yang adil = leaders who are fair (reduplication)
Using a number: tiga orang pemimpin yang adil = three fair leaders

In the original sentence, pemimpin could be understood as a leader or leaders; context would decide.

What does yang do in pemimpin yang adil, and is it necessary?

Yang is a relative marker, roughly like English who / that / which. It links a noun to a description:

pemimpin yang adil ≈ the leader who is fair / leaders who are fair

Is it necessary?

With a simple adjective, you can say either
- pemimpin adil or
- pemimpin yang adil
Both are grammatically correct.
- pemimpin adil is a bit more compact.
- pemimpin yang adil often sounds a bit more emphatic or slightly more formal, like stressing the ones who are fair.
With a longer description or full clause, yang is required:
- pemimpin yang adil kepada semua pekerja
  = leaders who are fair to all employees
- You cannot drop yang in structures like this.

So here yang is not strictly required, but it sounds very natural and highlights the fairness as a defining quality.

Why does the adjective adil come after pemimpin, instead of before it like in English?

In Malay, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe:

pemimpin adil = fair leader
pejabat besar = big office
kerusi baru = new chair

You generally do not say adil pemimpin. The pattern is:

noun + adjective → pemimpin + adil

When you insert yang, the structure is still noun first:

pemimpin yang adil = leader who is fair

Does di pejabat describe where we respect the leader, or what kind of leader it is (a leader in the office)?

By default, di pejabat is read as describing where the action happens:

Kita hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat.
→ Most naturally: At the office, we respect fair leaders.

However, Malay allows some ambiguity. To make things clearer:

If you mean “leaders in the office” (leaders whose workplace is the office):
- Kita hormat pemimpin di pejabat yang adil.
  (Here di pejabat is more tightly attached to pemimpin.)
If you mean clearly “at the office we (all) respect fair leaders”:
- Di pejabat, kita hormat pemimpin yang adil.
  (Fronting di pejabat strongly marks it as the location of the action.)

Context and word order help listeners see what di pejabat is modifying.

Can di pejabat mean “in office” in the political sense (holding office)?

No, di pejabat is literal/physical: at the office / in the office (building/workplace).

For “in office” in the sense of holding a position or power, Malay would use different expressions, for example:

memegang jawatan = to hold a post
masih berkuasa = still in power
masih dalam jawatan = still in office (still in the position)

So pemimpin yang adil di pejabat is about leaders in or at the workplace, not “leaders who are in office (in power).”

How do we know the tense of hormat? Could this sentence be present, past, or future?

Malay verbs like hormat do not change form for tense. The same sentence can be interpreted as:

present: We respect fair leaders at the office.
past: We respected fair leaders at the office.
future: We will respect fair leaders at the office.

To make the time clear, Malay adds separate time words:

sudah / telah = already (past)
- Kita sudah hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat.
sedang = currently (progressive)
- Kita sedang hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat.
akan = will (future)
- Kita akan hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat.

Without these, context decides the time reference.

Can we change the word order, like moving di pejabat or dropping kita? What would that mean?

Yes, some changes are possible, with changes in nuance:

Fronting the place phrase
- Di pejabat, kita hormat pemimpin yang adil.
  - Still grammatical.
  - Emphasises the place: At the office, we respect fair leaders (maybe not elsewhere).
Dropping the subject pronoun
- Hormat pemimpin yang adil di pejabat.
  - This is no longer a neutral “we…” statement.
  - It sounds more like a command, slogan, or rule:
    Respect fair leaders in the office. (imperative / general instruction)
  - In Malay, dropping the pronoun often pushes the sentence towards an impersonal rule or instruction.

For a neutral declarative meaning “We respect fair leaders at the office,” it is best to keep kita and keep the original structure (or just front di pejabat for emphasis if you wish).