Learn Hardcore Malay: Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap. - The boss suggests that we rest for a moment.

It usually means your direct superior at work (manager, supervisor, etc.).
It’s informal–neutral, not very formal but commonly used even in workplaces.

More formal or polite alternatives, especially in writing or in very respectful speech, would be things like:

“Ketua” – leader/head
“Pengurus” – manager
Or a title + name: “Encik Ahmad”, “Puan Lim”, “Cikgu” (for teacher), etc.

So “Bos cadangkan...” feels like everyday spoken Malay at work, not rude, but not very formal either.

Why is it “cadangkan” and not just “cadang” or “mencadangkan”?

The root verb is “cadang” (to propose/suggest/plan). From that you get:

mencadangkan – fully prefixed form (standard Malay), “to suggest/propose”
cadangkan – colloquial, often used in speech instead of mencadangkan
cadang – root form; sometimes used in informal speech: “Saya cadang kita pergi awal.”

In careful standard Malay, you would more often see:

“Bos mencadangkan kita berehat sekejap.”

In everyday spoken Malay, dropping the meN- prefix is very common:

“Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.”

All three (cadang / cadangkan / mencadangkan) are understandable, but “Bos cadangkan...” sounds natural in casual conversation, while “Bos mencadangkan...” sounds more formal/standard.

What does the “-kan” in “cadangkan” do? Is it necessary?

The suffix “-kan” often marks a transitive verb (one that takes an object) or indicates something is being done for someone / applied to something.

For cadang:

cadang – base meaning: to suggest/plan
mencadangkan sesuatu – to suggest something
cadangkan sesuatu – (imperative/colloquial): suggest something

In “Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.”, the whole clause “kita berehat sekejap” is functioning like the thing being suggested, so “-kan” fits that pattern.

You could hear “Bos cadang kita berehat sekejap” in casual speech, but “cadangkan” or “mencadangkan” sounds more complete and is safer for learners to imitate.

Why is it “kita” and not “kami” for “we” here?

Malay has two common words for “we”:

kita – inclusive “we” (includes the listener)
kami – exclusive “we” (excludes the listener)

In “Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.”:

kita means “you and I (and possibly others) should rest.”
It implies the boss’s suggestion includes the person being talked to.

If you said:

“Bos cadangkan kami berehat sekejap.”

that would mean “The boss suggests that we (but not you) rest for a while.” This excludes the listener.

So “kita” is correct here if the rest break is meant for both speaker and listener.

Could this sentence mean that the boss is including himself in “kita” as well?

Yes, it can. “Kita” includes:

The speaker
The listener
And possibly other people (including the boss)

The exact group depends on context. It could mean:

The boss suggests that we all (boss + staff) rest.
Or the boss suggests that you and your team rest (boss not included), but the speaker is in that team and talking to a colleague.

Malay doesn’t always specify the group as precisely as English; context usually clarifies.

Is “berehat” just “to rest”? What’s the difference between “rehat” and “berehat”?

Yes, “berehat” means “to rest” as a verb.

rehat – originally more like a noun: rest, break
- e.g. “masa rehat” – break time
berehat – verb: to rest / to take a break
- e.g. “Saya nak berehat.” – I want to rest.

In spoken Malay, people sometimes use “rehat” like a verb:

“Saya nak rehat sekejap.”

This is widely understood and common. But “berehat” is the more grammatically standard verb form.

So “kita berehat sekejap” = “we (should) rest for a while.”

Does “berehat” take an object? Can I say something like “berehat badan saya”?

“Berehat” is intransitive – it doesn’t take a direct object.

You say:

“Saya nak berehat.” – I want to rest.
“Kita patut berehat sekejap.” – We should rest a while.

If you want a transitive verb (verb + object), you use:

“merehatkan” – to rest (something/someone)
- e.g. “Doktor menyarankan saya merehatkan mata.” – The doctor advised me to rest my eyes.

But in everyday sentences about people resting themselves, you normally just use “berehat” with no object, like in “kita berehat sekejap”.

What does “sekejap” mean exactly? Is it formal or informal?

“Sekejap” literally means “for a short moment / a little while / briefly.”

In this sentence:

“berehat sekejap” ≈ “rest for a bit” / “rest for a short while”

In terms of style:

everyday/informal: sekejap
neutral/slightly more formal: sebentar or seketika

All of these are common:

“Tunggu sekejap.” – Wait a moment.
“Tunggu sebentar.” – Wait a moment (slightly more formal).

Here, “sekejap” sounds natural and common in speech.

Why is there no word like “that” (as in “suggest that we rest”) – is something missing after “cadangkan”?

Malay often omits a word like “that” when introducing a clause.

In English:

“The boss suggests that we rest for a while.”

In Malay, all of these are possible:

Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.
Bos mencadangkan kita berehat sekejap.
Bos mencadangkan supaya kita berehat sekejap.
Bos mencadangkan agar kita berehat sekejap.

Words like “supaya” or “agar” play a role similar to “that/so that,” but they’re not required. Sentence (1) is natural and complete without them.

So nothing is missing; Malay simply doesn’t need a visible “that” here.

Could I say “Bos cadangkan untuk kita berehat sekejap” like in English “suggest for us to rest”?

That kind of structure is influenced by English and sounds unnatural or wrong in standard Malay.

Avoid:

✗ Bos cadangkan untuk kita berehat sekejap.

Prefer:

Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.
Bos mencadangkan supaya kita berehat sekejap.

In Malay, “cadangkan/mencadangkan” is usually followed directly by:

a clause: “kita berehat sekejap”, or
“supaya/agar” + clause

Is the sentence talking about something the boss already said, or is it more like “the boss is suggesting now”?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense (past/present/future). The sentence:

“Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.”

is tenseless on its own. It could mean:

The boss has suggested that we rest (earlier).
The boss is suggesting right now that we rest.
The boss will/has decided to suggest that we rest (with extra context).

Context or time words make it clearer:

“Tadi bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.” – The boss suggested earlier that we rest.
“Sekarang bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.” – Now the boss is suggesting we rest.

Can I drop “kita” and just say “Bos cadangkan berehat sekejap”?

You might hear:

“Bos cadangkan berehat sekejap.”

in casual speech, and people will likely understand it as “The boss suggests (that we) rest a while.”

However:

It’s a bit vague (who exactly should rest?), and
For learners, it’s clearer and safer to include the subject:
- “Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.” – The boss suggests that we rest a while.
- “Bos cadangkan kamu berehat sekejap.” – The boss suggests that you rest a while.

So yes, you might hear the shorter version, but including “kita” is better, especially in writing or careful speech.

How formal or informal does the whole sentence “Bos cadangkan kita berehat sekejap.” sound?

Overall, it sounds casual to neutral, like typical workplace spoken Malay:

“Bos” – informal/neutral word for “boss”
Dropped prefix (cadangkan instead of mencadangkan) – common in speech
“sekejap” – everyday conversational word

A more formal version for writing or very polite speech might be:

“Bos mencadangkan supaya kita berehat sebentar.”
or replacing “bos” with a title/name:
- “Pengurus mencadangkan supaya kita berehat sebentar.”