Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau. - I throw orange peels into the green bin.

buang – base verb; very common in everyday, informal, and neutral speech.
membuang – with the meN- prefix; sounds more formal, often used in writing, news, or when you want a slightly “fuller” verb.

In your sentence:

Saya buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau. – perfectly natural in conversation.
Saya membuang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau. – sounds more formal or written.

Meaning-wise here, there is no real difference; it’s mostly about style and register.

How do I know this sentence is past, present, or future? There is no tense change.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Buang stays the same for past, present, and future. The time is understood from context or from extra words:

Past: Tadi saya buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau.
(Just now I threw away the orange peel into the green bin.)
Present: Sekarang saya buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau.
(Now I am throwing the orange peel into the green bin.)
Future: Nanti saya akan buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau.
(Later I will throw the orange peel into the green bin.)

Your bare sentence can usually be understood as past or present unless context clearly indicates future.

What does kulit usually mean? Is it always “peel”?

Kulit is a general word for “skin” or “outer layer”:

human/animal skin: kulit manusia, kulit anjing
fruit peel: kulit oren, kulit pisang (banana peel)
shells or coverings: kulit telur (eggshell), kulit kacang (peanut shell)
leather: jaket kulit (leather jacket)

So kulit oren is literally “orange skin,” which in English we call “orange peel.”

Is kulit oren clearly “orange peel” and not “orange-coloured skin”?

In normal, everyday context, kulit oren will be understood as:

“orange peel” (the peel of the orange fruit)

If you wanted to say “orange-coloured skin,” you would most likely be more explicit, for example:

kulit berwarna oren – skin that is orange-coloured
kulit yang berwarna oren – the skin which is orange-coloured

So kulit oren without any extra words is naturally interpreted as “peel of an orange (fruit).”

Why is oren used? Isn’t the Malay word for the colour orange jingga?

Malay has both:

oren – from “orange”; commonly used for both the fruit and the colour.
jingga – traditional word for the colour orange.

Usage tendencies:

For the fruit: people almost always say oren (or buah oren).
For the colour: both oren and jingga are used. Jingga is more “standard” or literary, but oren is very common in speech.

In kulit oren, listeners first think of the fruit, not the colour.

Why is it tong hijau and not hijau tong?

In Malay, the typical order is:

Noun + Adjective

So you say:

tong hijau – green bin
buku besar – big book
kereta merah – red car

Putting the adjective first (hijau tong) is wrong in standard Malay. Adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

What exactly does tong mean? Is it only for rubbish bins?

Tong means a container, often a large one, and is frequently used for bins:

tong sampah – rubbish bin / trash can
tong biru – blue bin
tong minyak – oil drum

It’s not restricted to rubbish, but in everyday use, tong on its own will often be understood as some kind of bin or large container. If you specifically want “trash bin,” tong sampah is clearer than just tong.

What is the difference between ke, dalam, and ke dalam?

They each have a slightly different role:

ke – “to, towards” (direction)
- Saya pergi ke sekolah. – I go to school.
dalam – “in, inside” (location)
- Buku itu dalam beg. – The book is in the bag.
ke dalam – “into, into the inside of” (movement into something)
- Saya buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau. – I throw the orange peel into the green bin.

So ke dalam emphasizes movement going from outside to inside.

Could I say ke tong hijau or dalam tong hijau instead of ke dalam tong hijau?

You can, but they feel slightly different:

ke tong hijau – “to the green bin”
- Focus on direction/towards the bin; less explicit about “into”.
dalam tong hijau – “in the green bin”
- Describes location, not movement.
ke dalam tong hijau – “into the green bin”
- Clearly expresses movement from outside to inside.

For “throw into the bin,” ke dalam tong hijau is the most precise and natural.

Can I drop Saya and just say Buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau?

Yes, you can omit Saya when the subject is obvious from context, especially in speech:

(Saya) Buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau.

This could sound like:

An instruction to yourself (less common), or
A casual statement where I is already understood.

Malay often drops pronouns when they are clear from context. But if you need clarity, especially in a stand‑alone sentence, keep Saya.

Is there any difference between buang and buangkan here?

Yes, adding -kan makes buangkan:

buang – base verb: throw away, discard.
buangkan – often used:
- To sound slightly more insistent or directive (in instructions), or
- To emphasise the object being disposed of.

For example:

Tolong buang kulit oren ke dalam tong hijau. – Please throw the orange peel into the green bin.
Tolong buangkan kulit oren itu ke dalam tong hijau. – Similar meaning, but can feel a bit more “do dispose of that peel,” slightly more focused on getting rid of it.

In your simple statement about what you did, buang is the most natural choice.