Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.

We like to have picnics at the lake on Saturdays.

Breakdown of Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.

• suka: to like
• di: at
• pada: on
• kami: we
• berkelah: to have a picnic
• tasik: the lake
• hari Sabtu: Saturday

Questions & Answers about Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.

What is the difference between kami and kita, since both mean we?

Malay has two words for we:

• kami = we (excluding the person we are talking to)

  • Used when the listener is not part of the group.
  • Example meaning of the sentence: We (but not you) like to picnic at the lake on Saturdays.

• kita = we (including the person we are talking to)

  • Used when the listener is part of the group.
  • If you say Kita suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu, it sounds like:
    • We (including you) like to picnic at the lake on Saturdays.

In the given sentence, kami is correct if the speaker wants to exclude the listener.

Why is there no word for to (as in to picnic) before berkelah?

Malay verbs do not need a separate word like English to before the base form.
So:

• berkelah = to picnic / picnicking / picnic (depending on context)

The structure is:

• Kami suka berkelah
  Literally: We like picnic-ing
  Natural English: We like to picnic.

You do not say suka untuk berkelah in normal Malay; that sounds unnatural or overly formal. Just suka berkelah is correct.

What does berkelah mean exactly, and how is it formed?

berkelah is a verb meaning to have a picnic / to go for a picnic.

Morphologically:

• Prefix ber- often marks intransitive verbs or activities done by the subject.
• Root kelah relates to picnic as an activity.

So berkelah roughly means to do the activity of a picnic.
In everyday usage, berkelah = to picnic.

Why is it di tasik and not pada tasik?

Malay commonly uses:

• di for location in space: at, in, on (for physical places)
• pada for time and also for some abstract uses

In this sentence:

• di tasik = at the lake
  • di: at/in
  • tasik: lake

Using pada tasik for a physical location is not natural.
So:

• di tasik = correct (at the lake)
• pada tasik = sounds wrong in this context.

Does di tasik mean in the lake or at the lake?

di tasik is a bit general:

• It could literally be in the lake, but for a picnic, people normally understand it as at the lake (by the lake / near the lake).

If you want to be more specific:

• di tepi tasik = by the lake / at the lakeside
• di dalam tasik = in the lake (inside the water)

In everyday conversation, berkelah di tasik is naturally understood as having a picnic at the lake (area).

What does pada hari Sabtu mean, and why do we need hari?

pada hari Sabtu breaks down as:

• pada = at / on (for time)
• hari = day
• Sabtu = Saturday

So pada hari Sabtu = on Saturday (literally: on the day Saturday).

About hari:

• pada hari Sabtu = full form, slightly more explicit or formal.
• In everyday speech, people often say pada Sabtu or even just Sabtu, and context tells you it means on Saturday.

All of these are acceptable:

• Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.
• Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada Sabtu.
• Kami suka berkelah di tasik Sabtu. (more casual; context-dependent)

Can the time phrase pada hari Sabtu go at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Malay word order is quite flexible for time expressions.

Both are correct:

1. Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.
2. Pada hari Sabtu, kami suka berkelah di tasik.

Meaning is the same: On Saturdays, we like to picnic at the lake.

Putting Pada hari Sabtu at the beginning can:

• Emphasize the time
• Sound slightly more formal or structured (e.g. in writing or presentations)

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

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Berkelah always stays berkelah.

The sentence Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu can mean, depending on context:

• We like to picnic at the lake on Saturdays. (general habit, present)
• We liked to picnic at the lake on Saturdays. (talking about past habits, if context is past)
• We will like to picnic at the lake on Saturdays. (rare; usually expressed differently)

To be clearer, you add time words:

• Dulu, kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.
  Before / In the past, we liked to picnic at the lake on Saturdays.

• Mulai minggu depan, kami akan suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.
  From next week, we will like to picnic at the lake on Saturdays.

The verb form does not change; meaning comes from time expressions like dulu, esok, akan, sudah, etc.

Is suka the same as love, or just like?

suka usually means to like:

• Kami suka berkelah = We like to picnic.

For a stronger feeling (love), Malay often uses:

• cinta (romantic love)
• sayang (affection, fondness, love)
• gemar (fond of, have a liking for; a bit more formal)

For hobbies or strong enjoyment, people might say:

• Kami sangat suka berkelah. = We really like to picnic.
• Kami gemar berkelah. = We are fond of picnicking / We enjoy picnicking.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it change in a more formal context?

Kami suka berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu is:

• Neutral and natural
• Fine in both speech and simple writing

For more formal writing, someone might choose slightly more formal vocabulary:

• Kami gemar berkelah di tasik pada hari Sabtu.
  (gemar sounds a bit more formal than suka.)

But the original sentence is perfectly acceptable in most contexts, including classrooms, informal writing, and conversation.

How do you pronounce tasik, and is the final k fully pronounced?

Pronunciation:

• ta = like tah in taco (short a)
• sik = like seek, but the k is often unreleased/glottal

In many Malay accents:

• Final k is not strongly released. It can sound like a short cut-off:
  • tasik ≈ ta-sik but ending with a quick stop, not a strong k burst.

So it is not ta-seek with a clear English k; it is shorter and crisper at the end.