Learn Hardcore Malay: Pagi esoknya, saya akan berjoging di taman bersama keluarga. - The next morning, I will jog in the park with my family.

pagi = morning
esok = tomorrow
esoknya = the next day / its tomorrow / that tomorrow (the -nya often makes it more specific, like “the next morning” in a story)

So:

pagi esoknya ≈ “the next morning” / “on the following morning”
esok pagi ≈ “tomorrow morning” (more neutral, everyday speech)
esok alone ≈ “tomorrow” (no time of day)

In many everyday contexts, pagi esoknya and esok pagi can both be understood as “tomorrow morning”, but:

pagi esoknya often sounds a bit more narrative, like telling a story.
esok pagi sounds a bit more neutral / conversational.

Is akan required to talk about the future, or can I say saya berjoging di taman for “I will jog in the park”?

Akan is a marker for future tense, but Malay doesn’t require tense markers the way English does.

saya akan berjoging di taman = “I will jog in the park” (explicit future)
saya berjoging di taman esok = “I jog in the park tomorrow” (still understood as future because of esok)

In everyday speech:

People often omit akan if there is already a time word (like esok, nanti, minggu depan).
Using akan can sound a bit more careful, clear, or formal, but it’s very common and natural.

So: No, it’s not required, but it is correct and natural here.

What does the ber- prefix in berjoging do? Why not just say joging?

In Malay, ber- is a common verb prefix. In very simple terms, it often:

turns a noun or root into an intransitive verb (an action you do, without a direct object), or
indicates that the subject is engaged in that activity.

So:

joging (root from English jogging)
berjoging ≈ “to be jogging / to go jogging”

You will see both joging and berjoging in real usage. Style differences:

berjoging is more clearly “a verb” and sounds a bit more standard/formal.
In casual speech, some people might just say joging after a helping verb:
- Saya nak joging. = I want to jog.

In the sentence saya akan berjoging di taman, berjoging is a very standard, natural form.

Can I use another verb instead of berjoging, like berlari or lari?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

berjoging = to jog (specifically, light exercise running)
berlari / lari = to run (can be fast, to catch something, to escape, etc.)

Examples:

Saya akan berjoging di taman.
I will go jogging in the park. (exercise jogging)
Saya akan berlari di taman. / Saya akan lari di taman.
I will run in the park. (could be exercise running, but the word doesn’t specifically mean “jogging”)

So, for the idea of “going for a jog as exercise”, berjoging is the most precise.

Why is the preposition di used with taman? Could I use ke taman instead?

di and ke have different basic roles:

di = at / in / on (location, where something happens)
ke = to / towards (direction, movement into a place)

In the sentence:

berjoging di taman = jogging in/at the park (location of the action)

If you say:

berjoging ke taman, it sounds like “jogging to the park” (movement towards the park, not jogging inside the park).

So di taman is correct here because the jogging is taking place in the park, not going to the park.

Does keluarga already mean “my family”, or do I need to say keluarga saya?

Literally:

keluarga = family
keluarga saya = my family

In bersama keluarga, the possessor (my/our) is often understood from context:

In everyday conversation, bersama keluarga will usually be understood as “with my family” or “with the family” of the speaker.
If you want to be very clear or formal, you can say bersama keluarga saya (“together with my family”).

Both are correct:

… bersamas keluarga. (quite natural and common)
… bersama keluarga saya. (explicitly “my family”)

Is the comma after Pagi esoknya necessary, and can I move pagi esoknya to the end of the sentence?

About the comma:

Writing Pagi esoknya, saya akan… is standard and clear.
The comma marks pagi esoknya as a time phrase at the beginning of the sentence.

You can change the word order:

Pagi esoknya, saya akan berjoging di taman bersama keluarga.
Saya akan berjoging di taman bersama keluarga pagi esoknya.

Both are grammatically correct.

Nuance:

Putting pagi esoknya at the front emphasizes when it happens.
Leaving it at the end is more neutral.

In speech, people often put the time word at the front or the end, just like in English: “Tomorrow morning, I will…” / “I will … tomorrow morning.”

Could I just say Esok pagi, saya akan berjoging… instead of Pagi esoknya? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Esok pagi, saya akan berjoging di taman bersama keluarga.

This is very natural and maybe even more common in everyday speech.

Differences:

pagi esoknya feels slightly more like written or story-telling style (“the next morning”).
esok pagi feels more neutral and conversational (“tomorrow morning”).

Both are correct, and in many practical situations they mean the same thing.

How formal is this sentence? Is saya the right pronoun here, or could I say aku?

Formality:

The sentence Pagi esoknya, saya akan berjoging di taman bersama keluarga. is neutral to slightly formal. It’s fine for:
- writing,
- speaking politely,
- talking to someone you don’t know well.

Pronouns:

saya = polite / neutral “I” (safe almost everywhere)
aku = casual / intimate “I” (friends, close family, informal context)

In casual speech, you could say:

Pagi esoknya, aku akan berjoging di taman dengan keluarga.

But for learners, saya is the safest default until you understand social context better.

What is the function of bersama in bersama keluarga? Is it like “with” or “together with”?

Bersama means “together with”.

bersama keluarga = together with (my) family / with (my) family

It’s slightly more formal/complete than just dengan (“with”):

dengan keluarga = with (my) family
bersama keluarga = (more like) together with (my) family

In this sentence, bersama keluarga is very natural, and many speakers would also happily say dengan keluarga in casual conversation.

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say it in the past or present instead of the future?

Current sentence (future):

Pagi esoknya, saya akan berjoging… = Tomorrow morning / The next morning, I will jog…

To make it past:

Change the time expression, and usually drop akan:
- Pagi tadi, saya berjoging di taman bersama keluarga.
  This morning, I jogged in the park with my family.
- Pagi semalam, saya berjoging…
  Yesterday morning, I jogged…

To make it present/habitual:

Setiap pagi, saya berjoging di taman bersama keluarga.
Every morning, I jog in the park with my family.
Sekarang saya sedang berjoging di taman bersama keluarga.
Now I am jogging in the park with my family.

Notice that Malay doesn’t change the verb for tense; instead, it uses time words (pagi tadi, semalam, sekarang, setiap pagi) and sometimes aspect markers like sedang.