Learn Hardcore Malay: Kain itu cepat basah, jadi saya mengelap meja dan kerusi dengan kain kedua. - The cloth quickly becomes wet, so I wipe the table and chairs with a second cloth.

In this sentence, kain is best understood as “a cloth / rag” used for wiping the table and chairs.
Context tells you it’s a cleaning cloth, not clothing.

Why is itu placed after kain? What does kain itu mean exactly?

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun:

kain itu = that cloth / the cloth
kain ini = this cloth / the cloth

So kain itu cepat basah means “that cloth gets wet quickly” or “the cloth gets wet quickly”.

The nuance:

itu can mean “that” (specific, maybe already mentioned or visible)
Very often, noun + itu also works like “the [noun]” in English: a specific, known thing.

Does cepat basah literally mean “fast wet”? How should I understand this phrase?

Yes, literally:

cepat = fast / quickly
basah = wet

In kain itu cepat basah, the structure is:

[subject] + cepat + [adjective/state]
→ the cloth (kain itu) + quickly + (becomes) wet (basah)

So cepat here means “quickly / easily” in the sense of “it gets wet quickly”.
Natural translations:

“That cloth gets wet quickly.”
“That cloth gets soaked very easily.”

You don’t need a separate word for “becomes”; the change of state is understood from context + adjective.

Is basah a verb (“gets wet”) or an adjective (“wet”)?

In Malay, basah is an adjective meaning “wet”, but it is often used in a way that implies a change of state, like English “gets wet”.

So:

kain itu basah = the cloth is wet
kain itu cepat basah = the cloth quickly becomes wet / gets wet quickly

Malay doesn’t always need a separate verb like “become”. The adjective plus context does the job.

What does jadi mean here, and how is it used?

Jadi here is a conjunction meaning “so / therefore / as a result”.

Kain itu cepat basah, jadi saya mengelap meja …
“That cloth gets wet quickly, so I wiped the table …”

Common uses of jadi:

Connect cause and result: Dia sakit, jadi dia duduk di rumah.
In speech, as a discourse marker: Jadi, kita nak buat apa sekarang? (“So, what are we going to do now?”)

In this sentence, it works just like English “so” between two clauses.

What is the base word of mengelap, and what does the prefix meN- do?

The base word is lap, which means “to wipe”.

When you add the meN- prefix, it often forms an active verb:

lap → mengelap (to wipe / doing the action of wiping)

Function of meN- here:

Marks an active, transitive verb (with an object).
saya mengelap meja = I (am) wiping the table.

In everyday speech, you’ll also hear people just say saya lap meja, especially in informal contexts. Both are understandable; mengelap is more clearly “proper” verb form.

What does dengan mean in dengan kain kedua?

Dengan is a preposition that often means “with”.

Here it indicates the tool or instrument used to do the action:

mengelap … dengan kain kedua
= “wipe … with the second cloth”

Other common uses:

datang dengan keluarga = come with (your) family
tulis dengan pensel = write with a pencil

Why is kain kedua “second cloth” and not kedua kain? What is the rule?

In Malay, ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) usually come after the noun:

kain kedua = the second cloth
orang ketiga = the third person
bab pertama = the first chapter

So the pattern is:

noun + ordinal

Kedua kain would be ungrammatical in this meaning.
(Be careful: kedua-dua kain means “both cloths”, which is a different structure.)

How is kedua (second) different from dua (two) in this context?

dua = the number two
- dua kain = two cloths (any two cloths)
kedua = second (ordinal)
- kain kedua = the second cloth (in an ordered sequence: first, second, third…)

So:

Use dua when counting.
Use kedua when talking about order (1st, 2nd, 3rd…).

Is there any tense marker here? How do we know this happened in the past?

Malay does not mark tense with verb endings like English.
There is no explicit past, present, or future marker in this sentence.

We know it’s past from context and typical usage.
If you wanted to make the past time clear, you could add time words:

Tadi kain itu cepat basah, jadi saya mengelap…
- Earlier, that cloth got wet quickly, so I wiped…

But grammatically, mengelap itself is neutral—it can be past, present, or future depending on context.

Is meja singular or plural here? Do I need a plural marker like “tables”?

In Malay, meja is not marked for singular or plural by changing the word. It can mean “table” or “tables” depending on context.

In this sentence:

meja dan kerusi = “the table and the chairs” or “table and chair(s)”
You understand the number from context, not from the word form.

To show plural explicitly, Malay often uses reduplication, but it’s not needed here:

meja-meja = tables (plural, emphasized)
kerusi-kerusi = chairs

However, in natural speech, plain meja and kerusi are usually enough.

Is kerusi singular or plural? How can I say “chairs” clearly?

Like meja, kerusi can mean “chair” or “chairs”, depending on context.

In meja dan kerusi, it can be understood as “the table and chairs”.
If you really want to stress plural, you can say:
- kerusi-kerusi (reduplication)
- or beberapa kerusi = several chairs
- or banyak kerusi = many chairs

But in everyday usage, the simple kerusi covers both “chair” and “chairs”.

Can I omit itu or kedua? How would the meaning change?

Yes, you can omit them, but the meaning becomes less specific.

Without itu:
- Kain cepat basah, jadi saya mengelap meja dan kerusi dengan kain kedua.
- Still understandable, but less clearly referring to a particular cloth that is known or visible.
Without kedua:
- … saya mengelap meja dan kerusi dengan kain.
- This just says “with a cloth” or “with the cloth”, not specifying that it’s a different / second cloth.
- You lose the contrast between the first cloth (which got wet) and the second cloth.

So itu and kedua add important specificity and contrast.

Could I say saya lap meja dan kerusi instead of saya mengelap meja dan kerusi?

Yes, you can. Both are used in real life.

saya lap meja dan kerusi
- More informal, shorter, very common in speech.
saya mengelap meja dan kerusi
- Uses the full meN- verb form, sounds a bit more formal/standard.

Both mean “I wipe the table and chairs” / “I wiped the table and chairs.”
The difference is style/feel, not basic meaning.