Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya keluarkan pakaian dari almari dan menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju. - I take the clothes out of the wardrobe and shake the dust off each shirt.

pakaian = clothes / clothing (a general, collective word).
baju = a single piece of clothing, often a shirt or top, but in casual speech it can mean “item of clothing” more generally.

So:

Saya keluarkan pakaian dari almari = I took the clothes out of the wardrobe. (general)
...menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju = ...shook the dust off each individual piece of clothing.

The sentence starts with the general set (pakaian) and then talks about each item in that set (setiap baju).

Why is it Saya keluarkan and not Saya mengeluarkan?

In more formal or textbook Malay, you would usually say:

Saya mengeluarkan pakaian dari almari...

Here:

keluar = to go out / to exit (intransitive).
mengeluarkan = to take something out (transitive).

In everyday spoken Malay, speakers often drop the meN- prefix and keep -kan, giving keluarkan used as a finite verb:

Saya keluarkan pakaian... (colloquial but widely used).

It is understood as “I take/took out the clothes”, not as an imperative here because of the subject Saya.

Is keluarkan usually a command? Why doesn’t it sound like an imperative here?

Yes, on its own keluarkan is very commonly used as a command:

Keluarkan pakaian dari almari! = Take the clothes out of the wardrobe!

But when you put a clear subject in front, it becomes a normal statement:

Saya keluarkan pakaian... = I take/took the clothes out...
Dia keluarkan buku itu... = He/She took the book out...

So:

No subject → likely an imperative.
With Saya / awak / dia / mereka etc. → a statement, not a command.

Why is the preposition dari used here and not daripada?

Rough rule in standard Malay:

dari = from a place / point in time / direction.
daripada = from a person, or from a more abstract source (ideas, comparison, etc.).

In the sentence:

dari almari = from the wardrobe (a physical place where the clothes are).

So dari is correct because almari is a location/source in space, not a person or abstract source.

What exactly does almari mean? Is it the same as wardrobe or cupboard? And what about lemari?

almari (Malay) = a cupboard / wardrobe / cabinet with doors.
Context decides the exact English word:
- almari pakaian = wardrobe (for clothes).
- almari pinggan mangkuk = cupboard for plates.

In Indonesia, the common word is lemari, not almari. In Malaysia and Brunei, almari is standard.

In this sentence, almari on its own, with pakaian, naturally means a clothes wardrobe.

What does menggoncang mean, and how is it formed from the root goncang?

goncang = to shake (basic/root form).
menggoncang = meN-
- goncang = to shake something (transitive verb).

In the sentence:

menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju = shake the dust off each shirt/piece of clothing.

You may also hear:

goncang habuk... (dropping meN-) in casual speech.
menggoncangkan is also possible, and can sound a bit more formal or emphasize the causing-of-shaking, but menggoncang habuk is already perfectly natural.

What does habuk mean here? Is it the same as debu?

habuk = dust (tiny particles, like dust on furniture or clothes).
debu = also dust; more common in Indonesian and in some Malay contexts.

In everyday Malaysian Malay:

habuk is very common for household dust.
debu might be used in somewhat more formal, literary, or technical contexts, or influenced by Indonesian.

So menggoncang habuk = shaking off the dust. No classifier is needed because habuk is a mass noun.

Why does the sentence say setiap baju? Can I say setiap helai baju instead?

setiap = each / every.
baju = clothing item / shirt.

Malay often uses classifiers (measure words) for countable items of clothing:

helai = classifier for flat or flexible things like clothes, paper, leaves.

More “complete” and formal would be:

menggoncang habuk dari setiap helai baju = shaking the dust from each piece of clothing.

In everyday speech, many people simply say setiap baju and drop helai, and it is fully understandable and common.

Can the word order be changed, e.g. putting dari almari at the end?

The original:

Saya keluarkan pakaian dari almari dan menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju.

This is the most natural order:

keluarkan [object] dari [place].

You could say:

Saya keluarkan pakaian dari almari, kemudian menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju.

But putting dari almari all the way at the end, after setiap baju, would sound odd or confusing:

✗ ...menggoncang habuk dari setiap baju dari almari (grammatically possible but clumsy and not idiomatic here).

Keep dari almari close to keluarkan pakaian.

How do I know if the sentence is in the past, present, or future? How would I say it with clear tense?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Saya keluarkan / Saya mengeluarkan can mean:

I take out / I am taking out / I took out the clothes...

Context or time words show the tense:

Tadi = earlier / just now
- Tadi saya keluarkan pakaian... = I took the clothes out just now.
Semalam = yesterday
- Semalam saya keluarkan pakaian... = I took the clothes out yesterday.
Sekarang = now
- Sekarang saya sedang mengeluarkan pakaian... = Now I am taking the clothes out.
Nanti / esok = later / tomorrow
- Nanti saya akan keluarkan pakaian... = I will take the clothes out later.

So the original sentence is tenseless by itself; the exact time depends on context.