Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

After everything is dry, I put the broom and the mop cloth in the corner of the storeroom.

Breakdown of Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

• saya: I
• adalah: to be
• di: in
• selepas: after
• dan: and
• kering: dry
• letak: to put
• bilik stor: the storeroom
• sudut: the corner
• penyapu: the broom
• semuanya: everything
• kain pel: the mop cloth

Questions & Answers about Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

In "Selepas semuanya kering", why is selepas used instead of lepas? Are they different?

Both selepas and lepas mean after.

• selepas = more neutral/standard, common in writing and careful speech.
• lepas = more informal/colloquial, very common in casual spoken Malay.

You could say:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak… (standard)
• Lepas semuanya kering, saya letak… (more casual)

Grammatically both are okay here; the difference is mainly formality and style, not meaning.

What exactly does "semuanya" mean here? How is it different from "semua"?

semuanya is semua (all) + the enclitic -nya.

In this sentence:

• semua = all
• semuanya ≈ all of it / everything

Here, semuanya refers to all the things that were wet (for example the floor, tools, cloths) and are now dry.

Nuances:

• Semua kering – everything is dry / all (things) are dry.
• Semuanya kering – everything is dry / all of it is dry (a bit more definite, like referring to a known set).

The -nya often makes it feel more definite or “the whole of it” rather than just “all (in general)”.

Is "kering" here an adjective (dry) or a verb (to dry)? How should I think about "Selepas semuanya kering"?

In Malay, many words can function as both adjectives and verbs depending on context. kering literally means dry, but in this sentence it effectively works like:

• Selepas semuanya kering ≈ After everything is dry / after everything has dried

So:

• Grammatically: it’s an adjectival predicate (“everything is dry”).
• Semantically: the whole phrase expresses a completed process (“after everything has dried”).

Malay usually doesn’t need extra words like has or become; context gives the aspect:

• Semua kering. – Everything is dry / has dried.
• Selepas semuanya kering… – After everything has become dry…

Shouldn’t it be "saya meletakkan" instead of "saya letak"? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but they differ in style and nuance.

• saya letak

  • Uses the base verb letak (to put/place).
  • Very common in everyday spoken Malay, and still acceptable in many written contexts.
  • Simple, neutral: “I put / I place”.

• saya meletakkan

  • Uses the meN- verb form meletakkan.
  • More formal / bookish; you’ll see it more in official writing, news, essays.
  • Often used when you want to emphasise the act of placing or when the sentence structure is more complex.

In this everyday-sounding sentence, saya letak is the most natural. You could say:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya meletakkan penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

It’s grammatically fine, but it sounds a bit more formal or written.

Why is there no word for “will” or “then”? How do I say “I will put” instead of just “I put”?

Malay usually doesn’t need an equivalent of English “will”; time and sequence are mostly understood from context and time expressions.

Here, the structure:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak… naturally means “After everything dries, I put…” or “I will put…” depending on context.

If you need to be explicit about the future, you can add akan:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya akan letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.
  = After everything dries, I will put the broom and mop cloth in the corner of the storeroom.

To emphasise sequence, Malay often doesn’t add a separate word like “then”; the order of clauses already shows the order of actions.

What is the difference between "penyapu", "sapu", and "menyapu"?

They are related forms from the same root sapu.

• sapu

  • Root word: can be a verb to sweep / to wipe.
  • Also sometimes used as a noun informally (e.g. ambil sapu tu “take that broom”).

• penyapu

  • Noun: broom.
  • The prefix peN- often turns a verb into an instrument noun (thing used to do the action).
  • sapu (to sweep) → penyapu (the thing you use to sweep).

• menyapu

  • Verb: to sweep / to mop / to wipe (floor, surface, etc.).
  • meN- verb form: “to do the action of sapu”.

So in the sentence:

• penyapu = the broom (object being put away).

What exactly is "kain pel"? Why is it two words?

kain pel is a noun phrase made of:

• kain = cloth, fabric, rag
• pel = from English “pail”/“mop” environment; in Malay usage kain pel specifically means mop cloth / floor-cleaning cloth.

Together, kain pel means the cloth used for mopping or wiping the floor.

Malay often forms compound nouns like this:

• kain pel – mop cloth
• kain lap – wiping/cleaning cloth
• kain tuala – towel cloth (towel)

So it’s two words but functions as one unit of meaning.

Why is it "di sudut bilik stor" and not "ke sudut bilik stor"? What’s the difference between di and ke?

di and ke are both prepositions of place, but they have different roles:

• di = at / in / on (location, where something is)
• ke = to / towards (direction, where something is going)

In this sentence:

• saya letak … di sudut bilik stor
  = I put (and it ends up) in the corner of the storeroom.
  The focus is the final location, so di is correct.

You would use ke with movement verbs like pergi (“go”):

• Saya pergi ke sudut bilik stor. – I go to the corner of the storeroom.

With letak (to put/place), we typically mark the resulting place with di, not ke.

How is the phrase "di sudut bilik stor" structured? Which word describes which?

The structure is:

• di – at/in
• sudut – corner
• bilik – room
• stor – store / storage

Malay noun phrases are usually head-first, with descriptors coming after the main noun.

Breakdown:

• bilik stor

  • Head noun: bilik (room)
  • Modifier: stor (storage)
    → bilik stor = storage room / storeroom.

• sudut bilik stor

  • Head noun: sudut (corner)
  • Modifier: bilik stor (storeroom)
    → sudut bilik stor = the corner of the storeroom.

• di sudut bilik stor = at/in the corner of the storeroom.

So you read it outward from the head: sudut (corner) of bilik stor (storeroom).

Can I say "di bilik stor, di sudut" instead? Would it mean the same thing?

You can, but the nuance and rhythm change slightly.

1. di sudut bilik stor

   • More compact and natural.
   • Emphasis: specifically “the corner of the storeroom”.

2. di bilik stor, di sudut

   • Sounds like two separate location statements (“in the storeroom, in the corner”).
   • Still understandable, but a bit less smooth as a single noun phrase.

Preferred in natural Malay: di sudut bilik stor.

What does "bilik stor" mean exactly? Why not just "stor" or "bilik simpanan"?

• bilik = room
• stor = store / storage (loanword, often used for a small storage area)

So bilik stor = storeroom or storage room.

Alternatives:

• stor – could mean the storage area in general, but bilik stor is clearer that it’s a room.
• bilik simpanan – more literally “storage room” (from simpan = keep/store). This sounds a bit more formal or descriptive.
• gudang – warehouse (much larger, typically commercial or industrial).

In everyday home context, bilik stor is natural and common for “the small room where we store things”.

Could I move the time clause and say "Saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor selepas semuanya kering"? Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct and natural.

Malay allows both orders:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak…
• Saya letak… selepas semuanya kering.

Differences:

• Clause at the front (Selepas…) can make the timing feel slightly more foregrounded.
• Clause at the end (… selepas…) sounds a bit more relaxed or conversational.

Both are grammatically fine and mean the same thing.

Is it necessary to say "saya"? Can I drop the subject like in some other languages?

In Malay, you can drop the subject pronoun when it’s clear from context, especially in casual speech.

So you might hear:

• Selepas semuanya kering, letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

This could mean:

• “After everything dries, put the broom and mop cloth in the corner of the storeroom.”
  (said as an instruction to you or to someone in general).

If you want to be clear that you yourself are the one doing it, saya is helpful:

• Selepas semuanya kering, saya letak… – After everything dries, I put…

In written examples and teaching sentences, saya is often kept for clarity.

If I want to say “After I finish mopping, I put the broom and mop cloth in the corner of the storeroom”, how would I change the sentence?

You would change the first clause to refer to finishing the action, not to “everything drying”:

• Selepas saya habis mengepel / selepas saya siap mengepel, saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.

Breakdown:

• Selepas – after
• saya habis / saya siap – I finish / I am done
• mengepel – to mop (from “pel” + verb prefix meN-)
• saya letak… – I put…

So:

• Selepas saya habis mengepel, saya letak penyapu dan kain pel di sudut bilik stor.