Learn Hardcore Malay: Pada hujung minggu depan, kami mahu membersihkan almari dan koridor sekali lagi supaya tiada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal. - Next weekend, we want to clean the wardrobe and corridor again so that no dust or cockroaches remain.

Pada hujung minggu depan = on next weekend / this coming weekend
In everyday speech, many Malaysians do drop pada, saying simply:
- Hujung minggu depan, kami mahu…
  This is very natural and grammatical in conversation.

You should keep pada in:

more formal writing
when you want to be careful/standard in exams or official contexts

So both are correct, but hujung minggu depan without pada is common and natural in spoken Malay.

Why hujung minggu depan instead of just minggu depan? Do they mean the same thing?

They are related but not identical:

Minggu depan = next week (the whole week)
Hujung minggu depan = next weekend (the end of next week, usually Saturday–Sunday)

So:

Minggu depan kami sibuk. = We are busy next week (general).
Pada hujung minggu depan kami mahu membersihkan… = We want to clean next weekend (specifically at the weekend).

If you only say minggu depan, it could mean any day in the coming week, not specifically the weekend.

What is the difference between kami and kita, and why is kami used here?

Malay distinguishes between two types of “we”:

Kami = we (excluding the listener)
- The speaker + other people, but not the person being spoken to.
Kita = we (including the listener)
- The speaker + the listener (and maybe others).

In the sentence:

Pada hujung minggu depan, kami mahu membersihkan…
it implies “we (but not you)” want to clean the cupboard and corridor.

If the speaker is inviting or including the listener in the plan, they would say:

Pada hujung minggu depan, kita mahu membersihkan almari dan koridor sekali lagi…
= Next weekend, we (you and I) want to clean…

So kami vs kita is about whether the listener is included.

What does mahu mean here, and could I use hendak, nak, or ingin instead?

Mahu literally means “want (to)” and is neutral and standard.

You can usually replace it with:

Hendak – also standard; slightly more formal or old-fashioned in some contexts.
Nak – informal, colloquial contraction of hendak, very common in speech.
Ingin – often “wish to / would like to”, a bit more formal or polite.

In this sentence, all of these are possible with small nuance differences:

kami mahu membersihkan… – we want to clean… (neutral)
kami hendak membersihkan… – we want/intend to clean… (standard/formal)
kami nak membersihkan… – we wanna clean… (informal, spoken)
kami ingin membersihkan… – we wish to clean… (polite / formal writing)

All are grammatically correct; choice depends on formality and style.

How is membersihkan formed, and what is the difference between membersihkan, bersihkan, and just bersih?

The root word is bersih = clean (adjective).

Membersihkan
- Prefix meN-
  - root bersih
    - suffix -kan
- Function: causative / transitive verb → “to clean (something)”
- Kami mahu membersihkan almari.
  = We want to clean the cupboard.
Bersihkan
- Often used as an imperative (command):
  - Bersihkan almari itu! = Clean that cupboard!
- In some dialects/contexts it can also function similar to membersihkan, but in textbooks you usually see membersihkan for the standard verb form.
Bersih
- Adjective: clean
- Almari itu bersih. = The cupboard is clean.

So in this sentence, membersihkan is a normal transitive verb “to clean (something)” and fits the pattern: mahu + verb.

What exactly does almari mean? Is it “cupboard”, “closet”, or “wardrobe”?

Almari is a general word for a storage cabinet or cupboard with doors. Depending on context, it can correspond to several English words:

Wardrobe / closet – for clothes
- almari pakaian = wardrobe
Cupboard / cabinet – for dishes, food, or general storage
- almari dapur = kitchen cabinet
- almari buku = bookcase

In everyday Malay, almari alone can mean:

a wardrobe in the bedroom
a cupboard in the kitchen
or any similar cabinet-like furniture

The exact English translation depends on the situation, but “cupboard/wardrobe” is a good general feel.

Is koridor just the English word “corridor” borrowed into Malay? Are there other common words for this?

Yes, koridor is a loanword from English “corridor” and is widely understood.

Other words you might see:

Laluan – passage/way (more general)
Lorong – lane/alley; can also mean a corridor in some contexts
Anjung / serambi – veranda/porch (different concept, but sometimes confused by learners)

For a hallway outside rooms in a house or building, koridor is perfectly natural and clear.

What does sekali lagi mean exactly, and how is it different from lagi sekali or just lagi?

Sekali lagi = one more time / again
Lagi sekali = also used in speech to mean one more time, but can sound slightly more colloquial.
Lagi alone = again / more / extra depending on context.

In this sentence:

…koridor sekali lagi… = …the cupboard and corridor once again…

Examples:

Baca sekali lagi. = Read it once more.
Baca lagi sekali. = (very similar) Read it one more time. (more colloquial)
Baca lagi. = Read more / Read again.

All three can mean repeating an action, but sekali lagi is the clearest and most neutral for “one more time”.

Where can I put sekali lagi in the sentence? Is kami mahu sekali lagi membersihkan also correct?

Yes, Malay word order is flexible, and several positions are possible and natural:

Original style (very natural):
- Kami mahu membersihkan almari dan koridor sekali lagi…
  (Focus on repeating the cleaning action.)
Adverb before the verb (also acceptable):
- Kami mahu sekali lagi membersihkan almari dan koridor…
  (Slightly more formal/literary feel, but still correct.)
At the very end:
- Kami mahu membersihkan almari dan koridor supaya tiada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal sekali lagi.
  This changes the meaning: “so that there will not again be dust or cockroaches remaining” (repetition of the result, not the cleaning).

So the placement affects what is being repeated: the cleaning action or the unwanted situation.

What does supaya mean here, and how is it different from untuk, agar, or jadi?

Supaya introduces a purpose or intended result clause, similar to “so that / in order that” in English.

…sekali lagi supaya tiada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal.
= “…once again so that there is no dust or cockroach left.”

Comparisons:

Supaya – “so that / in order that”; natural in speech and writing.
Agar – very similar to supaya, but slightly more formal/literary.
Untuk – usually “for / to”, often followed by a verb or noun:
- untuk membersihkan = to clean
  You normally don’t use untuk
  - full clause with its own subject the same way as supaya.
Jadi – “so / therefore”; introduces a result, not a purpose:
- Kami membersihkan almari, jadi tiada habuk.
  = We cleaned the cupboard, so there is no dust. (result, not intention)

Here, supaya clearly introduces an intention/purpose.

What is the difference between tiada and tidak ada / tak ada?

All basically mean “there is no / there are no”, but they differ in style and frequency:

Tiada
- More formal or literary.
- Common in writing, official notices, and some fixed phrases.
- Style: there is/are no… in a slightly “tidy” or official tone.
Tidak ada
- Standard, neutral form in many contexts.
- Tidak = not, ada = exist/there is.
Tak ada
- Colloquial contraction of tidak ada.
- Very common in speech.

In this sentence:

supaya tiada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal
gives a somewhat neutral–formal tone, suitable for writing.

In casual speech, many would say:

…supaya tak ada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal.

Why do we say habuk atau lipas yang tinggal and not just habuk atau lipas tinggal? What does yang do here?

Yang functions like a relative pronoun/marker, roughly similar to “that / which / who” in English.

tinggal here means “remain / be left”, not “live somewhere”.

So:

habuk atau lipas yang tinggal
literally: “dust or cockroaches that remain”
→ “dust or cockroaches left (behind)”

Without yang, habuk atau lipas tinggal is not natural Malay; it sounds like two separate things:

habuk (dust)
lipas tinggal (cockroaches live / stay) – wrong meaning here

So yang connects the noun phrase (habuk atau lipas) to the descriptive verb (tinggal) and makes it into “dust or cockroaches that remain”.

Does lipas mean one cockroach or many cockroaches? How is plural shown in Malay?

Malay usually does not mark plural with -s like English does. Lipas can mean one or many cockroaches, depending on context.

Ways to show plural explicitly:

Banyak lipas – many cockroaches
Beberapa ekor lipas – several cockroaches (ekor is a classifier for animals)
Lipas-lipas – reduplication; also indicates plurality but can have a stylistic or slightly emphatic effect.

In this sentence:

supaya tiada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal
is most naturally understood as “so that there is no dust or (any) cockroaches left.”
The idea of “any cockroaches” is already implied; you don’t need a plural ending.

The English translation is future (“next weekend we will…”). But there is no future tense marker in mahu membersihkan. How is the future expressed in Malay?

Malay does not change the verb form for past, present, or future. Time is usually shown by:

Time expressions: semalam (yesterday), tadi (earlier), esok (tomorrow), minggu depan (next week)
Sometimes by context or adverbs like akan.

In this sentence:

Pada hujung minggu depan = next weekend
This is enough to show that it’s talking about the future.

You could add akan to make the future even more explicit:

Pada hujung minggu depan, kami akan membersihkan almari dan koridor…
But mahu membersihkan already suggests a future intention, so akan is optional.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How might a more casual spoken version look?

The sentence as given is fairly neutral and suitable for both spoken and written Malay, maybe slightly leaning towards careful/standard style because of tiada.

A more casual spoken version might be:

Hujung minggu depan kami nak bersihkan almari dengan koridor lagi supaya tak ada habuk atau lipas yang tinggal.

Changes:

nak instead of mahu (more colloquial)
dengan instead of dan (common in speech, though dan is also fine)
lagi instead of sekali lagi (shorter, informal “again”)
tak ada instead of tiada (informal)

All these sound very natural in everyday conversation.