Learn Hardcore Malay: Kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja ketika saya masuk ke dapur. - My cat comes out from under the table when I enter the kitchen.

Formality
- kucing saya is neutral and commonly used in polite and formal situations.
- kucingku sounds more personal, informal, and sometimes a bit literary or emotional (common in songs, poetry, or when speaking affectionately).
Frequency
- In everyday speech, kucing saya is more common.
- kucingku is heard, but less often in normal conversation.

So in most learning contexts, kucing saya is the “safe” default.

Is keluar here a verb like “to go out”, or is it more like the adverb “outside”?

In this sentence, keluar is a verb, meaning to go out / to come out.

Structure of the first clause:

Kucing saya – my cat (subject)
keluar – came out / went out (intransitive verb)
dari bawah meja – from under the table (prepositional phrase)

So the pattern is:

[Subject] + [Verb] + [Place phrase]
Kucing saya + keluar + dari bawah meja

Malay doesn’t need an extra word like “outside” here; keluar already expresses the action of going out/coming out.

What is the difference between keluar and ke luar? Could I write ke luar in this sentence?

They are not the same:

keluar (one word) = verb meaning to go out / to come out
- Kucing saya keluar. – My cat went out / came out.
ke luar (two words) = preposition ke (to/towards) + noun luar (outside), literally to the outside
- Saya pergi ke luar. – I go to the outside / I go outside.

In your sentence you need a verb, so you should use:

Kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja ...

Using ke luar here would be ungrammatical or at least very awkward, because you would be saying “My cat to the outside from under the table …” without a clear verb.

What exactly does dari bawah meja mean, and why do we need both dari and bawah?

dari bawah meja corresponds closely to from under the table:

dari = from
bawah = under / underneath / below
meja = table

So:

dari bawah meja = from under the table

Each word contributes meaning:

bawah meja = under the table (location)
dari bawah meja = from under the table (movement starting at that location)

If you said only bawah meja, it would just describe a position (under the table), not movement from there.

Could I use daripada instead of dari here: keluar daripada bawah meja?

In standard usage, dari is preferred here:

keluar dari bawah meja – natural and standard.

General guideline:

dari – for physical locations, directions, and time
- dari sekolah, dari rumah, dari bawah meja, dari pagi
daripada – for more abstract sources or comparisons
- belajar daripada guru (learn from a teacher),
- lebih tinggi daripada saya (taller than me)

Because bawah meja is a physical location, dari bawah meja is the normal choice. daripada bawah meja might be heard in some colloquial speech, but it sounds off in standard Malay.

What is the function of ketika in this sentence, and how is it different from bila, apabila, or semasa?

In the sentence, ketika is a conjunction meaning when (introducing a time clause):

... ketika saya masuk ke dapur.
... when I entered the kitchen.

Rough differences:

ketika
- Neutral, quite common in writing and careful speech.
- Often used for single events in time.
apabila
- Slightly more formal; very common in writing, instructions, and exams.
- Can mean when (general condition) or whenever.
bila
- Very common in informal speech.
- Means when or whenever; also used in questions: Bila? (When?)
semasa
- Closer to while / during the time when.
- Often used for overlapping events.

In your sentence, you could also say:

Ketika saya masuk ke dapur, ...
Apabila saya masuk ke dapur, ...
Bila saya masuk ke dapur, ... (more informal)
Semasa saya masuk ke dapur, ... (also possible, focus slightly more on the period of entering)

All are understandable, but ketika and apabila feel more standard/neutral in written Malay.

Why is it masuk ke dapur and not just masuk dapur? Do I always need ke?

Both are possible:

masuk ke dapur – literally enter to the kitchen / go into the kitchen
masuk dapur – also enter the kitchen / go into the kitchen

Notes:

ke highlights direction or movement towards/into a place.
- Saya pergi ke sekolah. – I go to school.
With masuk, native speakers often drop ke in everyday speech:
- Saya masuk dapur. – very natural in conversation.
In careful or formal writing, masuk ke dapur can feel slightly clearer or more complete, but masuk dapur is not wrong.

So:

In your sentence, masuk ke dapur is correct and natural.
masuk dapur would also be acceptable in many contexts.

Why is it ke dapur and not di dapur? What’s the difference between ke and di?

ke = to / into / towards (movement)
di = at / in / on (location, no movement implied)

Your sentence describes entering the kitchen (movement), so ke is appropriate:

saya masuk ke dapur – I entered (into) the kitchen.

Compare:

Saya berada di dapur. – I am in the kitchen. (no movement)
Saya berjalan ke dapur. – I walk to the kitchen. (movement)

So use:

ke for where you are going
di for where something is

There’s no past tense marker like “-ed” in Malay. How do we know this sentence is in the past? Do we need words like sudah or tadi?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Time is understood from:

Context
Time words (yesterday, later, just now, etc.)
Sometimes aspect markers like sudah (already), telah (has/have in formal style).

Your sentence:

Kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja ketika saya masuk ke dapur.

is naturally understood as past because:

The English equivalent uses past (came out / entered).
The event sequence (cat reacts when you enter) is typically described in past narrative.

If you want to be very clear it’s past, you could add time words:

Tadi kucing saya keluar ... – Earlier, my cat came out ...
Semalam kucing saya keluar ... – Yesterday my cat came out ...

Or aspect markers (more formal/written):

Kucing saya telah keluar dari bawah meja ketika saya masuk ke dapur.

But in normal conversation, the original sentence without explicit markers is completely fine.

Can I move the ketika clause to the front, like: Ketika saya masuk ke dapur, kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural:

Kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja ketika saya masuk ke dapur.
Ketika saya masuk ke dapur, kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja.

Both mean the same thing. Differences:

Time clause at the end (original): slightly more conversational.
Time clause at the beginning: often sounds a bit more structured, common in writing or storytelling.

When the ketika clause comes first, it’s normal to put a comma after it in writing:

Ketika saya masuk ke dapur, kucing saya keluar dari bawah meja.

Can I drop the second saya and just say ketika masuk ke dapur?

You can sometimes drop the subject pronoun in Malay, especially in informal speech, if it’s clear from context. So:

... ketika saya masuk ke dapur. – full form
... ketika masuk ke dapur. – shortened, more informal, relying on context

However:

The subjects of the two clauses are different:
- Kucing saya – subject of keluar
- (Saya) – subject of masuk
If you drop saya, you rely on the listener to infer that I am the one who entered the kitchen, not the cat.

In casual conversation, ketika masuk ke dapur is very likely understood as when I entered the kitchen, but in careful speech or writing, it’s clearer and safer to keep saya:

ketika saya masuk ke dapur (recommended for learners and in writing).