Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik.

This evening, we will have a picnic by the lake.

Breakdown of Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik.

• kita: we
• akan: will
• di tepi: by
• berkelah: to have a picnic
• tasik: the lake
• petang ini: this afternoon

Questions & Answers about Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik.

What exactly does petang mean? Is it “afternoon” or “evening”?

Petang is the period roughly from late afternoon to early evening — about 4 p.m. until around sunset or just after.

English divides this into afternoon and evening, but Malay uses petang for that whole stretch.

Other time words:

• pagi – morning
• tengah hari – around midday / noon / early afternoon
• petang – late afternoon to early evening
• malam – night (after it is clearly dark)

Why is it petang ini and not ini petang?

For time expressions with ini (this), Malay normally puts ini after the time word:

• pagi ini – this morning
• malam ini – tonight / this evening
• petang ini – this afternoon / this evening

Ini petang is not natural in Malay; it would sound like you are saying something like “this is afternoon” rather than “this afternoon” as a time expression.

Is the comma after Petang ini necessary?

It is optional but common.

When you move a time expression like petang ini to the front of the sentence, many writers put a comma to mark the pause:

• Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik.
• Kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik petang ini. (no comma needed here)

Both orders are correct. The comma simply reflects the natural pause in speech and makes reading clearer, but leaving it out does not make the sentence ungrammatical.

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

Both kita and kami mean we / us, but:

• kita = inclusive we: includes the speaker and the listener(s).
• kami = exclusive we: includes the speaker and others, but not the listener.

In Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik, kita tells the listener:
“We (you and I / you and us) will have a picnic.”

If you used kami instead (Petang ini, kami akan berkelah di tepi tasik), it would mean:
“We (but not you) will have a picnic,” which changes the meaning socially.

Do we have to use akan for the future, or can we just say kita berkelah?

Malay does not require a special tense marking for the future. Time is usually understood from context or time words (like petang ini, esok, nanti, etc.).

• Kita berkelah di tepi tasik petang ini. – This is already understood as future because of petang ini.
• Kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik petang ini. – Adds a sense of planned / definite future.

So akan is optional here. It emphasizes “will / going to (do something)” but is not grammatically required when the time is clear.

What does berkelah mean exactly, and is there an English loanword like “picnic” in Malay?

Berkelah means to have a picnic or to go on a picnic outing, usually outdoors with food, relaxing by a scenic place like a park, lake, beach, etc.

Malay also uses the borrowing berpiknik (from English picnic), but it is less formal and more colloquial.

Nuance:

• berkelah – standard, common in writing and speech.
• berpiknik – casual, newer-sounding, more influenced by English.

In your sentence, berkelah is the most natural and standard choice.

Does berkelah change form for different subjects (I, you, we, they)?

No. Malay verbs, including berkelah, do not conjugate for person or number.

So you use berkelah for all subjects:

• Saya berkelah – I have a picnic
• Awak / kamu berkelah – you have a picnic
• Kita / kami berkelah – we have a picnic
• Mereka berkelah – they have a picnic

The verb form stays the same; the subject pronoun tells you who is doing the action.

What is the role of di in di tepi tasik, and can we drop it?

Di is a preposition meaning at / in / on for locations.

• di tepi tasik – at / by the side of the lake

You cannot normally drop di in this kind of location phrase.

• tepi tasik alone sounds like a noun phrase “the lakeside” rather than “at the lakeside.”
  To specify location in a sentence, you use di

  • the place:

• di rumah – at home
• di sekolah – at school
• di tepi jalan – by the roadside
• di tepi tasik – by the lake

So di is necessary here.

What does tepi add to tasik? How is di tepi tasik different from just di tasik?

• tasik = lake
• tepi = edge, side, or beside

Di tepi tasik literally means at the edge/side of the lake, i.e. by the lake, on the shore.

If you say di tasik, it can be understood as “at the lake” in a general sense (maybe somewhere in or around the lake area). Di tepi tasik is more specific: you are on the shore or beside the water, which fits better with having a picnic.

Can the time phrase petang ini go at the end instead of the beginning?

Yes. Both are correct and natural:

• Petang ini, kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik.
• Kita akan berkelah di tepi tasik petang ini.

Putting petang ini at the front emphasizes when it will happen.
Putting it at the end sounds a bit more neutral and is perhaps closer to everyday spoken word order. Both are fully acceptable.