Learn Hardcore Malay: Kadang-kadang saya sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar apabila saya sangat lapar. - Sometimes I spread both butter and cheese on my toast when I am very hungry.

In Malay, kadang-kadang literally comes from repeating kadang (meaning at times), and the repetition forms the standard adverb sometimes.

Correct / natural: kadang-kadang
Not natural: kadang alone to mean sometimes (it sounds incomplete)

The hyphen shows reduplication (a very common feature in Malay). So to say sometimes, you should always use kadang-kadang, not kadang by itself.

You can also change the position in the sentence:

Kadang-kadang saya sapu…
Saya kadang-kadang sapu…

Both are fine and common.

What does sapu mean here? I thought it meant to sweep.

You’re right: sapu can mean to sweep (like sweeping the floor). But it also has a broader meaning: to apply / to spread something over a surface with a motion similar to sweeping.

In this sentence:

sapu mentega dan keju … pada roti bakar
= spread butter and cheese on the toast

So:

sapu lantai = sweep the floor
sapu mentega pada roti = spread butter on bread

Context decides whether it’s sweep or spread. For food, sapu is natural and common.

What exactly does sekali mean here in mentega dan keju sekali?

Sekali is one of those very flexible Malay words. Common meanings include:

once
- satu kali / sekali = one time, once
extremely/very (informal, especially in Malaysian usage)
- sedap sekali = very delicious
at the same time / together (the meaning here)

In this sentence, sekali means at the same time / together, so:

mentega dan keju sekali
≈ butter and cheese together (on it at the same time)

It doesn’t mean once here. The idea is: both butter and cheese are spread on the toast at the same time, not on separate pieces.

Why is it pada roti bakar and not di roti bakar or atas roti bakar?

All three prepositions exist, but they’re used slightly differently:

pada – more abstract or general on/at/to; often used with recipients, surfaces, or indirect objects
di – at/in/on a location
atas – on top (of), emphasising physical position above

In this sentence, we’re talking about the target surface of the spreading action, and pada is natural:

sapu mentega pada roti bakar
= spread butter on the toast

You may also hear:

sapu mentega di atas roti bakar = spread butter on top of the toast (more explicit, a bit longer)

Di roti bakar is not wrong, but it sounds less natural here; pada or di atas fit better with the idea of spreading something onto a surface.

What’s the difference between apabila, bila, and ketika? Why use apabila here?

All three can be translated as when, but they differ in tone/usage:

apabila
- more formal / written Malay
- common in essays, news, formal speech
- also suggests a condition sometimes (like whenever / when)
bila
- colloquial / everyday
- used constantly in spoken Malaysian Malay
- in Indonesian, bila is more formal; in Malaysia, it’s very casual
ketika
- often used for past events or to emphasise a particular moment/period
- roughly like when / at the time (that)

In your sentence:

apabila saya sangat lapar
= when I am very hungry (neutral, slightly formal)

In casual spoken Malaysian Malay, many people would say:

… bila saya sangat lapar.

In writing for school or formal contexts, apabila or ketika is preferred.

Why is there no past tense marker? How would I say “when I was very hungry”?

Malay does not change the verb for tense (no -ed, no -s, etc.). Time is usually shown by:

time words (semalam = yesterday, tadi = earlier)
context
optional markers like sudah (already), pernah (ever)

Your sentence:

Kadang-kadang saya sapu… apabila saya sangat lapar.
Can mean:
- Sometimes I spread… when I am very hungry (general habit)
- Or even Sometimes I spread… when I was very hungry if context is past.

To make it clearly past, you can adjust:

Dulu, kadang-kadang saya sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar apabila saya sangat lapar.
= In the past, sometimes I spread… when I was very hungry.

For a specific past situation:

Malam tadi, saya sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar apabila saya sangat lapar.
= Last night, I spread… when I was very hungry.

No change to sapu or lapar; only the time expressions change.

Can I move kadang-kadang to a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Common positions:

At the beginning (very natural):
- Kadang-kadang saya sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar apabila saya sangat lapar.
After the subject:
- Saya kadang-kadang sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar apabila saya sangat lapar.

Both are fine and idiomatic. Putting kadang-kadang right before the verb (sapu) keeps the meaning clear: it is the action that is occasional.

Avoid putting kadang-kadang in the middle of the verb phrase in a way that breaks it unnaturally (e.g. between sapu and mentega).

Is saya the only way to say I? What about aku?

Both saya and aku mean I, but they differ in politeness and context:

saya
- polite, neutral, safe in most situations
- used with strangers, older people, formal contexts, writing
aku
- informal/intimate
- used with close friends, siblings, sometimes to sound poetic or very casual
- can sound rude if used with someone you should respect

In your sentence:

Kadang-kadang saya sapu… = neutral, polite
Kadang-kadang aku sapu… = casual, talking to close friends or in a diary-like context

For learners, saya is generally the safest default.

What’s the difference between sangat lapar and lapar sangat? Are both correct?

Both are used, but they differ slightly in tone and register:

sangat lapar
- more standard / neutral
- suitable in writing and speech
- structure: intensifier + adjective
lapar sangat
- more colloquial / spoken
- structure: adjective + intensifier
- common in Malaysian informal speech

Examples:

Saya sangat lapar. = I am very hungry. (standard)
Saya lapar sangat. = I’m really hungry. (more casual/spoken)

In your sentence, sangat lapar is the more standard choice, which fits the overall style.

Does roti bakar literally mean burnt bread?

Literally:

roti = bread
bakar = to roast / grill / bake / burn (by fire or heat)

But roti bakar is the standard phrase for toast.

So:

roti bakar = toast
It doesn’t imply badly burnt; it just means bread cooked/heated over dry heat, like in a toaster or on a grill.

Context tells you it’s normal toast, not burnt bread.

Can sekali also mean very? How do I know when it’s very and when it’s together/at once?

Yes, especially in Malaysian usage, sekali can mean very / extremely, but usually when it comes after an adjective:

panas sekali = very hot
laju sekali = very fast.

In your sentence:

mentega dan keju sekali
There is no adjective before sekali. It’s attached to the noun phrase mentega dan keju, so it means together/at the same time, not very.

Some patterns:

[adjective] + sekali → usually very [adjective]
[X dan Y] sekali (two things) → usually X and Y together / both at once

Context is key, but these patterns are a good guide.

Could I say sapu mentega dan keju pada roti bakar sekali instead? Does the position of sekali change the meaning?

If you say:

saya sapu mentega dan keju pada roti bakar sekali

it becomes ambiguous or sounds a bit odd. It could be (depending on context) understood as:

I spread butter and cheese on the toast once (as in one time), rather than together.

Placing sekali immediately after mentega dan keju:

sapu mentega dan keju sekali pada roti bakar

links sekali more clearly to the two items (mentega and keju), giving the sense of both at the same time.

So in this sentence, the original word order is better to express “butter and cheese together (on the toast)”.