Learn Hardcore Malay: Pada awal pagi, kabus di hutan itu tebal tetapi kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami. - Early in the morning, the fog in that forest is thick but looks beautiful from our tent.

awal = early
pagi = morning
awal pagi = early morning
pada = a preposition used for times (similar to at / on / in in time expressions)

So pada awal pagi = “in/at the early morning.”

About leaving out pada:

Pada awal pagi, ... – slightly more formal/complete; very natural in writing and careful speech.
Awal pagi, ... – also correct, especially in casual speech or narrative.
Di awal pagi, ... – also heard, but for time expressions pada is the more standard choice.

All three can appear, but pada awal pagi is the most textbook‑standard for “in the early morning.”

Why is there no word for “is/was” between kabus di hutan itu and tebal?

Malay usually does not use a linking verb like “is/was” before adjectives.

kabus di hutan itu tebal
Literally: “fog in that forest thick”
Natural English: “the fog in that forest is (or was) thick.”

Key points:

Adjectives (like tebal, cantik) can act as verbs meaning “to be X” in Malay.
A formal copula adalah exists, but:
- It is normally used before nouns, not adjectives.
  - Dia adalah doktor. = He/She is a doctor.
- You would not normally say kabus itu adalah tebal.

So you simply put the subject followed by the adjective: kabus itu tebal = the fog is thick.

In kabus di hutan itu, does itu describe hutan or kabus?

In this sentence, itu is attached to hutan, not kabus.

Structure:

kabus = the fog
di hutan itu = in that forest / in the forest (that we are talking about)

So kabus di hutan itu = “the fog in that forest” or “the fog in the forest (we’ve been talking about).”

To clearly make itu describe kabus (the fog), you would usually change the word order:

kabus itu di hutan = that fog is in the forest / the fog (that we mentioned) is in the forest.

So as written, itu belongs to hutan.

What is the difference between di hutan and dalam hutan?

Both can be translated as “in the forest,” but there is a nuance:

di hutan
- General “at/in the forest” as a location.
- Very common and perfectly natural here: kabus di hutan itu.
dalam hutan
- More literally “inside the forest / within the forest.”
- Often used when you want to emphasise inside the interior of the forest.

In this sentence, di hutan itu is the most natural choice.
Kabus dalam hutan itu is understandable, but sounds a bit more like you’re stressing the interior of the forest.

What does tebal mean exactly, and can it be used for other things besides fog?

tebal = thick (in many senses).

It can describe:

Weather/air:
- kabus tebal = thick fog
- asap tebal = thick smoke
Physical objects:
- buku tebal = a thick book
- dinding tebal = a thick wall
- kanta tebal = a thick lens
Layers/coverage:
- make-up tebal = heavy/thick make-up
- salji tebal (in Malay contexts) = thick snow

So kabus di hutan itu tebal = “the fog in that forest is thick,” using tebal in its standard “dense” meaning.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi in this sentence?

Both mean “but”:

tetapi
- More formal or neutral.
- Common in writing, speeches, and also in polite conversation.
tapi
- Colloquial/shortened form.
- Very common in everyday spoken Malay.

So:

... tebal tetapi kelihatan cantik ... – slightly more formal/neutral.
... tebal tapi kelihatan cantik ... – more casual, conversational.

Grammatically they are the same; choice is about tone/register.

What exactly does kelihatan mean, and how is it different from nampak or lihat?

Core meaning of kelihatan:
“to be visible / to appear / to look (seem)”

In this sentence:

kelihatan cantik = “looks beautiful / appears beautiful / seems beautiful.”

Difference from related words:

lihat = to see (an active action by the subject)
- Saya lihat kabus itu. = I see that fog.
nampak
- As a verb: “to see” (colloquial) ⇒ Saya nampak dia. = I see him/her.
- As a stative: “to appear / to look” ⇒ Dia nampak letih. = He/she looks tired.
kelihatan
- More passive / stative: “is visible; looks; seems.”
- Often more neutral or slightly formal in writing.

You don’t need seperti after it when followed by an adjective:

kelihatan cantik – correct: looks beautiful
kelihatan seperti hantu – correct: looks like a ghost (here seperti is needed before a noun).

Why is it dari khemah kami instead of daripada khemah kami?

Malay distinguishes dari and daripada, especially in standard usage:

dari – from (physical place, time, direction)
- dari rumah = from home
- dari sekolah = from school
- dari pagi sampai malam = from morning till night
daripada – from (a source that is a person or an abstract origin/comparison)
- hadiah daripada ibu = a present from mother
- lebih besar daripada itu = bigger than that
- belajar daripada kesilapan = learn from mistakes

Khemah (tent) is a place, so dari khemah kami (from our tent) is the standard choice.

In everyday informal speech some people overuse dari, but in careful Malay this sentence is exactly right with dari.

What does khemah kami imply compared with khemah kita?

Both can translate as “our tent”, but Malay distinguishes two kinds of “we”:

kami = we / us (excluding the listener)
- khemah kami = our tent, but not including the person being spoken to.
kita = we / us (including the listener)
- khemah kita = our tent, including the listener as part of the group.

So:

If I’m telling this story to someone who was not camping with us, khemah kami is correct.
If I’m talking to another camper who shared the tent, I would usually say khemah kita.

English “our tent” doesn’t show this difference, but Malay forces you to choose.

Can I change the word order, for example: Kabus di hutan itu tebal pada awal pagi tetapi kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami?

Yes, you can move the time phrase and still be correct:

Pada awal pagi, kabus di hutan itu tebal tetapi kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami.
- Time phrase pada awal pagi is placed at the start for emphasis; this is very common in Malay storytelling.
Kabus di hutan itu tebal pada awal pagi tetapi kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami.
- More neutral order: subject + predicate, with the time phrase in the middle.

Both are grammatical. Putting pada awal pagi first highlights the time (“In the early morning, …”) which feels natural in narrative description.

Could I add a pronoun like ia: kabus di hutan itu tebal tetapi ia kelihatan cantik?

Yes, you can add ia, and the sentence would still be grammatical:

kabus di hutan itu tebal tetapi ia kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami.

However:

Malay often drops pronouns when the subject is clear from context.
ia is somewhat formal and mostly used in writing for things/animals.
In everyday speech, people more often use dia for people and animals, and usually omit a pronoun for inanimate things like fog.

So the original version without ia is perfectly natural and slightly more typical:
... tebal tetapi kelihatan cantik ...

How do we know if this sentence is present or past tense?

Malay verbs and adjectives don’t change form for tense. Time is understood from:

Context, and
Time expressions (like pada awal pagi, yesterday, later, etc.).

So:

Pada awal pagi, kabus di hutan itu tebal tetapi kelihatan cantik dari khemah kami.

Depending on context, this could mean:

In the early morning, the fog in that forest is thick but looks beautiful from our tent. (present / general truth)
In the early morning, the fog in that forest was thick but looked beautiful from our tent. (past, telling a story)

If you really want to mark past or future, you can add markers:

telah / sudah (past/completed):
- Pada awal pagi, kabus itu telah/sudah tebal...
akan (future):
- Pada awal pagi, kabus itu akan tebal...

But they are not required; often context is enough.