Minggu depan, kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.

Next week, we will sleep at the camp near the lake.

Breakdown of Minggu depan, kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.

• di: at
• tidur: to sleep
• akan: will
• dekat: near
• kami: we
• tasik: the lake
• minggu depan: next week
• kem: the camp

Questions & Answers about Minggu depan, kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.

What does “Minggu depan” literally mean, and can it only go at the beginning of the sentence?

“Minggu depan” literally means “week front” (i.e. the coming week), and is used to mean “next week.”

It doesn’t have to be at the beginning. You could also say:

• Kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik minggu depan.
  → Same meaning: Next week, we will sleep at the camp near the lake.

Putting “Minggu depan” at the beginning just emphasizes the time first, which is very common and natural in Malay.

What is the difference between “kami” and “kita”? Why is “kami” used here?

Malay distinguishes two kinds of “we”:

• kami = we (excluding the person spoken to)
  → The listener is not part of the group.
• kita = we (including the person spoken to)
  → The listener is part of the group.

In the sentence:

• Minggu depan, kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.

“kami” implies: we (some group) will sleep at the camp next week, but *not you (the person I’m talking to)*.

If the speaker wants to include the listener, they would say:

• Minggu depan, kita akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.
  → Next week, we (you and I/you all and I) will sleep at the camp near the lake.

Is “akan” necessary to talk about the future? Can I say “Minggu depan, kami tidur di kem dekat tasik”?

“akan” is a marker that clearly indicates the future, similar to “will” in English.

• Minggu depan, kami akan tidur di kem dekat tasik.
  → Very clearly future: Next week, we will sleep at the camp near the lake.

You can drop “akan”:

• Minggu depan, kami tidur di kem dekat tasik.

This is still understood as future because of “Minggu depan”. Native speakers often omit “akan” in casual speech when the time expression already makes the future meaning clear.

Using “akan” makes the sentence slightly more formal and explicit, but both versions are correct.

What exactly does “tidur” mean here? Is it just “to sleep” or also “to stay overnight”?

The basic meaning of “tidur” is “to sleep.”

In context, “tidur di kem” can be understood as:

• Literally: to sleep at the camp
• Practically: to stay overnight at the camp (because staying overnight normally involves sleeping)

Malay often uses “tidur” in this extended sense, especially with locations, similar to how in English you might say “We’re sleeping at the campsite tonight” to mean you’re staying there overnight.

What does “di” mean in “di kem dekat tasik”, and can it ever be omitted?

“di” is a preposition of place, meaning “at / in / on” depending on context.

• di kem → at the camp
• di rumah → at home / in the house
• di sekolah → at school

You cannot omit “di” before a location noun like this.
Saying “kami akan tidur kem dekat tasik” would be incorrect.

So in this sentence, “di” must be there to show that “kem” is the location where the sleeping happens.

What does “kem” mean, and is it the same as “camp” in English?

“kem” is a loanword from English “camp.” It usually refers to:

• a camp site / camp area
• a camp facility (like a training camp, boot camp, or a camping area)
• sometimes a military camp

In a camping context, “kem” corresponds well to “camp” in English.

You may also see related words:

• khemah → tent
• perkhemahan → camping (activity) / camp (event)

But in your sentence, “kem” is just “camp” as a place.

What does “dekat” mean in “dekat tasik”? Is it like “near” or “nearby”?

“dekat” can function as:

1. An adjective/adverb: near / close / nearby

   • rumah saya dekat → my house is near / nearby

2. A preposition: near (something)

   • dekat tasik → near the lake
   • dekat sekolah → near the school

In your sentence:

• di kem dekat tasik
  → at the camp near the lake

You may also hear “dekat dengan tasik”, which is a bit more explicit:

• di kem dekat dengan tasik → at the camp near the lake

Both “dekat tasik” and “dekat dengan tasik” are natural.

Could the location part be reordered, like “di dekat tasik kem”, or does it have to be “di kem dekat tasik”?

It should be “di kem dekat tasik”, not “di dekat tasik kem.”

The natural order is:

1. Preposition + main place
   
   • di kem (at the camp)
2. More detail about that place
   
   • dekat tasik (near the lake)

So:

• di kem dekat tasik
  → at the camp near the lake (camp = main place, lake = reference point)

“di dekat tasik kem” breaks that normal structure and sounds ungrammatical.

Is there any plural marking needed for “kem” or “tasik” if there is more than one camp or lake?

Malay normally does not mark plural the way English does. Nouns don’t change form:

• kem can mean camp or camps (depending on context)
• tasik can mean lake or lakes

If you want to make plurality explicit, you can:

1. Use numbers or words like “banyak” (many)

   • banyak kem dekat tasik → many camps near the lake
   • dua tasik → two lakes

2. Use reduplication (optional, more literary/emphatic for countable items)

   • kem-kem → camps
   • tasik-tasik → lakes

In your sentence, “kem dekat tasik” is naturally understood as one camp near one lake, unless context suggests otherwise.

If I want to say “Next week, we are going to stay at a camp near the lake” instead of literally “sleep,” is “tidur” still the best verb?

For everyday speech, “tidur” is still very natural and commonly used to mean stay overnight.

However, if you want to emphasize staying rather than sleeping, you can say:

• Minggu depan, kami akan tinggal di kem dekat tasik.
  → Next week, we will stay at the camp near the lake.

Notes:

• tinggal → to live / to stay (for some time)
• tidur → to sleep, but often implies sleeping there for the night in a context like camping.

Both are correct; “tidur di kem” sounds very typical for a camping trip.