Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya belajar cara mengikat tali kasut di rumah.

With cara:
- Saya belajar cara mengikat tali kasut di rumah.
  = I am learning the way / method of tying shoelaces at home.
- Slightly more explicit and “school-like”, as if you’re learning a method.
Without cara:
- Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut di rumah.
  = I am learning to tie shoelaces at home.
- This is also very natural and probably more common in everyday speech.

Both are correct; with or without cara the meaning is practically the same here. Cara just makes the “method / way” idea a bit more explicit and slightly more formal/bookish.

Why is it mengikat and not just ikat?

Ikat is the root verb “tie”.
Mengikat is the meN- verb form, roughly like “to tie / tying (something)” in standard Malay.

The pattern is:

ikat → mengikat (meN- + ikat)

In standard sentences, especially after belajar, you normally use the meN- form:

Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut. (natural)
Saya belajar ikat tali kasut. (can occur in casual speech, but sounds colloquial/less standard)

So, mengikat is the standard, grammatically complete form for “to tie (something)” here.

Why don’t we use something like untuk mengikat (“to tie”) after belajar?

Malay usually doesn’t need untuk (“to / in order to”) after belajar.

Compare:

English: I am learning *to tie my shoelaces.*
Malay: Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut. (no untuk)

Using untuk here would sound odd:

✗ Saya belajar untuk mengikat tali kasut. → feels unnatural in this context.

You generally use [verb] + meN-verb directly:

belajar membaca (learn to read)
belajar menulis (learn to write)
belajar mengikat tali kasut (learn to tie shoelaces)

Is tali kasut singular or plural? How do I say “shoelaces” in Malay?

Malay usually doesn’t mark singular vs plural with endings like -s.

tali kasut literally = shoe lace / shoelace, but it can refer to:

one shoelace
a pair of shoelaces
shoelaces in general

The number is understood from context. If you really want to emphasize:

satu tali kasut = one shoelace
dua tali kasut = two shoelaces
beberapa tali kasut = several shoelaces

But in most cases, tali kasut alone is enough, and listeners will understand from context that shoes normally have a pair of laces.

What is the function of di in di rumah, and how is it different from ke rumah?

di = at / in / on (location)
ke = to / towards (movement to a place)

So:

di rumah = at home / in the house (location, static)
ke rumah = to the house / to home (movement)

In your sentence:

Saya belajar … di rumah. = I am at home when I learn.
If you said Saya belajar … ke rumah, it would be ungrammatical; belajar is not a movement verb, so you don’t use ke there.

Does di rumah mean “at home” in general, or specifically “at my house”? Should it be di rumah saya?

di rumah by itself is usually understood as at home (my home) unless context suggests otherwise.

If you need to be explicit:

di rumah saya = at my house
di rumah mereka = at their house
di rumah kawan saya = at my friend’s house

In everyday conversation, di rumah is enough when you’re talking about your own home. Your sentence is naturally understood as “I learn how to tie my shoelaces at home.”

Is this sentence in the past, present, or future? How do we know the tense?

Malay verbs don’t change form for tense. Saya belajar cara mengikat tali kasut di rumah. can mean:

I am learning how to tie my shoelaces at home. (present)
I learn how to tie my shoelaces at home. (habitual)
I learned how to tie my shoelaces at home. (past)

To be specific, Malay adds time words:

Tadi saya belajar … di rumah. = I learned earlier at home. (past)
Sekarang saya belajar … di rumah. = I am learning now at home. (present)
Esok saya akan belajar … di rumah. = Tomorrow I will learn at home. (future)

Without extra words, the tense is taken from context.

Can I use aku instead of saya here? What’s the difference?

Yes, grammatically you can say:

Aku belajar cara mengikat tali kasut di rumah.

Difference:

saya: more polite, formal, neutral; used with strangers, older people, in writing, in class, etc.
aku: more casual, intimate; used with close friends, family, people your own age (depending on culture/region).

For a textbook-style or polite sentence, saya is the better default. In friendly conversation with peers, aku is very common.

What’s the difference between belajar and mengajar? They look similar.

They are related but have opposite roles:

belajar = to learn / to study
- Focus on the student.
- Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut. = I learn to tie shoelaces.
mengajar = to teach
- Focus on the teacher.
- Saya mengajar anak saya mengikat tali kasut.
  = I teach my child to tie shoelaces.

Same root ajar (“teach/learn”), but:

belajar = be- + ajar (learning, receiving knowledge)
mengajar = meN- + ajar (teaching, giving knowledge)

Is it okay to say Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut di rumah without cara? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly natural:

Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut di rumah.

Meaning difference is very small:

With cara (cara mengikat):
– slightly emphasizes “the way/method of tying shoelaces”
Without cara (mengikat only):
– more like “I’m learning to tie shoelaces”

In everyday speech, Saya belajar mengikat tali kasut di rumah might actually sound more natural and direct.

Could I move di rumah to the front, like Di rumah, saya belajar cara mengikat tali kasut?

Yes, that is grammatically correct:

Di rumah, saya belajar cara mengikat tali kasut.

Meaning is the same. The difference is in emphasis:

Saya belajar … di rumah. → neutral; focus on the action.
Di rumah, saya belajar … → puts extra emphasis on “at home” as the setting.

Both word orders are fine in Malay.

In Indonesian, I’ve seen tali sepatu instead of tali kasut. Is this a Malay vs Indonesian difference?

Yes, this reflects a regional difference:

In Malaysia / Brunei (Malay):
- kasut = shoe
- tali kasut = shoelace(s)
In Indonesia (Indonesian):
- sepatu = shoe
- tali sepatu = shoelace(s)

Your sentence is in standard Malay (Malaysia/Brunei) style. In Indonesian, the equivalent would be:

Saya belajar cara mengikat tali sepatu di rumah.