Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya simpan pakaian dalam almari.

Malay: Saya (subject) simpan (verb) pakaian (object) dalam almari (prepositional phrase)
English: I (subject) keep (verb) clothes (object) in the wardrobe (prepositional phrase)

So Malay uses the same basic S–V–O order, and then adds the place phrase (dalam almari) at the end, just like English.

What exactly does simpan mean, and when do I use it?

simpan means “to keep / to store / to put something away for later use.”

Common uses:

simpan pakaian – keep/store clothes (in a cupboard, bag, etc.)
simpan duit – save/keep money
simpan kunci – keep the keys
simpan rahsia – keep a secret

It implies you are placing something in a (relatively) proper or safe place so it stays there.

Could I say “Saya letak pakaian dalam almari” instead? What’s the difference between simpan and letak?

You can say it, and it’s correct Malay, but the nuance is slightly different:

simpan = to keep/store/put away (often with the idea of storing something properly or for some time)
letak = to put/place (more neutral, just the act of placing something somewhere)

Examples:

Saya simpan pakaian dalam almari.
Emphasis: I keep/store my clothes in the wardrobe (that’s their usual place).
Saya letak pakaian dalam almari.
Emphasis: I put the clothes in the wardrobe (focus on the action of putting them there right now).

Both are natural; if you’re talking about where things are normally kept, simpan fits very well.

Why is there no word for “the” or “my” before pakaian and almari?

Malay normally does not use separate words for “a/the” (articles), and possession is often left implicit if it’s obvious.

pakaian can mean clothes / the clothes / my clothes / your clothes, depending on context.
almari can mean a cupboard / the cupboard / my cupboard, again depending on context.

If you want to be more explicit:

pakaian saya – my clothes
almari saya – my cupboard / my wardrobe
almari itu – that cupboard / the cupboard (already known in the context)

So you could say:

Saya simpan pakaian saya dalam almari saya. – I keep my clothes in my wardrobe.
(Perfectly correct, just more wordy than most native speakers would use unless needed for clarity.)

How do I show past, present, or future time with this sentence?

The verb simpan itself does not change for tense. Time is shown by context or by adding time words:

Past:
- Saya sudah simpan pakaian dalam almari. – I have already kept/put away the clothes.
- Tadi saya simpan pakaian dalam almari. – I put the clothes in the wardrobe earlier.
Present (habit or general fact):
- Saya selalu simpan pakaian dalam almari. – I always keep my clothes in the wardrobe.
- Sekarang saya simpan pakaian dalam almari. – Right now I am putting the clothes in the wardrobe.
Future:
- Nanti saya akan simpan pakaian dalam almari. – Later I will put the clothes in the wardrobe.
- Esok saya simpan pakaian dalam almari. – Tomorrow I’ll keep/put the clothes in the wardrobe.

No verb conjugation; just add time markers like sudah, tadi, sekarang, nanti, akan, esok, etc.

What exactly is dalam doing here? Is there a difference between dalam and di dalam?

Here dalam works like the English preposition in / inside:

dalam almari – in the cupboard / inside the cupboard

You’ll also see:

di dalam almari – literally “at/in inside the cupboard”

In everyday speech:

dalam almari and di dalam almari usually mean the same thing, and both are fine.
di is the basic “at/in/on” preposition; dalam is “inside”. Combining them, di dalam, can feel a bit more explicit/emphatic or formal, but in many sentences they’re interchangeable.

You cannot just say di almari if you want the idea of inside the cupboard; di almari is more like “at the cupboard / by the cupboard,” while dalam almari is clearly “inside the cupboard.”

Is pakaian dalam “underwear”? How do I know it doesn’t mean that here?

Yes, pakaian dalam (as a fixed phrase) means underwear (literally: “inner clothing”).

In your sentence, though, pakaian and dalam belong to different parts of the structure:

pakaian – the object (clothes)
dalam almari – the prepositional phrase (in the cupboard)

So the grouping is:
(simpan) [pakaian] [dalam almari]
not
(simpan) [pakaian dalam] [almari]

In writing, you usually rely on context and typical patterns. If you did want to clearly say “underwear”, you’d more likely write:

Saya simpan pakaian dalam di dalam almari. – I keep my underwear in the wardrobe.

Here pakaian dalam is kept together, then di dalam almari is clearly the location.

Can I drop Saya and just say “Simpan pakaian dalam almari”?

If you say “Simpan pakaian dalam almari.” by itself, it will normally be understood as an instruction:

Simpan pakaian dalam almari. – (You) put/keep the clothes in the cupboard.

Malay often drops the subject in imperatives (commands).

To state a fact about yourself (“I keep…” or “I put…”), you normally keep Saya:

Saya simpan pakaian dalam almari. – I keep/put the clothes in the cupboard.

In conversation, if it’s already very clear that you’re talking about yourself, you can sometimes drop Saya, but in isolation, no subject sounds like a command.

Could I use menyimpan instead of simpan here? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Saya menyimpan pakaian dalam almari.

This is also correct. The relationship:

simpan = base verb (root form)
menyimpan = meN-
- simpan (a prefixed form)

In modern Malay:

The base form simpan is very common and perfectly standard, especially in simple sentences like this.
menyimpan can feel a bit more formal, or appear when the verb is in certain grammatical roles (e.g. at the start of a noun phrase: aktiviti menyimpan barang – the activity of storing things).

For everyday speech and writing, Saya simpan pakaian dalam almari is completely natural.

What does almari mean exactly? Is it a cupboard, a wardrobe, or a closet?

almari is a general word for a cupboard/wardrobe/cabinet, typically a piece of furniture with doors used for storage. The exact English word depends on what’s inside:

For clothes: almari pakaian – wardrobe
For dishes: almari pinggan – kitchen cupboard
For books: almari buku – bookcase/cabinet

In your sentence, because it’s used with pakaian, almari is naturally understood as something like wardrobe / clothes cupboard. If you want to be very clear, you can say:

Saya simpan pakaian dalam almari pakaian. – I keep my clothes in the wardrobe.