Asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.

Our dormitory is quiet after eleven o'clock because desk lamps must be turned off.

Breakdown of Asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.

• adalah: to be
• selepas: after
• kerana: because
• sunyi: quiet
• kami: our
• mesti: must
• asrama: the dormitory
• lampu meja: the desk lamp
• pukul sebelas: eleven o'clock
• dipadam: to be turned off

Questions & Answers about Asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.

What exactly does asrama mean? Is it a “dorm”, a “hostel”, or a “boarding school”?

Asrama refers to a place where people live together, usually in an institutional setting. Common English equivalents:

• school/college dormitory
• boarding school hostel
• student hostel

Context decides the most natural translation. In your sentence, asrama kami is likely our dorm(itory). It doesn’t usually mean the school itself; it’s specifically the living quarters.

Why is kami used instead of kita? Aren’t they both “we/us”?

Both refer to “we/us”, but they differ in inclusion:

• kami = we (excluding the listener)

  • Used when the listener is not part of the group.
  • E.g. students talking about their dorm to a teacher or a visitor.

• kita = we (including the listener)

  • Used when the listener is part of the group.
  • E.g. dorm residents talking among themselves.

So asrama kami = our (not your) dorm. If the speaker is including the listener, they might say asrama kita.

Does sunyi just mean “quiet”, or does it also mean “empty” or “lonely”?

Sunyi primarily means quiet/silent, but it can also carry nuances of:

• empty, deserted
• lonely, solitary

In your sentence, asrama kami sunyi most naturally means:

• Our dorm is quiet (no noise, everyone has settled down or gone to sleep).

But depending on context, sunyi can imply a place feels empty or lonely as well, e.g.:

• Jalan itu sunyi. – The road is quiet/deserted.
• Dia berasa sunyi. – He/She feels lonely.

How does selepas pukul sebelas work? Can I move it or say it in another way?

Selepas pukul sebelas literally = after eleven o’clock.

Structure:

• selepas = after
• pukul sebelas = eleven o’clock

You can place this time phrase in several positions:

• Asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas kerana… (your sentence)
• Selepas pukul sebelas, asrama kami sunyi kerana…
• Kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam, asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas.

All are grammatical; the differences are in emphasis only.

Alternative words for selepas:

• lepas pukul sebelas – more casual
• sesudah pukul sebelas – slightly more formal/standard

All three (selepas / lepas / sesudah) are commonly understood.

What is the difference between pukul sebelas and jam sebelas?

Both can be used to tell time, but usual patterns in everyday Malay:

• pukul sebelas – very common for clock time (11:00)

  • E.g. Kelas bermula pukul lapan. – Class starts at 8.

• jam sebelas – also possible, but:

  • jam is often the noun “clock / hour”.
  • It appears in phrases like:
    • pada jam sebelas – at eleven o’clock (more formal/written)
    • dua jam – two hours

So in natural spoken Malay, pukul sebelas is the default for “11 o’clock”.

Why is it kerana here? Could I use sebab instead?

Kerana and sebab both mean because, but:

• kerana – slightly more formal/neutral; very common in written and spoken Malay.
• sebab – also very common, often colloquial, and can mean both:
  • because (as a conjunction)
  • reason (as a noun)

You can say:

• …selepas pukul sebelas kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.
• …selepas pukul sebelas sebab lampu meja mesti dipadam.

Both are acceptable; the difference is mostly tone and register. Kerana sounds a bit more standard or “book Malay”.

What does lampu meja literally mean? Why is it in that order?

Lampu meja literally is lamp (of) table, i.e. table lamp.

Malay noun phrases are typically head-first, then the modifier:

• lampu meja = lamp (head) + table (modifier)
  → the lamp that belongs to / is on the table

Compare:

• buku sekolah – school book (book of school)
• pintu bilik – room door (door of the room)

In English, we often reverse the order (“table lamp”), but in Malay the main noun comes first (lampu), then the descriptive noun (meja).

Why is it mesti dipadam and not mesti memadam or mesti padam?

This is about voice (active vs passive) and how padam behaves as a verb.

1. Basic meaning of padam

   • padam = to go out / to be off (for a light, fire, etc.)
     
     • Lampu padam. – The light is off / goes out.
   • To put something out (active), we use:
     • memadam or memadamkan (more complete form)

2. Passive in your sentence

   • lampu meja mesti dipadam = the table lamps must be turned off.
   • mesti = must
   • dipadam = be put out / be turned off (passive form of padam)

The object (lampu meja) comes before the verb; so we use di- passive:

• (Orang) mesti memadam lampu meja. – People must turn off the table lamps. (active)
• Lampu meja mesti dipadam (oleh orang). – The table lamps must be turned off (by people). (passive)

Mesti memadam would require an explicit subject before it:

• Kami mesti memadam lampu meja. – We must turn off the table lamps.

Mesti padam is possible in some contexts but sounds more like:

• Lampu mesti padam. – The light must be (in a) “off” state.

In rules or regulations, mesti dipadam is a very natural way to say must be turned off.

I’ve seen dipadamkan as well. What’s the difference between dipadam and dipadamkan?

Both are passive forms of padam, and in this sentence they are very close in meaning.

• dipadam – shorter, very common, especially in speech.
• dipadamkan – emphasizes the action of causing it to go out, sounds slightly more formal/completed.

In your sentence:

• lampu meja mesti dipadam
• lampu meja mesti dipadamkan

Both can mean: the table lamps must be turned off. The version without -kan is already perfectly natural.

Who is actually turning off the lamps in lampu meja mesti dipadam? It doesn’t say “by whom”.

In Malay, passive sentences often omit the agent when it’s obvious or unimportant.

• Lampu meja mesti dipadam.
  → Literally: The table lamps must be turned off (by someone).

The understood agent could be:

• the students
• the dorm residents
• the wardens / staff

In rules, notices, and general statements, Malay frequently uses this kind of agentless passive. The focus is on the lamps and the obligation, not on who exactly does it.

Could I change the word order to Selepas pukul sebelas, asrama kami sunyi kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam?

Yes, that’s completely grammatical and natural.

Both:

• Asrama kami sunyi selepas pukul sebelas kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.
• Selepas pukul sebelas, asrama kami sunyi kerana lampu meja mesti dipadam.

mean the same thing. Placing selepas pukul sebelas at the start just emphasizes the time frame more. Malay word order is relatively flexible for adverbials (time, place, reason), as long as the main pieces stay in a clear order.

What level of formality is this sentence? Could I say it in casual speech?

This sentence is in standard, neutral Malay:

• Vocabulary: asrama, selepas, kerana, mesti, dipadam – all standard words.
• Structure: suitable for spoken and written contexts.

In casual speech, people might make small changes, for example:

• Lepas pukul sebelas asrama kami sunyi, sebab lampu meja kena padam.
  
  • lepas instead of selepas
  • sebab instead of kerana
  • kena padam instead of mesti dipadam

But your original sentence is natural, correct, and appropriate in most situations (conversation, writing, explanations).