Learn Hardcore Malay: Guru mengingatkan kami supaya tidak menulis komen negatif di internet. - The teacher reminds us not to write negative comments on the internet.

Causative: “make/let someone do something”
- ingat (remember) → mengingatkan (make someone remember = remind)
Or it can mark that there is a clear object/recipient of the action.

In Guru mengingatkan kami…, -kan helps show that kami is the one being reminded.

Why is kami used here instead of kita? What’s the difference?

Malay distinguishes between two types of “we/us”:

kami = we/us excluding the listener
kita = we/us including the listener

In this sentence, Guru mengingatkan kami…, the students are saying “the teacher reminded us (students)”, not including the person they’re talking to. So kami is correct.

If the teacher were speaking directly to the class and including them all, the teacher might say:

Saya ingin mengingatkan kita supaya… (I want to remind us (all of us here) that…)

What does supaya do in this sentence?

Supaya introduces a clause that expresses purpose, intention, or desired result.

Structure here:

Guru mengingatkan kami = The teacher reminded us
supaya tidak menulis komen negatif di internet = so that (we) do not write negative comments on the internet

So supaya can often be translated as “so that / in order that”.

What’s the difference between supaya, agar, and untuk? Could I replace supaya here?

All three are related to purpose, but they’re used a bit differently:

supaya
- Common in speech and writing.
- Introduces a clause (subject + verb), often with an implied subject.
- Example: …supaya (kami) tidak menulis komen negatif.
agar
- More formal, similar to supaya; also introduces a clause.
- You could say: Guru mengingatkan kami agar tidak menulis komen negatif di internet.
- This sounds a bit more formal but is correct.
untuk
- Usually followed by a noun or a verb in basic form (without meN-), expressing “for / to”.
- Example: untuk menulis komen (to write comments), untuk keselamatan (for safety).
- You wouldn’t normally say …untuk tidak menulis komen negatif… in this context; supaya/agar are more natural.

Why is tidak used before menulis? Could we use jangan instead?

Tidak and jangan both mean “no/not” but are used differently:

tidak = not (used for statements and questions)
- Saya tidak menulis komen. = I do not write comments.
jangan = don’t (used for commands / prohibitions)
- Jangan menulis komen negatif. = Don’t write negative comments.

In the sentence:

…supaya tidak menulis komen negatif… = so that (we) do not write negative comments
This is a reported purpose, not a direct command, so tidak is natural.

You could say:

Guru mengingatkan kami: “Jangan menulis komen negatif di internet.”
Here jangan appears inside the direct quote as an actual command.

Why is it menulis komen negatif, not something like komen negatif menulis?

Malay basic word order is similar to English:

Verb + object + adjective

So:

menulis (to write) → verb
komen (comments) → object
negatif (negative) → adjective describing komen

Correct order: menulis komen negatif = “write negative comments”.

Putting it as komen negatif menulis would be ungrammatical; it would look like komen negatif is the subject doing the writing.

Is komen a Malay word or borrowed from English? Are there alternatives?

Komen is a loanword from English “comment”, fully accepted in Malay.

You might also see:

ulasan = comments/review (often more formal; also used for reviews, critiques)
komen negatif = negative comments
ulasan negatif = negative reviews/negative commentary

In everyday online context, komen is very common and natural.

Why is it di internet? Could we use another preposition, or no preposition?

di is a preposition for location: “at / in / on”.

di sekolah = at school
di rumah = at home
di internet = on the internet / online

You need di here; saying internet without di would be ungrammatical in this structure.

Pada can also mean “on/at”, but it’s usually not used with internet in this sense. Di internet is the standard way to say “on the internet”.

How do we know if this sentence is past, present, or future? There’s no tense marker.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. Context (or time words) shows whether it is past/present/future.

Guru mengingatkan kami… can mean:

The teacher reminds us (habitually / generally)
The teacher reminded us (past)
The teacher is reminding us (now)

If you want to be explicit, add time expressions:

Tadi guru mengingatkan kami… = Earlier, the teacher reminded us…
Setiap minggu guru mengingatkan kami… = Every week the teacher reminds us…
Nanti guru akan mengingatkan kami… = Later the teacher will remind us…

Could we say just ingatkan kami instead of mengingatkan kami?

Yes, in speech, especially in informal contexts:

Ingatkan kami supaya…

This is like using the bare root with -kan without the meN- prefix. It often sounds:

A bit more informal
More like a request or instruction

In the given sentence, Guru mengingatkan kami… is a neutral, standard form suitable for both spoken and written Malay.

What is the difference between guru and cikgu? Could we replace guru here?

Both refer to a teacher, but the usage differs slightly:

guru
- More formal / general term for teacher
- Used in writing, job titles, news, etc.
cikgu
- From “encik guru” / “teacher”
- Very common in addressing a school teacher directly or talking about them informally
- Often used for primary/secondary school teachers

You could say:

Cikgu mengingatkan kami supaya…
This sounds a bit more casual/informal and very natural in a school context.