Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe. - I wait for the traffic to ease before crossing the road to the café.

menunggu is the standard meN- verb form from the base verb tunggu. It sounds a bit more complete and neutral/formal.
tunggu (without meN-) is very common in everyday speech and can sound a bit more casual or telegraphic, especially in short sentences.

In a full sentence like this, saya menunggu feels natural and standard. In casual conversation you might hear:

Saya tunggu trafik reda dulu.
Or even just Tunggu trafik reda dulu. (“Wait for the traffic to ease first.”)

How is tense expressed here? How do we know if it means I waited, I am waiting, or I will wait?

Malay does not mark tense on the verb the way English does.

Saya menunggu trafik reda can mean:

I waited for the traffic to ease, or
I was waiting / I am waiting for the traffic to ease, or
I will wait for the traffic to ease

The actual time is usually clear from context or from extra time words, e.g.:

Tadi saya menunggu trafik reda... (earlier, I waited…)
Sekarang saya menunggu trafik reda... (now, I am waiting…)
Nanti saya akan menunggu trafik reda... (later, I will wait…)

What exactly does trafik mean, and is it the usual word in Malay?

Trafik is a loanword from English traffic and is widely understood, especially in Malaysia.

However, the more traditional Malay term is lalu lintas. You will see:

trafik – common in speech, newspapers, road signs (e.g. kesesakan trafik = traffic jam)
lalu lintas – more formal/literary or in some official contexts

In your sentence, trafik is completely natural in modern everyday Malay.

What does reda mean, and where is it normally used?

Reda means something like to ease off, to subside, to calm down.

It’s often used with:

hujan reda – the rain eases off
badai reda – the storm subsides
kemarahan reda – anger dies down
kesesakan reda – congestion eases

Here, trafik reda means the traffic eases / becomes less heavy. So menunggu trafik reda = to wait for the traffic to become lighter.

Why is it sebelum menyeberang and not sebelum saya menyeberang?

Both are correct:

sebelum menyeberang jalan
sebelum saya menyeberang jalan

In Malay, when the subject of the second verb is the same as the subject of the first verb (here, saya), it is common and natural to omit the repeated subject:

Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan.
= I waited for the traffic to ease before (I) crossed the road.

Adding saya here is grammatically fine, but slightly heavier:

Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum saya menyeberang jalan.

The shorter version is more natural in everyday use.

What is the structure of menyeberang jalan ke kafe? Why is there jalan and ke kafe?

The phrase breaks down like this:

menyeberang – to cross (from one side to the other)
jalan – the road
ke kafe – to the café

So menyeberang jalan ke kafe literally:
to cross the road to the café (i.e. cross the road in order to get to the café on the other side).

You could also see variants like:

menyeberang jalan menuju ke kafe – cross the road heading to the café
menyeberang ke kafe di seberang jalan – cross over to the café across the road

But your version is simple and natural.

What is the difference between menyeberang and seberang?

seberang is a noun meaning the other side / opposite side.
- di seberang jalan – on the other side of the road
- ke seberang sungai – to the other side of the river
menyeberang is the verb meaning to cross (to the other side).
- menyeberang jalan – to cross the road
- menyeberang sungai – to cross the river

So you menyeberang (verb) to reach seberang (the other side).

Can I use melintas instead of menyeberang?

Yes, often you can:

melintas jalan also means to cross the road.

Nuance:

menyeberang emphasizes going from one side to the other side.
melintas emphasizes passing across / cutting across something.

For crossing roads, both are common:

menyeberang jalan – very standard
melintas jalan – also natural in many contexts

So you could say:

Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum melintas jalan ke kafe.

Why is there ke kafe and not something like di kafe?

ke and di work like this:

ke = to / towards (movement, direction)
di = at / in / on (location, no movement)

In your sentence, you are moving towards the café, crossing the road to get there:

menyeberang jalan ke kafe – cross the road to the café

If you said di kafe, it would describe being at the café, not going there.

Do I need a classifier like sebuah before kafe, as in sebuah kafe?

You can use a classifier, but you don’t have to.

ke kafe – to the café / to a café (general, context-dependent)
ke sebuah kafe – to a café (clearly “one café”, nonspecific)
ke kafe itu – to that café / the café (specific, already known)

In many everyday sentences, Malay omits the classifier when it’s not important to specify one café or that particular café. So ke kafe is perfectly acceptable and natural.

Could I change the word order and start with sebelum?

Yes, Malay allows that word order change:

Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe.
Sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe, saya menunggu trafik reda.

Both mean the same thing. Starting with Sebelum… puts more emphasis on the condition/time (before crossing…).

Can saya be dropped? Could I say just Menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe?

You can drop saya in certain contexts:

In instructions, notes, or diaries, you might see subjectless sentences.
Menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe. could appear as a diary note or a fragment.

But as a full, clear sentence telling a past event or habit, including the subject saya is more natural:

Saya menunggu trafik reda sebelum menyeberang jalan ke kafe.

How do you pronounce menyeberang, reda, trafik, and kafe?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-style phonetics):

menyeberang – mə-nyə-BRAHNG
- me- like mə in ago
- nye like the ny in canyon
- final ng as in sang
reda – RƏ-da
- e is like the a in sofa (a short, neutral sound)
trafik – TRA-feek
- similar to English traffic but with a as in father and i like ee
kafe – KAH-feh
- like café in English, but both syllables clearer and shorter

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How might it sound in more casual spoken Malay?

The sentence is neutral, suitable for everyday speech and writing.

In very casual spoken Malay (especially in urban Malaysia), you might hear simplifications and mixed register, for example:

Saya tunggu sampai trafik reda dulu, baru saya lintas jalan pergi kafe.
(I wait till the traffic eases first, then I cross the road to go to the café.)

Features of casual speech:

tunggu instead of menunggu
adding words like sampai (until) and dulu (first)
using pergi kafe instead of menyeberang jalan ke kafe

Your original sentence remains perfectly natural and correct in most situations.