Di kedai makan dekat pejabat, saya pesan mi dengan kuah, tetapi kawan saya minta sotong bakar dan kubis tumis.

Di is a preposition here. It means at, in, or inside, depending on context.

So Di kedai makan dekat pejabat means something like At the eatery near the office.

A useful contrast:

• di = a preposition: at/in/on
• -di as part of a passive verb is different, for example dibakar = is grilled

In this sentence, di is clearly the preposition because it comes before a place: kedai makan.

Kedai makan is a very common Malay expression for a place to eat. Literally, it is something like food shop/eating shop, but in natural English it can mean:

• eatery
• small restaurant
• food stall/shop
• casual place to eat

It often sounds more local and everyday than restoran.

So:

• kedai makan = a general, often casual eating place
• restoran = restaurant

Both are possible in many contexts, but kedai makan gives a more everyday feel.

No. Dekat pejabat means near the office, not at the office.

• dekat = near / close to
• pejabat = office

So:

• di pejabat = at the office
• dekat pejabat = near the office

In the sentence, kedai makan dekat pejabat means the eatery near the office.

Malay often allows flexible word order, especially with time and place expressions.

Putting the place first does this:

• sets the scene
• sounds natural
• emphasizes location a little

So:

• Di kedai makan dekat pejabat, saya pesan... = At the eatery near the office, I ordered...
• Saya pesan... di kedai makan dekat pejabat. = also possible, but the focus feels slightly different

Both are grammatical. The version in your sentence simply starts with the setting.

This is a very common learner question. In everyday Malay, people often use the shorter root verb in casual speech and writing.

So:

• pesan = common everyday form
• memesan = fuller form, often more formal or careful

Both can mean to order in a food context.

The same idea applies to minta and meminta:

• minta = common everyday form
• meminta = more formal

In conversational Malay, dropping the meN- prefix is very normal.

Yes, in this kind of food context, both can work. But they are not exactly identical in all situations.

pesan

Usually means:

• to order
• to request in advance
• sometimes to leave a message, depending on context

In a restaurant or food stall, pesan is very commonly used for ordering food.

minta

Usually means:

• to ask for
• to request
• to want someone to give you something

So in this sentence:

• saya pesan mi dengan kuah = I ordered noodles with gravy/broth
• kawan saya minta sotong bakar dan kubis tumis = my friend asked for / ordered grilled squid and stir-fried cabbage

Why use different verbs in one sentence? Mostly stylistic variety. It avoids repeating pesan twice.

Dengan usually means with.

So mi dengan kuah means noodles with gravy/broth/soup/sauce, depending on the dish.

Here, dengan shows accompaniment: the noodles come with the kuah.

That is different from dan, which joins two equal items:

• mi dengan kuah = noodles with gravy
• sotong bakar dan kubis tumis = grilled squid and stir-fried cabbage

So:

• dengan = with
• dan = and

Kuah is a liquid part of a dish, but the best English translation depends on context. It can mean:

• gravy
• broth
• sauce
• curry gravy

It is broader than any one English word.

So mi dengan kuah could suggest noodles served with some kind of broth or sauce, depending on the food situation. That is why translations may vary.

In Malay, the noun usually comes first and the describing word comes after it.

So:

• sotong bakar = squid grilled = grilled squid
• kubis tumis = cabbage stir-fried = stir-fried cabbage

This is a very common Malay pattern:

• ayam goreng = fried chicken
• ikan bakar = grilled fish
• nasi putih = white rice

English usually puts the describing word first, but Malay often puts it after the noun.

They come from verbs, but in this structure they function as post-noun modifiers.

• bakar = to grill / roast
• tumis = to stir-fry / sauté

In sotong bakar and kubis tumis, they describe the food by the way it is cooked.

So they behave a bit like English adjectives in meaning, even though they are closely related to verbs.

A simple way to think about them:

• sotong bakar = squid that is grilled
• kubis tumis = cabbage that is stir-fried

Malay does not use articles like a, an, and the the way English does.

So:

• pejabat can mean office, an office, or the office
• kawan saya can mean my friend
• mi can mean noodles or some noodles, depending on context

Malay also often does not mark plurals unless needed. Context usually tells you whether something is singular or plural.

For example:

• sotong could mean squid or squids
• kubis could mean cabbage or cabbages, though in food contexts English often uses it as an uncountable food word anyway

So Malay leaves more of this to context than English does.

Kawan saya is the normal standard way to say my friend.

The usual possession pattern is:

• noun + possessor

So:

• kawan saya = my friend
• pejabat saya = my office
• buku dia = his/her book

Saya punya kawan does exist in some informal speech, but it is not the standard form you usually learn first.

So for learners, kawan saya is the best pattern to remember.

Yes. Tapi is the shorter, more conversational form of tetapi.

Both mean but.

• tetapi = a bit more formal or careful
• tapi = very common in everyday speech

So these are both natural:

• ..., tetapi kawan saya...
• ..., tapi kawan saya...

The sentence you were given uses the fuller form, which is perfectly correct.

Yes, they refer to the same thing: noodles.

You may see different spellings, such as:

• mi
• mee

Both are common in real life, depending on region, signage, branding, or personal habit. In standard Malay, mi is often preferred, but mee is extremely familiar and widely understood.

Not if you want the same meaning.

• dengan = with
• dan = and

So:

• mi dengan kuah = noodles with gravy/broth
• mi dan kuah = noodles and gravy

The second version sounds more like two separate items being listed, not one dish served with its sauce or broth. So dengan is the better choice here.

It is helpful, but not always strictly necessary.

Because Di kedai makan dekat pejabat is an opening location phrase, the comma makes the sentence easier to read:

• Di kedai makan dekat pejabat, saya pesan...

It separates the setting from the main clause.

In informal writing, people may leave it out, but with the comma the structure is clearer.