Kami mengitar semula kertas, kadbod, kaca, dan aluminium.

In Malay, both kami and kita can mean we, but they are not the same:

• kami = we, but not including the person being spoken to
• kita = we, including the person being spoken to

So Kami mengitar semula... means We recycle..., but the listener is not part of that we.

Mengitar semula means to recycle.

It is made up of:

• mengitar = to circulate / to process in a cycle
• semula = again

Together, mengitar semula is the normal Malay expression for recycle.

In this sentence, it works as the main verb: recycle.

Kitar is the base/root form. Malay often adds prefixes to form verbs.

Here, the prefix meng- is added:

• kitar → mengitar

This is a very common pattern in Malay. The prefix often marks an active verb, especially when the subject is doing the action.

So:

• kitar = root
• mengitar semula = to recycle

Malay usually does not use articles like English does.

So:

• kertas can mean paper, the paper, or some paper
• kaca can mean glass
• kadbod can mean cardboard

The exact meaning depends on context. This is completely normal in Malay.

Malay often does not mark plurals when the meaning is already clear from context.

So:

• kertas
• kadbod
• kaca
• aluminium

can refer to these materials in a general sense, like English paper, cardboard, glass, and aluminium.

Malay can show plurality by reduplication, for example:

• buku-buku = books

But here that would sound unnecessary, because the sentence is talking about materials in general, not countable individual items.

They mean:

• kertas = paper
• kadbod = cardboard
• kaca = glass
• aluminium = aluminium

A useful note: kadbod is a borrowed word, and its spelling reflects Malay spelling conventions.

This sentence follows a list pattern:

• kertas
• kadbod
• kaca
• dan aluminium

This is like English: paper, cardboard, glass, and aluminium.

Malay commonly uses commas in lists, and dan means and. The comma before dan is acceptable here, especially in writing.

Usually, yes, if you want a normal clear list in standard writing.

So:

• kertas, kadbod, kaca, dan aluminium

is the standard way to say:

• paper, cardboard, glass, and aluminium

In casual speech, people may sometimes shorten things, but in a full written sentence, dan is the normal conjunction.

More or less, yes. Malay spelling is generally quite phonetic.

A rough guide:

• kami = kah-mee
• mengitar = muh-ng-ee-tar
• semula = suh-moo-lah
• kertas = kur-tas
• kadbod = kahd-bod
• kaca = kah-chah
• dan = dahn
• aluminium = ah-loo-min-ee-um

The exact pronunciation can vary a little by speaker and region, but Malay is much more regular in spelling than English.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Kami mengitar semula... = We recycle... (not including you)
• Kita mengitar semula... = We recycle... (including you)

So you can use kita if the listener is also part of the group that recycles.

Yes. It can be used for recyclable materials in general, as in this sentence, and also for specific objects.

Examples:

• Kami mengitar semula botol plastik. = We recycle plastic bottles.
• Mereka mengitar semula kertas lama. = They recycle old paper.

So it works well with both mass/material nouns and countable items.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So Kami mengitar semula... can often mean:

• We recycle...
• We are recycling...

The exact time meaning depends on context.

If you want to emphasize an ongoing action, you can add sedang:

• Kami sedang mengitar semula kertas... = We are recycling paper...

Without sedang, the sentence is usually understood as a general statement: We recycle paper, cardboard, glass, and aluminium.