Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu.

Both can mean we, but they are not the same:

• kami = we, but not including the listener
• kita = we, including the listener

So Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu means the speaker is talking about their group, but not the person they are speaking to.

Example:

• Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu. = We reuse that container. (not you)
• Kita menggunakan semula bekas itu. = We reuse that container. (you and I / all of us)

The basic root is guna, meaning use.

menggunakan is a more complete verb form built from that root. It is the standard, more formal transitive form, meaning to use something.

So:

• guna = use
• menggunakan = to use, to make use of

In everyday speech, Malay speakers often shorten it:

• Kami guna semula bekas itu.

That is very natural in conversation.
But menggunakan sounds more formal and complete in written or careful speech.

They turn the root guna into an active verb that takes an object.

Breakdown:

• guna = use
• meng-...-kan
  • guna → menggunakan

In this sentence, the object is bekas itu.

So menggunakan bekas itu means use that container.

For a learner, the simplest way to think about it is:

• guna = basic root
• menggunakan = standard verb form used when you are actively doing the action to something

You do not need to over-analyze every affix at first, but it is useful to recognize that Malay often builds verbs this way.

semula means again, anew, or in many contexts re-.

So:

• menggunakan semula = use again = reuse

It is not attached to the verb as a prefix like English re-.
Instead, it is a separate word.

Examples:

• guna semula = reuse
• tulis semula = rewrite
• buat semula = remake / do again

So in this sentence, semula tells you the container is being used again, not used for the first time.

Not exactly.

menggunakan semula means reuse: use the same item again.

That is different from recycle, which is usually:

• mengitar semula

So:

• Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu. = We reuse that container.
• Kami mengitar semula bekas itu. = We recycle that container.

In real life, the two ideas are related, but in Malay they are normally expressed differently.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun.

So:

• bekas itu = that container
• bekas ini = this container

This is normal Malay word order.

Compare:

• English: that container
• Malay: bekas itu

The same pattern appears with many nouns:

• rumah itu = that house
• buku ini = this book

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

Specificity is often shown by context, and words like ini and itu help make a noun more definite.

So:

• bekas can mean a container, containers, or the container, depending on context
• bekas itu clearly means that container, and often functions like the container in translation if the thing is already known

So itu helps make the noun specific.

No. bekas is a word with more than one meaning.

Common meanings include:

• container
• former / ex-

Examples:

• bekas itu = that container
• bekas guru = former teacher
• bekas suami = ex-husband

In Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu, the meaning is clearly container, because it fits the idea of reusing something physical.

The sentence follows the common Malay pattern:

• Kami = subject
• menggunakan semula = verb phrase
• bekas itu = object

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is very similar to English:

• We
  • reuse
    • that container

This makes Malay sentence structure feel fairly familiar to English speakers in many basic sentences.

Yes. That is very natural, especially in everyday speech.

Compare:

• Kami menggunakan semula bekas itu. = more formal / standard
• Kami guna semula bekas itu. = more casual / conversational

Both are correct in the right context.
If you are writing carefully, menggunakan is often preferred.
If you are speaking casually, guna is very common.

In this sentence, the most natural place is after the verb:

• menggunakan semula bekas itu
• guna semula bekas itu

That is the normal pattern.

A learner should treat verb + semula as the standard order for this meaning:

• baca semula = reread
• susun semula = rearrange
• guna semula = reuse

So for now, it is best to remember semula as something that usually comes after the verb it modifies.