Questions & Answers about Kapten kami memakai jersi biru di padang.
Why does kami mean our here, even though I learned it as we/us?
In Malay, personal pronouns can also show possession when they come after a noun.
So:
- kami = we/us as a pronoun
- kapten kami = our captain
Malay does not need an apostrophe form like our or ours here. Putting the pronoun after the noun is enough.
Compare:
- kami datang = we come / we are coming
- kapten kami = our captain
This is a very common pattern:
- rumah saya = my house
- guru mereka = their teacher
- pasukan kami = our team
What is the difference between kami and kita?
This is a very important Malay distinction.
- kami = we, but not including the person being spoken to
- kita = we, including the person being spoken to
So in kapten kami, the speaker means our captain, but your captain is not included.
For example:
- Kami menang. = We won (but not you)
- Kita menang. = We won (you and I / all of us included)
English uses just we, so this difference often feels new to English speakers.
Why is the verb memakai instead of just pakai?