Breakdown of Guru menjelaskan tugas baru kepada murid-murid di kelas.
di
in
baru
new
guru
the teacher
tugas
the assignment
murid
the student
kelas
the class
menjelaskan
to explain
kepada
to
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Questions & Answers about Guru menjelaskan tugas baru kepada murid-murid di kelas.
What does menjelaskan mean and how is it formed?
Menjelaskan means to explain. It comes from the root jelas (clear) with the active prefix me- and the causative suffix -kan, so it literally means to make something clear.
Why is tugas baru placed immediately after the verb, before kepada murid-murid?
Indonesian syntax follows Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) order. Here:
- Guru = subject
- menjelaskan = verb
- tugas baru = direct object
The indirect object kepada murid-murid then follows the direct object.
What is the role of kepada in kepada murid-murid? Could we use pada or untuk instead?
Kepada marks the recipient (indirect object), equivalent to to in English.
- Pada can introduce an indirect object or general reference, but kepada is more natural with people.
- Untuk means for and indicates purpose, not the direct recipient.
Why is murid-murid written with a hyphen and repetition? Does it specify a particular number of students?
The hyphenated reduplication murid-murid indicates plurality (“students”). It does not specify an exact number; it simply signals “more than one.”
Why aren’t there articles like the or a before guru, tugas, or murid-murid?
Indonesian does not use definite or indefinite articles. Context determines whether something is a, an, or the when translating.
What does di kelas mean? Why is di used here instead of ke?
Di is a preposition meaning in or at, so di kelas = in the class (location).
Ke means to or towards and indicates movement into a place (e.g., ke kelas = to the class).
Why is Guru capitalized in this sentence?
In Indonesian, only the first word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalized. Here Guru is capitalized because it starts the sentence.
Can we rearrange the sentence, for example Guru menjelaskan kepada murid-murid tugas baru di kelas? Does the meaning change?
Yes, Indonesian allows some flexibility, but the neutral order is SVO. Moving kepada murid-murid before tugas baru is grammatically acceptable but shifts emphasis:
- Original focuses first on what is explained.
- Rearranged highlights to whom the explanation is given.
How would you express The new assignment was explained by the teacher to the students in the class in Indonesian (passive voice)?
Use the di- passive form and oleh for the agent:
Tugas baru dijelaskan oleh guru kepada murid-murid di kelas.