Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Murid-murid belajar di kelas dengan serius.

Reduplication in Indonesian is one common way to signal plurality. murid-murid literally “student-student,” means “students” (plural). A single murid can be understood as singular or, in some contexts, plural, but doubling it makes the plurality explicit.

What does belajar mean here, and does it need an object?

belajar means “to study” or “to learn.” It is generally intransitive in Indonesian, so it does not require a direct object. You can say belajar alone (“to study”), or add the subject or topic (e.g., belajar matematika “study mathematics”), but in our sentence it simply stands by itself with location and manner phrases.

What is the function of di in di kelas?

di is a preposition meaning “in,” “at,” or “on” when placed before a noun. Thus di kelas means “in the classroom.” Indonesian does not use an article like “the,” so di kelas covers both “in class” and “in the classroom.”

How can you tell di as a preposition apart from di- as a passive-voice prefix?

As a preposition, di stands alone and is followed by a noun to express location. In passive verbs, di- is attached directly to the verb stem (no space) to indicate the verb is passive, for example dilihat “been seen.” Space vs. no space is your clue.

Why is there no word for “the” before murid-murid or kelas?

Indonesian doesn’t have articles like “the,” “a,” or “an.” Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context rather than marked by separate words.

How does dengan serius function, and is serius an adverb?

serius is an adjective meaning “serious.” To use it as an adverb (“seriously”), Indonesian typically adds the preposition dengan (“with”) to form an adverbial phrase: dengan serius = “with seriousness” ≈ “seriously.” It modifies the action belajar.

Can I reorder the sentence as Murid-murid belajar dengan serius di kelas?

Yes. Indonesian word order is relatively flexible for adverbs and prepositional phrases. Both orders convey “The students study seriously in class,” though slight shifts in emphasis may occur.

What’s the difference between murid-murid and para murid for “students”?

murid-murid uses reduplication to show plurality. para murid uses the collective plural marker para before a singular noun. Both mean “students,” but para murid can sound a bit more formal or literary.