Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru menjelaskan aturan sesingkat mungkin sebelum ujian. - The teacher explains the rules as briefly as possible before the exam.

sesingkat mungkin: neutral “as brief as possible.”
sesingkat-singkatnya: stronger/emphatic “as absolutely brief as possible,” often in formal notices.
yang paling singkat: “the briefest” (comparative among options), typically modifies a noun: jawaban yang paling singkat (the briefest answer), not a manner phrase by itself.

Can I move sebelum ujian to the front of the sentence?

Yes. These are all natural:

Guru menjelaskan aturan sesingkat mungkin sebelum ujian.
Sebelum ujian, guru menjelaskan aturan sesingkat mungkin. Fronting the time phrase is common and doesn’t change the meaning.

Where should sesingkat mungkin go? Can it come before the object?

Best places:

After the object: menjelaskan aturan sesingkat mungkin
At the very end: … sesingkat mungkin sebelum ujian (both orders are fine) Putting it between the verb and object (e.g., menjelaskan sesingkat mungkin aturan) is uncommon and can sound awkward.

Why is it menjelaskan and not menjelas?

Root: jelas (clear). With meN- and -kan, you get menjelaskan = “to make clear; to explain.” There’s no standard verb menjelas. The -kan marks a transitive, causative sense (“make X clear”).

Do I need tentang after menjelaskan?

No. Menjelaskan already takes a direct object: menjelaskan aturan. Saying menjelaskan tentang aturan is often considered redundant; prefer menjelaskan aturan or use a noun phrase: memberi penjelasan tentang aturan.

What’s the difference between menjelaskan, menerangkan, and memperjelas?

menjelaskan: to explain/make clear (very common and neutral).
menerangkan: near-synonym; sometimes a bit more formal/literary.
memperjelas: to clarify/further clarify (improves clarity of something already known).

How do I say “the teacher” vs “a teacher” in Indonesian?

Indonesian has no articles. Use context or add markers:

guru: a/the teacher (context decides)
seorang guru: a teacher (indefinite, one person)
guru itu / gurunya: the teacher (specific/known)
As a title: Pak Guru / Bu Guru (Mr./Mrs. Teacher)

Is aturan singular or plural? When would I use aturan-aturan or peraturan?

aturan can be singular or plural by context.
aturan-aturan explicitly marks plurality (many separate rules).
peraturan often implies formal regulations. In a school-exam context, aturan or peraturan both work; peraturan sounds a bit more official.

Does menjelaskan mark tense? How do I say past or future?

Verbs are tenseless. Time comes from context or adverbs:

Past: sudah, tadi (e.g., Guru sudah menjelaskan…)
Progressive: sedang (e.g., Guru sedang menjelaskan…)
Future: akan, nanti (e.g., Guru akan menjelaskan…) Here, sebelum ujian provides the time relation.

What’s the difference between sebelum and sebelumnya?

sebelum = “before” (preposition): sebelum ujian
sebelumnya = “previously/before that” (adverb) or “previous” (modifier): Sebelumnya, … / ujian sebelumnya

Should I add dengan before sesingkat mungkin?

Optional. Both are acceptable:

menjelaskan aturan sesingkat mungkin (very common)
menjelaskan aturan dengan sesingkat mungkin (a bit more formal-sounding) Meaning is the same.

What’s the nuance difference among singkat, ringkas, and pendek?

singkat: brief (short in duration/length of speech or text).
ringkas: concise (brief and to the point, no fluff).
pendek: short in physical length; only sometimes for time, less for explanations. For an explanation, prefer singkat or ringkas.

Is secepat mungkin the same as sesingkat mungkin?

No.

secepat mungkin: as fast as possible (speed)
sesingkat mungkin: as brief as possible (length/amount of information) You can combine them: secepat dan sesingkat mungkin.

Can I make it passive? How would that sound?

Yes:

Aturan dijelaskan sesingkat mungkin sebelum ujian. To mention the agent:
Aturan dijelaskan oleh guru sesingkat mungkin… (formal)
Aturan dijelaskan guru sesingkat mungkin… (natural, no oleh) Passive shifts focus to the rules rather than the teacher.

What does -nya do in forms like menjelaskannya or gurunya?

menjelaskannya = “explain it/that” (object pronoun clitic)
gurunya = “the/that teacher” or “his/her teacher” (definiteness or possessive, context decides) Clitic -nya is very common for “the/that/his/her/its.”

Why is it menjelaskan (with men-) and not mengjelaskan?

The prefix meN- changes form based on the first sound of the root:

Before j, it becomes menj-: jelas → menjelaskan Other examples: c → menc- (cari → mencari), t drops to men- (tulis → menulis), p drops to mem- (pakai → memakai), k drops to meng- (kirim → mengirim).

Is the capitalization and spelling in the sentence normal?

Yes. Guru is capitalized only because it begins the sentence; otherwise guru is lower case unless it’s a title (e.g., Guru Budi). sesingkat is written as one word (prefix se- attaches to the adjective). sebelum ujian is two words, no hyphen.