Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru meminta jawaban singkat di papan tulis. - The teacher asks for a short answer on the board.

meminta + noun: ask for something
- Guru meminta jawaban. = The teacher asks for an answer.
meminta + (kepada/pada) + person + noun: ask someone for something
- Guru meminta jawaban kepada para siswa.
meminta + person + untuk + verb: ask someone to do something
- Guru meminta para siswa untuk menulis jawaban.
meminta agar/supaya + clause: ask that …
- Guru meminta agar jawaban singkat ditulis di papan tulis.

How do I include who is being asked (e.g., the students)?

Use one of these:

Guru meminta jawaban singkat kepada para siswa.
Guru meminta para siswa untuk memberikan jawaban singkat.
Guru meminta para siswa menulis jawaban singkat di papan tulis. (informal omission of “untuk,” common in speech)

Can I say Guru minta jawaban singkat… instead of meminta?

Yes. minta is widely used and is less formal than meminta. Both are correct:

Formal/neutral: Guru meminta jawaban singkat di papan tulis.
Casual: Guru minta jawaban singkat di papan tulis.

Why does di mean “on” in di papan tulis? Shouldn’t it be “pada”?

di is the general preposition for physical location and covers “at/in/on.” So di papan tulis = “on the (writing) board.”
pada is used for time/abstract relations or (sometimes) recipients; not for physical surfaces. For a surface specifically, you could also say di atas papan tulis, but that literally means “on top of the board” (on its upper surface) and is less idiomatic for writing on it. Stick with di papan tulis.

Does di papan tulis modify the verb (asked at the board) or the noun (an answer written on the board)?

By default it most naturally attaches to the noun phrase—i.e., the teacher asks for an answer that is to be written on the board.
To disambiguate:

Asking for it to be written: Guru meminta agar jawaban singkat ditulis di papan tulis.
Asking while standing at the board: Di papan tulis, guru meminta jawaban singkat. (fronted location)

Why is it jawaban singkat and not “singkat jawaban”?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually follow nouns. So “short answer” is jawaban singkat.
If you want to emphasize or restrict, you can add yang: jawaban yang singkat (more contrastive).

What’s the difference between jawab, menjawab, and jawaban?

jawab: root “answer”; also used as an imperative: Jawab! (“Answer!”).
menjawab: verb “to answer.”
jawaban: noun “answer” (what the sentence uses).
Example: Siswa menjawab. Guru menilai jawaban siswa.

Could I say jawab singkat instead of jawaban singkat?

Not as a noun phrase meaning “a short answer.” Jawaban singkat is the correct noun phrase.
Jawab singkat would be understood as a verb phrase (“answer briefly”) or a heading/label, not as “a short answer.”

How do I say “the short answer” (definite) vs “a short answer” (indefinite)?

Indonesian has no articles; context decides. To force definiteness:

jawaban singkat itu = that/the short answer (previously known)
jawaban singkatnya = the short answer (often “his/her/its short answer,” or contextually “the”)

How do I make it plural (“short answers”)?

Use reduplication or a quantifier:

jawaban-jawaban singkat (formal plural)
beberapa/berbagai jawaban singkat (some/various short answers)
Note: para is only for people (e.g., para siswa), not for things.

How do I show past, present, or future? There’s no tense marking in meminta.

Add time/aspect markers:

Past: Guru tadi meminta…, Guru sudah meminta…
Progressive: Guru sedang meminta…
Future: Guru akan meminta…, Nanti guru meminta…

Is singkat the same as pendek?

No.

singkat = brief/concise (length of text/speech/time span)
pendek = short in physical length/height; also used for “short (time)” but not for answers.
So jawaban singkat is idiomatic; jawaban pendek sounds odd.

Does papan tulis mean a whiteboard or a blackboard?

It’s generic: “writing board.” Context decides. If needed:

papan tulis putih = whiteboard
papan tulis hitam = blackboard/chalkboard
Colloquially, people may just say whiteboard as a loanword.

Should it be ke papan tulis instead of di papan tulis?

Use ke for movement/direction, di for location.

Location/result: … di papan tulis (written on the board)
Movement: Guru meminta seorang siswa ke depan/ke papan tulis untuk menulis jawaban.

What if the teacher is ordering rather than politely asking?

Use a stronger verb:

menyuruh (tell/instruct): Guru menyuruh siswa menulis jawaban singkat di papan tulis.
memerintahkan (command, formal)
mengharuskan (require/mandate)

How can I put this in the passive?

Two common passives:

Focus on the thing requested: Jawaban singkat diminta (oleh) guru di papan tulis.
Focus on the students: Para siswa diminta (oleh guru) menulis jawaban singkat di papan tulis.
Using oleh is optional in many contexts.

Why is there a space in di papan tulis but sometimes di- is attached (e.g., diminta)?

di as a preposition for location is written separately: di rumah, di papan tulis.
di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: diminta, ditulis.
So: jawaban singkat ditulis di papan tulis (attached in the verb, spaced in the preposition).

When do I use agar/supaya/untuk after meminta?

meminta agar/supaya + clause (ask that …): Guru meminta agar jawaban singkat ditulis.
meminta + person + untuk + verb (ask someone to …): Guru meminta siswa untuk menulis jawaban singkat.
Avoid meminta untuk + verb without a stated subject in formal writing; include the person or use agar/supaya.

Any natural-sounding rewrites to make the intention extra clear?

To stress writing on the board: Guru meminta agar jawaban singkat ditulis di papan tulis.
To stress oral delivery instead: Guru meminta jawaban singkat secara lisan.
More casual: Guru minta jawaban singkat di papan tulis saja.