Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Survei kelas ditulis singkat agar jelas. - The class survey is written briefly so that it is clear.

di- marks the passive voice on the verb. The root is tulis (write), so ditulis means “is/was written.” Indonesian doesn’t mark tense here; time is inferred from context or added with words like sudah/telah (already) or akan (will).

Who is doing the writing in this sentence?

The agent is not mentioned. You can add it if needed:

Survei kelas ditulis oleh guru.
Survei kelas ditulis guru. (natural without oleh) With a pronoun, Indonesians often prefer the “bare passive”:
Survei kelas itu saya tulis singkat agar jelas.

What exactly does survei kelas mean? Why no preposition?

It’s a noun–noun construction: “class survey” or “survey of the class.” Indonesian often uses a bare noun after another noun to show “of/about/for.” If you need to be explicit:

About the class: survei tentang kelas
For a class: survei untuk kelas itu
By the class: survei oleh kelas itu

Can kelas mean the physical classroom here?

It could, but context usually points to “class” as a group/course. To be explicit about the room, use ruang kelas.

Why singkat and not pendek?

singkat = brief (good for time span, text length, summaries).
pendek = short (physical length/height, and fixed phrase cerita pendek). For writing style, use singkat (or ringkas/padat), not pendek.

Is ditulis singkat correct without secara?

Yes. Adjectives commonly function adverbially in Indonesian. You can also say:

ditulis secara singkat (more formal)
ditulis ringkas (synonym, very natural)

How do singkat, ringkas, and padat differ?

singkat: brief (short length).
ringkas: concise (no unnecessary detail).
padat: dense/compact (much content efficiently).
Writers often aim for singkat, padat, jelas (brief, concise, clear).

Is disingkat the same as singkat?

No. disingkat = “abbreviated/shortened (by using abbreviations).”

Survei ditulis singkat = the survey is brief.
Survei ditulis disingkat = the survey is written using abbreviations/shortened forms.

What’s the difference between agar, supaya, biar, and untuk?

All can express purpose, but:

agar: formal/neutral.
supaya: neutral, very common.
biar: informal/colloquial.
untuk: “for/to,” typically followed by a noun or a verb phrase; not usually with an adjective alone.
Natural rewrites:
Survei kelas ditulis singkat supaya jelas.
Survei kelas ditulis singkat biar jelas.
Survei kelas ditulis singkat untuk memperjelas. (uses a verb after untuk)

Why is there no subject after agar in agar jelas?

Indonesian allows an implied subject when it’s clear from context. agar jelas means “so that (it) is clear,” where “it” refers to the survey or its contents. You can make it explicit:

agar isinya jelas
agar maksudnya jelas

Can I move the purpose clause to the front?

Yes:

Agar jelas, survei kelas ditulis singkat. This is common and grammatical.

Does this sentence have a tense?

Indonesian doesn’t grammatically mark tense. Add time/aspect words if needed:

Past: Survei kelas sudah/telah ditulis singkat agar jelas.
Future: Survei kelas akan ditulis singkat agar jelas.
Habitual: Survei kelas biasanya ditulis singkat agar jelas.

How would I say this in active voice?

Guru menulis survei kelas secara singkat agar jelas.
Kami menulis survei kelas singkat agar jelas. A common passive with a pronoun agent is:
Survei kelas itu kami tulis singkat agar jelas.

What’s the difference between ditulis and tertulis?

ditulis: passive verb focusing on the action/event of writing.
tertulis: stative/resultative adjective “written/in written form.”
Example: Ketentuan tertulis = written regulations.

Do I need oleh to mention the agent?

No. With full noun agents, both are fine:

ditulis guru / ditulis oleh guru
With pronoun agents, many prefer the bare passive:
Survei itu saya tulis singkat… (more natural than ditulis oleh saya in speech)

Is jelas the same as “clear” in English? Could I use terang or pasti?

jelas = clear/understandable.

terang mainly “bright,” sometimes “clear” in certain contexts, but not the best here.
pasti = certain/sure, not “clear.”
Stick with jelas.

Should I add lebih: agar lebih jelas?

Both are correct.

agar jelas = so that it is clear (sufficiently).
agar lebih jelas = so that it is clearer (improvement over current state).

Is a comma needed before agar?

Not in the original order. If you front the purpose clause, use a comma:

Agar jelas, survei kelas ditulis singkat.

Is survei the standard spelling?

Yes, survei is the Indonesian standard. survey is English. Another Indonesian word, angket, means “questionnaire.”

How can I say “as briefly as possible”?

Survei kelas ditulis sesingkat mungkin agar jelas.

What if I want to say “written clearly” rather than “written briefly so it’s clear”?

Use jelas as a manner:

Survei kelas ditulis dengan jelas. Different nuance:
ditulis singkat agar jelas = brevity is used to achieve clarity.
ditulis dengan jelas = the writing itself is clear.