Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Murid-murid merapikan ruang kelas setiap sore. - The students tidy the classroom every afternoon.

Reduplication marks plurality or variety. So murid-murid emphasizes “students (several).” Indonesian doesn’t require plural marking: plain murid can already mean “student” or “students,” depending on context. Reduplication just makes the plurality explicit.

Can I say para murid instead of murid-murid? What’s the difference?

Yes. Para murid also means “the students,” with para being a plural marker mainly for humans. Nuance:

murid: number unspecified (could be singular or plural).
murid-murid: clearly plural; neutral.
para murid: clearly plural; a bit more formal or written. Don’t combine them: avoid para murid-murid.

Could I use siswa instead of murid here?

Yes. Siswa is very common for school students; murid is also fine. Notes:

murid: “pupil/student” (often with a teacher–pupil nuance).
siswa: “student” (school-level).
mahasiswa: university student.
pelajar: student (esp. middle/high school), often in official contexts.

What is the base word of merapikan, and how is the verb formed?

The base is the adjective rapi (“tidy/neat”). The verb merapikan = me- + rapi + -kan, meaning “to tidy (something), make it tidy.” The prefix is me- (not assimilating because the root starts with r), and -kan makes it a transitive, causative-like verb.

How is merapikan different from membersihkan and membereskan?

merapikan: to tidy/arrange/put in order (focus on neatness and organization).
membersihkan: to clean (remove dirt/dust).
membereskan: to straighten up/finish up/resolve (getting things “in order” or “done”). In a classroom context you might hear all three, e.g., merapikan kelas, membersihkan kelas, membereskan kelas, each with a slightly different focus.

Is rapih correct, or should it be rapi?

Standard Indonesian uses rapi. You’ll hear rapih in some regions/colloquial speech, but in standard writing use rapi. The derived verb is merapikan, not “merapihkan.”

Why ruang kelas and not ruangan kelas? Are both correct?

Both are acceptable and mean “classroom.” Ruang kelas is concise and very common; ruangan kelas is also used (with ruangan being a noun derived from ruang). In many contexts, just kelas can mean “the classroom.”

Could I just say merapikan kelas instead of merapikan ruang kelas?

Yes. Merapikan kelas is very natural and commonly used to mean “tidy the classroom.”

What does setiap sore cover timewise? How is it different from siang, petang, or malam?

sore: late afternoon/early evening (roughly ~3–6/7 p.m.).
siang: late morning to mid-afternoon (~11 a.m.–3 p.m.).
petang: overlaps with sore; more literary/regional.
malam: night (after dark). So setiap sore = “every late afternoon.”

Can I use tiap sore instead of setiap sore?

Yes. tiap and setiap both mean “each/every.” tiap is a bit more informal; setiap is slightly more formal. Both are very common.

Where can I place the time phrase? Is it okay at the beginning?

Yes. Word order is flexible for time expressions:

Murid-murid merapikan ruang kelas setiap sore.
Setiap sore, murid-murid merapikan ruang kelas. Both are natural. If you front the time phrase, use a comma.

Is there subject–verb agreement? Should the verb change because murid-murid is plural?

No. Indonesian verbs don’t change for number or person. Merapikan stays the same whether the subject is singular or plural.

Could I make a passive version of this sentence?

Yes:

Ruang kelas dirapikan murid-murid setiap sore.
Setiap sore, ruang kelas dirapikan (oleh) murid-murid. Adding oleh is optional here. The passive shifts focus to the classroom as the topic.

Do I need the hyphen in murid-murid?

In standard writing, yes—use the hyphen for reduplication: murid-murid. In casual texting you may see murid2, but that’s not standard.

How do I pronounce ruang in ruang kelas?

ruang ends with the velar nasal sound [ng] as in “sing,” not a hard “g.”
Roughly: “ROO-ahng kuh-LAHS.” The “r” is tapped/trilled; vowels are pure.

Is pada sore hari okay instead of setiap sore?

They’re different:

pada sore hari = “in the afternoon/evening (on that day)” (a general time frame).
setiap sore = “every (late) afternoon” (habitual, repeated). For a habitual action, keep setiap/tiap sore. Also, for time, pada is the standard preposition (avoid di for time in formal Indonesian).

How do I make the classroom definite, like “the classroom” vs “a classroom”?

Indonesian has no articles. Ruang kelas can be “the classroom” or “a classroom” depending on context. To make it clearly definite, add a determiner like itu: ruang kelas itu = “that/the (aforementioned) classroom.”

Are there colloquial alternatives people say for “tidy up the classroom”?

Yes, very common are:

beres-beres kelas (straighten up/put things in order)
bersih-bersih kelas (do some cleaning) These are informal and frequent in everyday speech.