Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru menandai bagian penting dan menekankan fokus presentasi. - The teacher marks the important parts and emphasizes the presentation’s focus.

To make “a teacher” explicit, you can say seorang guru.
To make it clearly definite, you can say guru itu or gurunya (“that/the teacher already known from context).

How is tense expressed? How do I know if this happened in the past?

Verbs don’t change for tense. Time is shown by context or particles:

Past/completed: sudah, telah (e.g., Guru sudah menandai…)
Ongoing: sedang (e.g., Guru sedang menandai…)
Future/intended: akan (e.g., Guru akan menandai…)

What’s the difference between menandai and menandakan?

menandai (meN- + tanda + -i): to mark something directly (often physical marking/highlighting). Example: Guru menandai bagian penting (The teacher marked the important parts).
menandakan (meN- + tanda + -kan): to indicate/signify. Example: Awan gelap menandakan hujan (Dark clouds indicate rain). Use menandai in the sentence because the teacher is literally marking sections.

Why does menandai use the suffix -i rather than -kan?

In many verbs, -i often targets a location/surface or multiple points on an object, which fits “marking parts (on a text).” -kan tends to be causative/benefactive. So menandai bagian (“mark the parts”) is the natural choice.

What’s the difference between menekankan and menekan?

menekan: to press; to suppress (literal/physical or figurative pressure). Example: menekan tombol (press a button).
menekankan: to emphasize/stress. Example: menekankan fokus/pentingnya sesuatu (emphasize the focus/the importance of something).

Should it be menekankan fokus presentasi or menekankan pada fokus presentasi?

Use menekankan + direct object: menekankan fokus presentasi. Adding pada after menekankan is common in casual speech but is often considered redundant in careful/formal usage. If you use a verb that requires pada (e.g., menitikberatkan pada), then include it.

Why is it bagian penting and not penting bagian?

In Indonesian, adjectives typically follow the noun they modify:

bagian penting = important parts/section Putting the adjective before the noun is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

Does bagian penting mean one important part or several?

It’s ambiguous; Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default. Context decides.

To make plural explicit: bagian-bagian penting.
To make singular/definite explicit: bagian penting itu or satu bagian penting.

Is there a nuance difference between bagian penting and bagian yang penting?

They’re close. bagian penting is the normal noun + adjective phrase. bagian yang penting literally “the parts that are important” can sound a bit more specific or contrastive, but both are fine in most contexts.

How does fokus presentasi work grammatically?

It’s a noun–noun compound where the head comes first: fokus (head) + presentasi (modifier/possessor) = “the presentation’s focus.” Alternatives:

fokus dari presentasi (more explicit/wordier)
fokus presentasi itu (that/the presentation’s focus already known)

Can I say fokusnya instead of fokus presentasi?

Yes, if the referent is clear. fokusnya = “its focus/the focus (of it).” For example, if presentasi was just mentioned, fokusnya is natural.

Is there any potential awkwardness with menekankan fokus presentasi?

It’s fine, but some might prefer more idiomatic targets of emphasis, e.g.:

menekankan poin-poin utama presentasi
menekankan inti presentasi
menekankan pentingnya fokus presentasi (emphasize the importance of the presentation’s focus)

Could I use synonyms like menggarisbawahi or menyoroti?

Yes, depending on nuance:

menggarisbawahi: literally “to underline”; figuratively, to underscore/emphasize.
menyoroti: to highlight/shed light on (analytical/critical tone).
menegaskan: to assert/affirm clearly.
menitikberatkan (pada): to place emphasis on (requires pada).

Is coordinating two verbs with one subject like this normal?

Yes. Guru is the single subject for both predicates: menandai… and menekankan…. No need to repeat the subject.

How would this look in the passive voice?

Passive shifts focus to the objects:

Bagian penting ditandai (oleh) guru dan fokus presentasi ditekankan. Using oleh is optional; the sentence is more formal in passive.

Why do menandai and menekankan look like the root lost its initial t?

That’s the meN- prefix assimilation:

tanda → menandai (the initial t drops; prefix surfaces as men-)
tekan
- -kan → menekankan (initial t drops; you see “...kankan” because the root ends with -kan and the suffix is -kan as well)