Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru membacakan pengumuman resmi kepada murid-murid di kelas. - The teacher reads the official announcement to the students in class.

"Membaca" = to read (neutral; could be silently or aloud, for yourself or generally).
"Membacakan" = to read something out for someone; it highlights a recipient/beneficiary.
In this sentence, "-kan" signals that the teacher read the announcement for the students (not just read it).

Could I just say "Guru membaca pengumuman resmi kepada murid-murid di kelas"?

Yes. "Membaca ... kepada ..." is acceptable and common. "Membacakan ... kepada ..." more clearly emphasizes the act of reading it for the students (i.e., "read out to"). In everyday usage, both are fine; "membacakan" can sound a bit more purposeful or formal.

Why use "kepada" here and not "untuk" or "ke"?

"Kepada" = to (a person/recipient). Best choice for giving/reading/addressing someone.
"Untuk" = for (purpose/benefit), not necessarily delivered directly. You could say "untuk murid-murid," but it focuses on benefit rather than direct addressing.
"Ke" = to (direction/place), not typically used for human recipients in formal Indonesian. Colloquially you might hear "ke murid-murid," but "kepada" is safer and more standard.

Can "pada" replace "kepada"?

Sometimes, especially in formal writing, "pada" can replace "kepada," but for people as recipients, "kepada" is the default and most natural. "Pada" is broader (used with times, situations, inanimate objects, and sometimes people in formal registers).

Is it okay to omit the recipient and say "Guru membacakan pengumuman resmi di kelas"?

Yes. Without "kepada murid-murid," it still implies the teacher read it out (to someone) in class. If the audience matters, keep the recipient phrase.

What does the reduplication "murid-murid" mean? Do I have to use it?

Reduplication marks plural: "murid-murid" = students.
You don’t have to mark plural; "murid" can mean "student" or "students" depending on context.
Alternatives:
- "para murid" (collective plural, formal-ish) — do not say "para murid-murid".
- Leave it unmarked ("murid") if number is clear from context.

Is "murid" the only word for "student"? What about "siswa" or "mahasiswa"?

"Murid" and "siswa" both mean "student" (school level). "Siswa" is very common in school contexts.
"Mahasiswa" = university student.
In this sentence, you could use "siswa-siswa" or "para siswa" instead of "murid-murid" for school students.

Why is "resmi" placed after "pengumuman"?

Indonesian adjectives usually follow the noun. So "pengumuman resmi" = official announcement. You could also say "pengumuman yang resmi" for emphasis, but the simple post-nominal adjective is standard.

Does "resmi" mean "official" or "formal"? What if I wanted "formally"?

"Resmi" = official (authorized/issued by an authority).
"Formal" = formal (style/level of formality).
"Formally" (adverb) is "secara formal," while "officially" is "secara resmi." For a verb "announce officially," you’d use "mengumumkan secara resmi."

Does "di kelas" mean "in the classroom" or "during class"?

It can mean either, depending on context:

Location: in the classroom.
Occasion: during class. If you want to stress the physical room, say "di ruang kelas" or "di dalam kelas." If you mean a particular class group, you could specify: "di kelas 7B."

How do I make the sentence passive?

"Pengumuman resmi dibacakan (oleh) guru kepada murid-murid di kelas."
"Oleh" is optional in many passive sentences: "Pengumuman resmi dibacakan guru kepada murid-murid di kelas."
You can front the recipient too: "Kepada murid-murid di kelas, pengumuman resmi dibacakan oleh guru." (more formal/literary)

What’s the difference between "-kan" and "-i" with these kinds of verbs?

General tendencies:

"-kan" highlights the thing/action being transferred/caused; the recipient is usually in a prepositional phrase ("kepada/untuk").
- "Mengajarkan matematika kepada murid-murid."
"-i" highlights the recipient/location as the direct object.
- "Mengajari murid-murid matematika." For "baca," the "-i" form ("membacai") is not used in standard Indonesian; use "membacakan ... kepada ..." or "membaca ... kepada ..."

How do I express definiteness like "the teacher" vs "a teacher"?

Indonesian usually relies on context for definiteness. Options:

Indefinite: "Seorang guru" (a teacher).
Definite/specific: "Guru itu" or "Gurunya" (that/the teacher, context-specific). In your sentence, "Guru" can mean "the teacher" if the context already identifies them.

Can I move "di kelas" to the front?

Yes. "Di kelas, guru membacakan pengumuman resmi kepada murid-murid." This is a common way to foreground the setting. It doesn’t change the meaning.

How do I refer to "the announcement" with a pronoun?

Use "-nya" as a clitic:

"Guru membacakannya kepada murid-murid di kelas." = The teacher read it out to the students in class. Be careful: "-nya" can also mark definiteness/possessive on nouns, e.g., "pengumumannya" = the announcement / his/her announcement (context decides).

Is "kepada kelas" acceptable for "to the class"?

Not really. For the group as a class, say:

"kepada seluruh kelas"
"kepada para siswa di kelas [level/name]" "Di kelas" in the original sentence already covers the setting; the recipient is "murid-murid."

Do I need to mark past/present/future in this sentence?

No. Indonesian doesn’t inflect for tense. Add time/aspect words if needed:

Past: "tadi," "kemarin," "sudah/telah" — "Tadi pagi guru sudah membacakan ..."
Progressive: "sedang" — "Guru sedang membacakan ..."
Future: "akan" — "Guru akan membacakan ..."

Is the hyphen in "murid-murid" required?

Yes, in standard writing, reduplication uses a hyphen: "murid-murid." In informal texting you might see "murid2," but that’s nonstandard.

Can I use colloquial "sama" instead of "kepada"?

In casual speech, yes: "Guru membacakan pengumuman resmi sama murid-murid di kelas." However, in formal/neutral writing, prefer "kepada."

Could I drop "resmi" or change the order to make it emphatic?

Dropping it is fine if "official" isn’t important.
To emphasize, you can use "yang": "pengumuman yang resmi." Or front it: "Resmi, pengumuman itu dibacakan ..." (stylistic, more literary/formal).