Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.

The students discuss climate change in the library.

Breakdown of Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.

• di: in
• tentang: about
• murid: the student
• perpustakaan: the library
• berdiskusi: to discuss
• perubahan iklim: the climate change

Questions & Answers about Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.

Why is murid repeated as murid-murid? Is that how you make plurals in Indonesian?

Yes. Reduplication (repeating a noun) is one common way to show plurality in Indonesian.

• murid = student (can be singular or plural depending on context)
• murid-murid = explicitly students

Indonesian doesn’t require plural -s like English. You have several options:

• murid → can mean a student or students
• murid-murid → clearly students
• para murid → also the students (slightly more formal / “the group of students”)

So murid-murid is there to emphasize that it’s more than one student.

Could I just say murid berdiskusi without repeating murid? Would that still mean “students discuss”?

Yes, you can say:

• Murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.

This can still mean “The students discuss climate change in the library”, if the context already makes it clear we’re talking about more than one student.

The differences:

• murid → number is not specified; could be one or more
• murid-murid → makes plural explicit
• para murid → also clearly plural and sounds a bit more formal

In everyday speech and writing, people often just use murid and let context handle singular vs plural.

What is the difference between murid, siswa, and pelajar?

All three can be translated as “student”, but their usage differs.

• murid

  • Often used for school students, especially elementary to high school.
  • Sometimes implies a more personal teacher–student relationship.

• siswa

  • Common for school students (SD/SMP/SMA – elementary, junior high, senior high).
  • Very common in formal/administrative contexts: siswa baru (new students), data siswa (student data).

• pelajar

  • Literally “learner”.
  • Often used in more formal, general, or governmental contexts.
  • Can refer to students at the school level, sometimes contrasted with mahasiswa (university students).

All three would be understood here, but murid-murid fits naturally and sounds neutral.

What is the function of the prefix ber- in berdiskusi?

The prefix ber- generally turns a root into an intransitive verb (no direct object) or indicates having/using/being in a state.

• diskusi = discussion (noun)
• ber-diskusi = to discuss / to have a discussion

So berdiskusi literally feels like “to be in the state of discussion / to engage in discussion”.

Other examples:

• kerja → bekerja (to work)
• jalan → berjalan (to walk)
• main → bermain (to play)

What is the difference between berdiskusi and mendiskusikan?

Both relate to “discuss”, but they have different grammar patterns.

1. berdiskusi (tentang X)

   • Intransitive; no direct object.
   • You add the topic with tentang (“about”).
   • Pattern: Subj + berdiskusi + tentang + topic
   • Example:
     
     • Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim.
       = The students are discussing climate change.

2. mendiskusikan X

   • Transitive; takes a direct object.
   • You don’t need tentang.
   • Pattern: Subj + mendiskusikan + object
   • Example:
     
     • Murid-murid mendiskusikan perubahan iklim.
       = The students discuss climate change.

Both are correct; your sentence uses the berdiskusi tentang pattern.

What does tentang mean exactly, and what kind of word is it?

tentang is a preposition meaning “about / regarding / concerning”.

• berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim
  = discuss about climate change

You can use tentang with many verbs and nouns:

• berbicara tentang politik (talk about politics)
• cerita tentang masa kecil (a story about childhood)
• buku tentang sejarah (a book about history)

How is perubahan formed, and what does it literally mean?

perubahan comes from the root ubah (to change).

The pattern is:

• pe- + ubah + -an → perubahan

pe-…-an often turns a verb/adjective into an abstract noun, similar to English “-ation / -ing / change”.

So:

• ubah = to change
• perubahan = change / alteration

Examples:

• perubahan iklim = climate change
• perubahan suhu = temperature change
• perubahan sosial = social change

What is the difference between iklim and cuaca? Both seem related to “weather”.

They are different, just like climate and weather in English.

• iklim = climate (long-term patterns)
• cuaca = weather (short-term conditions)

Examples:

• perubahan iklim = climate change
• iklim di Indonesia tropis. = The climate in Indonesia is tropical.
• Bagaimana cuaca hari ini? = How’s the weather today?
• Cuaca sedang hujan. = The weather is rainy.

So perubahan iklim is the correct term for “climate change”.

Can I move di perpustakaan earlier in the sentence, like Murid-murid di perpustakaan berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim? Does the meaning change?

You can move it, and the basic meaning is similar, but the focus shifts a bit.

1. Original:

   • Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.
   • Default reading: The students are discussing climate change *in the library.*
   • di perpustakaan clearly modifies berdiskusi (where the discussion happens).

2. Alternative:

   • Murid-murid di perpustakaan berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim.
   • This can sound like: The students *who are in the library are discussing climate change.*
   • di perpustakaan can be heard as describing which students.

Both are grammatical. The original is a bit more neutral and straightforward for “discussing in the library”.

Does this sentence say whether the discussion is in the past, present, or future?

No, Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. berdiskusi is the same for past, present, and future.

The sentence:

• Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.

could mean:

• The students discussed … (past)
• The students are discussing … (present)
• The students will discuss … (future, if context shows that)

To add time explicitly, you can add time words:

• Kemarin murid-murid berdiskusi… (Yesterday the students discussed…)
• Sekarang murid-murid berdiskusi… (Now the students are discussing…)
• Besok murid-murid akan berdiskusi… (Tomorrow the students will discuss…)

Why is the preposition di used with perpustakaan? When do I use di instead of ke?

di and ke both relate to place, but:

• di = at / in / on (location, static)
• ke = to / towards (movement, direction)

In your sentence:

• di perpustakaan = in/at the library (location of the discussion)

If you talk about going to the library, you use ke:

• Murid-murid pergi ke perpustakaan.
  = The students go to the library.

So:

• di perpustakaan → where something happens
• ke perpustakaan → where someone is going

Is it necessary to say di perpustakaan, or could it be left out?

It can be left out if the location isn’t important or is already known.

• With location:
  Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim di perpustakaan.
  = The students discuss climate change in the library.

• Without location:
  Murid-murid berdiskusi tentang perubahan iklim.
  = The students discuss climate change.
  (No information about where.)

Grammatically, both are fine; including di perpustakaan just adds more detail.