Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru. - He/She answers honestly in front of the teacher.

Dia is a third‑person singular pronoun that can mean he or she.
Indonesian pronouns are not marked for gender, so dia is gender‑neutral.
Context (for example, if you know the person’s gender from earlier) tells you whether to translate it as he or she in English.
It does not normally mean they; for they you would use mereka.

What is the role of menjawab and how is it formed?

The base word is jawab, meaning answer (as a noun or verb‑stem).
The prefix meN- turns it into an active verb, so menjawab means to answer / answered / answering, depending on context.
Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense, so menjawab can cover answers, answered, and is answering; time is understood from context or from extra words like sudah (already), tadi (earlier), akan (will), etc.

Is jujur an adjective or an adverb here? Why is there no -ly‑type ending?

Jujur is basically an adjective meaning honest, but Indonesian often uses adjectives adverbially without changing their form.
So menjawab jujur literally looks like answer honest, but it means answer honestly.
You can also say menjawab dengan jujur (answer with honesty / answer honestly), which sounds a bit more explicit or careful, but menjawab jujur is completely natural and common.

Can I change the position of jujur in the sentence?

Yes, there is some flexibility, but not every position sounds equally natural.
Common and natural:

Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru.
Dia menjawab dengan jujur di depan guru.

Possible but more marked (for emphasis):

Di depan guru, dia menjawab jujur. (emphasis on the setting: in front of the teacher…)

Forms like Dia jujur menjawab di depan guru are understandable but sound less natural to many speakers; the default is to place jujur after the verb or use dengan jujur.

What does di depan literally mean, and how is it used here?

Di means at / in / on (a location preposition).
Depan means front (as a noun: the front side).
Together, di depan means in front of (literally at the front (of)).
In di depan guru, it describes the physical or social position: in front of the teacher, which naturally corresponds to English in front of the teacher or before the teacher.

Why is there no preposition before guru? Why just di depan guru, not something like di depan kepada guru?

In di depan guru, the preposition is di, and depan functions together with it as di depan (in front of).
The noun guru then directly follows this phrase as its complement: di depan (siapa?) guru.
You don’t add another preposition like kepada there; kepada guru would mean to the teacher, which is a different relationship (recipient), not location.
So:

di depan guru = in front of the teacher (location/position)
kepada guru = to the teacher (direction/recipient)

Does guru here mean the teacher or a teacher? How do you know?

Bare nouns in Indonesian (like guru) are neutral for definiteness; they can be translated as a teacher or the teacher depending on context.
If the situation is clearly about a specific known teacher (e.g., the student’s class teacher), you’d translate it as the teacher.
To make it clearly indefinite you can say seorang guru (a teacher).
To make it clearly definite you can use gurunya (the teacher; literally his/her/that teacher) or refer to a title like Pak Guru / Bu Guru (sir teacher / madam teacher).

Is guru singular or plural here? Could it mean teachers?

By default, guru is understood as singular teacher, unless context suggests otherwise.
Indonesian doesn’t always mark plural nouns explicitly.
If you clearly want to say teachers, you can say:

guru-guru (reduplication for plural)
para guru (a formal/plural marker, like the teachers as a group)

So di depan guru is usually interpreted as in front of the teacher, while di depan para guru would more clearly mean in front of the teachers.

How do we know the tense of the sentence? Is it answered, answers, or will answer?

The verb menjawab does not carry tense.
The sentence Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru. can mean:

He/She answered honestly in front of the teacher. (past)
He/She answers honestly in front of the teacher. (present habit)

Context, or added time markers, clarify it:

Tadi dia menjawab jujur di depan guru. (Earlier, he/she answered honestly…)
Besok dia akan menjawab jujur di depan guru. (Tomorrow, he/she will answer honestly…)

Can the subject dia be dropped, like in some other languages?

In careful or standard usage, you normally keep dia: Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru.
Indonesian is not a fully “null‑subject” language like Spanish; dropping the pronoun can sound incomplete or telegraphic unless the subject is extremely clear from context and the sentence is part of a longer utterance.
In casual speech or writing, people might omit it after it’s been mentioned repeatedly, but for learners it’s safer to keep dia in place.

Could I say Dia menjawab dengan jujur di depan guru instead? Is there a difference?

Yes, Dia menjawab dengan jujur di depan guru. is correct and natural.
Both menjawab jujur and menjawab dengan jujur mean answered honestly.
Dengan jujur sounds a bit more explicit or formal (literally with honesty), but in everyday usage the difference is subtle; both are fine.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru. is neutral and suitable for both spoken and written Indonesian.
To sound more respectful toward the teacher, speakers often add titles:

Dia menjawab jujur di depan Pak Guru. (male teacher)
Dia menjawab jujur di depan Bu Guru. (female teacher)

The core structure remains the same; only guru is specified more politely.

Does jujur always mean truthful, or can it also mean frank / blunt?

The core meaning of jujur is honest / truthful—not lying, telling the truth.
By extension, it can also suggest frank / straightforward, depending on context, especially in phrases like terus terang dan jujur (open and honest).
In this sentence, Dia menjawab jujur di depan guru, it most naturally means He/She answered truthfully in front of the teacher.