Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.

The speaker is talking about a group that does not include the listener.
Example context: a student telling their friend (who wasn’t in that class) what happened:
Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas tadi.
We answered the questions in turns in class earlier.

If the listener was part of the same class activity, kita would usually be more natural:

Kita menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
We (you and I) took turns answering questions in class.

Why is it menjawab and not just jawab?

Menjawab is the standard active verb form meaning to answer.

Root: jawab (answer)
Prefix: me-, with nasal assimilation → menjawab

In Indonesian:

menjawab = to answer (active verb, normal in sentences)
- Saya menjawab pertanyaan. = I answer / I answered the question.
jawab (bare root) is often used:
- in commands: Jawab pertanyaannya! = Answer the question!
- in more casual, clipped speech, especially spoken

In a neutral, complete sentence with a subject, menjawab is the default correct form.

Can kami be omitted, like Menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas?

Yes, Indonesian often drops the subject when it’s clear from context.

Menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
Could still mean: We took turns answering questions in class.

However:

Without kami, the sentence is less complete and more like a note, headline, or a quick description.
In normal written Indonesian and in clear, full sentences, it's better to keep kami so the subject is explicit.

So it’s grammatically possible, but Kami menjawab … is more standard and clearer.

How do we know if this sentence is past, present, or future? There is no tense, right?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Menjawab itself is tenseless.

Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas could mean:

We answered questions in turns in class. (past)
We answer questions in turns in class. (habitual/present)
In some contexts, even We will answer questions in turns in class. (future, but less common without a marker)

Context and time words clarify tense:

Past: tadi, kemarin, barusan
- Kami tadi menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
Habitual: setiap hari, biasanya, kalau pelajaran
- Kami biasanya menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
Future: nanti, besok, akan
- Nanti kami akan menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.

So the bare sentence is neutral; tense comes from context.

Is pertanyaan singular or plural here? Do I need something like pertanyaan-pertanyaan?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural nouns unless it needs to be extra clear.

pertanyaan = question or questions, depending on context
In Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas, it naturally reads as questions, because:
- They are taking turns answering, which implies multiple questions.

If you really want to emphasize plurality:

pertanyaan-pertanyaan = questions (plural, emphasized)
banyak pertanyaan = many questions

Examples:

Kami menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
We answered the questions (plural emphasized) in turns in class.
Kami menjawab banyak pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
We answered many questions in turns in class.

But in normal speech, pertanyaan alone is usually enough.

What does secara bergantian literally mean, and how is it formed?

Secara bergantian is an adverbial phrase meaning in turns / alternately.

Breakdown:

ganti = to change, to replace
berganti = to change, to take turns (basic ber- form)
bergantian = a ber-…-an form conveying a reciprocal or repeated action → taking turns, alternating
secara = in a … way / in a … manner (used to turn adjectives or certain nouns into adverb-like phrases)

So:

bergantian ≈ taking turns / alternating
secara bergantian ≈ in an alternating way → in turns

You’ll see secara in many similar patterns:

secara perlahan = slowly
secara resmi = officially
secara langsung = directly

In many cases, you could also just say bergantian without secara, and it would still be understood as taking turns.

Can I say Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan di kelas instead? Is that different from secara bergantian?

Yes, that is a very natural and common alternative:

Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan di kelas.
Literally: We, taking turns, answered the questions in class.

Nuance:

secara bergantian (after the verb)
- feels a bit more like an adverb phrase: answering in turns
bergantian menjawab (before the verb)
- focuses more on the action of taking turns (bergantian) in doing the verb menjawab

In practice, both are fine and mean essentially the same thing. Typical, very natural version:

Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan di kelas.

Your original sentence with secara bergantian is also correct and natural.

Why is it di kelas and not dalam kelas or di dalam kelas?

All three can appear in Indonesian, but usage differs slightly:

di kelas
- Most common, very natural.
- Means in class or in the classroom depending on context.
- Focuses on the activity (class session) rather than physical inside-ness.
di dalam kelas
- Literally inside the classroom, emphasizes the physical location.
- More explicit: you were inside, not outside the room.
dalam kelas
- Less common on its own in this context; sounds more formal or like written language.
- Often used in more abstract senses (e.g., dalam kelas X = in class X / within class X).

For describing a normal classroom activity, di kelas is the default:

Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
sounds completely natural.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it be okay in everyday conversation?

The sentence is neutral and fits:

everyday spoken Indonesian
written Indonesian (e.g., in homework, reports, diary, etc.)

The vocabulary:

kami, menjawab, pertanyaan, secara bergantian, di kelas
are all standard, non-slang words.

In casual speech, people might shorten or reorder slightly, but your sentence is already very natural and acceptable in regular conversation or writing.

How are menjawab and kelas pronounced? Any tricky sounds for English speakers?

Pronunciation (approximate):

menjawab → /mən-jaw-ab/
- men-: like mən in menu (schwa sound)
- jaw: like jow in jowl (but shorter)
- ab: like ub in tub (short a/ə kind of sound)
- The w in jawab is actually pronounced, similar to English w.
kelas → /kə-las/
- ke-: like kə in comic (schwa)
- las: like luss (short a)

Syllables:

men-ja-wab (3 syllables)
ke-las (2 syllables)

Stress is relatively even but often a bit stronger on the last syllable: men-ja-WAB, ke-LAS.

Is there any difference between secara bergantian and just bergantian?

Both can express the idea of taking turns, but there’s a nuance in form:

bergantian
- Already functions like an adverb or verb-ish phrase.
- Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan di kelas. → very natural.
secara bergantian
- Slightly more explicitly adverbial (in an alternating way).
- Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.

Usage:

When bergantian comes before the main verb, it’s normal to drop secara:
- Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan.
When you want an adverb after the verb, secara bergantian is common:
- Kami menjawab pertanyaan secara bergantian.

Meaning-wise, in this sentence, they are effectively the same: taking turns.

How would I say We answered each question one by one in class more explicitly?

To emphasize each question or one by one, you can add phrases like satu per satu or satu-satu:

Options:

Kami menjawab pertanyaan satu per satu di kelas.
We answered the questions one by one in class.
Kami menjawab setiap pertanyaan secara bergantian di kelas.
We answered each question in turns in class.
Kami bergantian menjawab pertanyaan satu per satu di kelas.
We took turns answering the questions one by one in class.

Key expressions:

satu per satu = one by one
setiap pertanyaan = each question / every question

These make the idea of individual questions and a step-by-step process more explicit than the base sentence.