Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.

that

Breakdown of Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.

• guru: the teacher
• menjelaskan: to explain
• kata: the word

Questions & Answers about Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu.

In Guru menjelaskan makna kata itu, is the action in the past, present, or future? How do I know the tense?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense, so menjelaskan can mean:

• The teacher explains the meaning of that word.
• The teacher is explaining the meaning of that word.
• The teacher explained the meaning of that word.
• The teacher will explain the meaning of that word. (less common without a time word)

You know the time from context or from extra words, for example:

• Tadi guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Earlier the teacher explained…
• Sekarang guru menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Now the teacher is explaining…
• Besok guru akan menjelaskan makna kata itu. = Tomorrow the teacher will explain…

What is the root of menjelaskan, and what do me- and -kan mean?

The root word is jelas, which means clear.

The verb menjelaskan is built like this:

• jelas = clear
• me- + jelas + -kan → menjelaskan = to make something clear, to explain something

Roughly:

• me- marks an active verb.
• -kan often has a causative meaning (to cause/make something become X) or marks the thing affected.

So menjelaskan sesuatu = to explain / clarify something (to make something clear).