Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas. - The teacher hands out the guide to the students in class.

The prefix me- makes it an active verb (like English “to X”).
The suffix -kan often adds the meaning of doing something to/for someone or causing something to happen.

So membagikan is roughly “to share/divide something out (to people)”, which in natural English is “to distribute / to hand out”.

Grammatically, the pattern is:

Subject
- membagikan
  - thing being distributed
    - kepada
      - recipient

Example:

Guru membagikan buku kepada murid-murid.
The teacher distributes books to the students.

What is the difference between membagi and membagikan?

Both come from bagi (to divide/share), but:

membagi = to divide/split something (focus on the thing being divided)
membagikan = to distribute something to someone (focus on giving it out to recipients)

Examples:

Dia membagi kue menjadi delapan bagian.
He/She divides the cake into eight pieces.
(Focus: the cake and how it’s divided)
Dia membagikan kue kepada teman-temannya.
He/She distributes the cake to his/her friends.
(Focus: people receiving cake)

In Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas, the focus is on the teacher giving the guides to the students, so membagikan is more natural than membagi.

How is membagikan different from memberi (to give)?

Both involve giving, but the nuance is different:

memberi [something] kepada [someone]
= to give something to someone (one act of giving)
membagikan [something] kepada [many people]
= to distribute / hand out something to multiple people

So:

Guru memberi panduan kepada murid-murid.
The teacher gives the guide(s) to the students.
(Neutral: just an act of giving)
Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid.
The teacher distributes the guide(s) to the students.
(Suggests handing out copies to each of them, one by one)

In the sentence you’re learning, membagikan emphasizes the idea of distribution to a group.

What exactly does panduan mean? Is it “guide”, “handout”, or “instructions”?

Panduan is a noun derived from pand(u) (to guide). Common meanings:

guide (like a guidebook or user guide)
manual / handbook
set of instructions / guidelines

In a classroom context, panduan could be:

a printed handout with instructions
a worksheet that explains how to do a task
a small guidebook for a project, etc.

So you could translate the whole sentence as:

The teacher distributed the *guide(s) to the students in class*,
or
The teacher handed out the *instruction sheets to the students in class.*

Indonesian doesn’t mark singular/plural on panduan, so context tells you whether it’s a guide or guides/handouts.

Why is murid-murid repeated? Does that always mean plural?

Yes. In Indonesian, reduplication (repeating a noun) often indicates plurality.

murid = student (generic; can be “a student” or “students” depending on context)
murid-murid = students (explicitly plural)

So:

Guru memanggil murid.
The teacher calls a/the student. (Could be one, or students in general; context needed)
Guru memanggil murid-murid.
The teacher calls the students. (Clearly more than one)

In your sentence, murid-murid makes it explicit that the teacher is dealing with multiple students.

Could I say para murid instead of murid-murid? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say para murid:

para murid = the students / the group of students

Difference in feel:

murid-murid
Neutral, everyday; just a regular plural.
para murid
Slightly more formal or collective; often used in writing, speeches, or to address a group respectfully.

All of these are possible and natural, with slightly different style:

Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas.
Guru membagikan panduan kepada para murid di kelas.

Both mean “The teacher distributed the guide(s) to the students in class.”

Why is kepada used here, and how is it different from ke?

Both kepada and ke are often translated as to, but they’re used differently:

ke = to (a place/direction)
Used mainly with locations.
kepada = to (a person/recipient)
Used with people or recipients of an action.

In your sentence:

kepada murid-murid = to the students (they are recipients)

Compare:

Dia pergi ke kelas.
He/She goes to the classroom. (kelas is a place)
Dia berbicara kepada murid-murid.
He/She speaks to the students. (murid-murid are people)

In everyday speech, some people do say ke murid-murid, but kepada murid-murid is more correct and formal, especially in writing.

What does di kelas mean exactly? Is it “in class” or “in the classroom”?

di kelas literally means in/at class or in the classroom.

Indonesian does not use articles like “a” or “the”, so kelas can be:

the classroom
the class (as an event/lesson)

Natural translations:

The teacher distributed the guides *in class.*
The teacher distributed the guides *in the classroom.*

Both are good; choose whichever sounds more natural in your context.

Where does the tense (past/present) come from? How do we know if it’s “distributed” or “is distributing”?

Indonesian verbs generally do not change form for tense. membagikan can mean:

distributes / is distributing (present)
distributed (past)
will distribute (future) – if the context makes that clear

The sentence:

Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas.

could be:

The teacher distributes the guides to the students in class.
The teacher is distributing the guides to the students in class.
The teacher distributed the guides to the students in class.

Context (previous sentences, time expressions like kemarin “yesterday” or sekarang “now”) tells you the tense. The form membagikan itself does not change.

Can we make this sentence passive in Indonesian, like “The guides were distributed by the teacher”?

Yes. A common passive form would be:

Panduan dibagikan (oleh) guru kepada murid-murid di kelas.
= The guides were distributed by the teacher to the students in class.

Changes:

membagikan → dibagikan (passive form with di-)
The object (panduan) moves to the front.
oleh = by (the agent); often optional in speech if the agent is obvious.

You’d use the passive if you want to emphasize the guides or the action itself rather than the teacher.

Active:

Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas.
Focus: the teacher doing the action.

Passive:

Panduan dibagikan guru kepada murid-murid di kelas.
Focus: the guides being distributed.

Is it okay to say Guru membagikan panduan ke murid-murid di kelas instead of kepada murid-murid?

In informal spoken Indonesian, many people say:

ke murid-murid instead of kepada murid-murid

So:

Guru membagikan panduan ke murid-murid di kelas.

is understandable and commonly heard in casual speech.

However:

kepada murid-murid is more standard and formal, especially for:
- writing (essays, reports, exams)
- formal announcements
- textbooks

If you’re taking an exam or writing formally, prefer kepada. In everyday conversation, ke is widely used.

Can the word order change, like putting di kelas earlier in the sentence?

Yes, di kelas can move, but the nuance changes slightly.

Original:
- Guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid di kelas.
  Neutral: tells you where the action happens.
Alternative:
- Di kelas, guru membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid.
  More emphasis on “In class…” (as a setting) – stylistic or written style.
Another common one:
- Guru di kelas membagikan panduan kepada murid-murid.
  Emphasizes the teacher who is in the class, possibly to distinguish from another teacher elsewhere.

All are grammatically correct; position mainly affects emphasis, not basic meaning.