Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Perwakilan murid mempresentasikan hasil rapat di ruang tamu. - The student representative presents the meeting results in the living room.

So perwakilan murid is “the students’ representative(s) / the student delegation”.
In this sentence it functions as the subject: the student representative(s).

Is perwakilan murid singular or plural? How would I say “a student representative” or “student representatives”?

Indonesian does not mark singular/plural on nouns, so perwakilan murid can mean:

a student representative
the student representative
student representatives
the student representatives

Context decides which one is meant.

If you really want to be explicit:

seorang perwakilan murid = a student representative (one person)
beberapa perwakilan murid = several student representatives
para perwakilan murid = (all) the student representatives (quite formal)
perwakilan-perwakilan murid = student representatives (reduplication to show plural, more written/formal)

What is the difference between perwakilan and wakil? Could I say wakil murid instead?

wakil usually means “representative / deputy” (often one concrete person).
perwakilan is more like “representation / delegation / representative body”, sometimes more abstract or collective.

In many real-life contexts, though, both can refer to a specific person.

You could say:

wakil murid – sounds like the student representative (as a person).
perwakilan murid – can be the student representative or the student delegation/body of representatives.

In this sentence, perwakilan murid is natural and slightly more formal; wakil murid would also be understandable but subtly focuses more on a single person.

Why is the verb mempresentasikan so long, and how is it formed?

Mempresentasikan comes from the borrowed noun presentasi (presentation).
It uses the verbal circumfix meN- … -kan:

base: presentasi
meN-
- presentasi + -kan → mempresentasikan

The meN- prefix changes shape depending on the first consonant of the root:

before p, it typically becomes mem- and the original p often disappears.
With borrowed words, spelling keeps the p, so you get mem
- presentasi = mempresentasikan.

Meaning: “to present something” (always takes an object):
mempresentasikan hasil rapat = to present the results of the meeting.

Can I just use presentasi instead of mempresentasikan?

Yes, but the grammar changes because presentasi is a noun, while mempresentasikan is a verb.

Some options:

Perwakilan murid melakukan presentasi tentang hasil rapat.
= The student representative(s) give a presentation about the meeting results.
In informal speech: Perwakilan murid presentasi hasil rapat.
(Verb melakukan is dropped; very common in speech, less proper in formal writing.)
The original: Perwakilan murid mempresentasikan hasil rapat.
= fully verbal form, standard and formal.

So: mempresentasikan is the best choice for a clear, standard sentence with a verb.

What exactly does hasil rapat mean? Is it like “results,” “decisions,” or “minutes of the meeting”?

Literally:

hasil = result / outcome / product
rapat = meeting

So hasil rapat means “the outcomes/results of the meeting” – typically:

decisions made
agreements reached
conclusions, action points, etc.

It is not the usual term for “minutes of the meeting.” For minutes, you’d more likely see:

notulen rapat
catatan rapat

In everyday usage, hasil rapat can be a general way to say what came out of the meeting, and it might be explained based on the minutes, but it doesn’t literally mean “minutes.”

Why is it hasil rapat and not hasil dari rapat?

Indonesian often links two nouns directly, without a preposition, to show “of”/“belonging to”:

hasil rapat = the results of the meeting
jadwal pelajaran = class schedule (schedule of lessons)
gambar rumah = picture of a house

dari (from/of) is usually added only when:

you need extra clarity, or
you want to emphasize origin or source.

You could say hasil dari rapat, and it’s grammatical, but:

hasil rapat is shorter and more natural in this context.
hasil dari rapat can sound more heavy or explanatory, like “the results that come from the meeting.”

What does di ruang tamu mean exactly? Is it “in the living room”?

Yes. Breakdown:

di = in / at / on (location preposition)
ruang tamu = literally guest room, usually understood as the living room or reception room where guests are received.

So di ruang tamu = “in the living room / in the reception room.”

Note:

di is always written separately from the noun: di ruang tamu, not diruang tamu.
ruang = room/space (more neutral), ruangan is a related form; ruang tamu is the standard set phrase.

Can the phrase di ruang tamu be moved to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian word order is quite flexible for adverbial phrases like location.

All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

Perwakilan murid mempresentasikan hasil rapat di ruang tamu.
Neutral: the action happens in the living room.
Di ruang tamu, perwakilan murid mempresentasikan hasil rapat.
Emphasizes the place first: In the living room, the student representative(s) present the meeting results.
Perwakilan murid di ruang tamu mempresentasikan hasil rapat.
Now di ruang tamu tends to attach to perwakilan murid, so it reads more like
The student representative(s) who are in the living room present the meeting results.

The first one is the most straightforward and neutral.

How would this sentence look in the passive voice in Indonesian?

A natural passive version would be:

Hasil rapat dipresentasikan oleh perwakilan murid di ruang tamu.

Breakdown:

Hasil rapat = now the subject (“the meeting results”).
dipresentasikan = passive form of mempresentasikan (using di- … -kan).
oleh perwakilan murid = by the student representative(s) (agent; oleh is optional).
di ruang tamu = in the living room.

Often in Indonesian, oleh is dropped if it’s clear:

Hasil rapat dipresentasikan perwakilan murid di ruang tamu.

There is no word for “the” or “a” in the sentence. How does Indonesian show this kind of meaning?

Indonesian does not use articles like “a” or “the”. Nouns are bare:

perwakilan murid can be a student representative, the student representative, or student representatives.
hasil rapat can be the result(s) of the meeting or just meeting results.

Definiteness and specificity come from:

context (what’s already known in the situation),
number words: seorang, beberapa, dua, etc.,
demonstratives: ini (this/these), itu (that/those).

For example:

Perwakilan murid itu mempresentasikan hasil rapat.
= That / the student representative presented the meeting results.

What is the level of formality of Perwakilan murid mempresentasikan hasil rapat di ruang tamu?

The sentence is neutral to formal:

perwakilan murid, hasil rapat, and mempresentasikan all sound appropriate for school, office, or meeting contexts.
The structure is clear, standard Indonesian, suitable for both spoken and written use.

In more casual speech, people might simplify:

Perwakilan murid jelasin hasil rapat di ruang tamu.
(jelasin = informal for menjelaskan “to explain”)
Perwakilan murid presentasi hasil rapat di ruang tamu.

But the original sentence is good standard Indonesian.

How do you pronounce mempresentasikan?

You can break it into syllables like this:

mem-pre-sen-ta-si-kan

Pronunciation tips:

Indonesian vowels are close to Spanish/Italian values:
- e here is like the e in bed (short, not like English “ee”).
- a as in father, i as in machine.
Consonants are generally pronounced as written.
Indonesian stress is relatively even, but you can slightly stress the “ta”:
mem-pre-sen-TA-si-kan.

Even if your stress is not perfect, Indonesians will almost certainly understand you as long as the sounds and syllables are clear.