Dia tanya soalan kepada guru di kelas.

Dia means he, she, or sometimes they for a single person, depending on context.

Malay does not usually mark gender in third-person singular pronouns the way English does. So:

• Dia tanya soalan... = He asked a question... or She asked a question...

You need context to know which one is meant.

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So tanya can mean:

• ask
• asks
• asked
• is asking

The exact time is usually understood from context or added time words, such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

So Dia tanya soalan kepada guru di kelas could mean:

• He/She asked a question to the teacher in class
• He/She asks a question to the teacher in class

Context decides.

Tanya means to ask.

In this sentence:

• Dia = he/she
• tanya = asked / asks
• soalan = question
• kepada guru = to the teacher
• di kelas = in class / in the classroom

So the core action is tanya = ask.

Yes, tanya already means ask, so soalan is the thing being asked: a question.

This is similar to English:

• ask a question

So:

• tanya soalan = ask a question

In natural Malay, people may also simply say:

• Dia tanya kepada guru di kelas.

That can still mean He/She asked the teacher in class, with the exact content left unstated.

Soalan means question.

So:

• tanya soalan = ask a question

A related word is:

• soal = question / issue / matter, depending on context

But in beginner usage, soalan is the common noun for question, especially in school or formal contexts.

Kepada means to when the action is directed toward a person.

So:

• kepada guru = to the teacher

Malay often uses kepada before people, especially in more standard or careful speech.

Examples:

• Dia beri buku kepada Ali. = He/She gave a book to Ali.
• Mereka cakap kepada guru. = They spoke to the teacher.

In casual speech, speakers sometimes omit it or use other structures, but kepada is a good standard choice here.

Yes, in everyday Malay, tanya guru is very common and natural.

So both of these are understandable:

• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru di kelas.
• Dia tanya guru soalan di kelas.
• Dia tanya guru di kelas.

The version with kepada sounds a bit more explicit and standard. The version without it can sound more conversational.

It can mean either, depending on context:

• in class
• in the classroom

Di is a location word meaning at / in / on, depending on the noun after it.

So:

• di kelas = in class or in the classroom

If the situation is about a lesson, English often translates it naturally as in class.

Most naturally, di kelas describes where the asking happened:

• He/She asked a question to the teacher in class.

But like many short Malay phrases, it can sometimes be structurally ambiguous without more context.

Usually listeners interpret it as:

• the event happened in class

If you want to be clearer, Malay can be rephrased.

For example:

• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru semasa kelas. = He/She asked the teacher a question during class.
• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru yang berada di kelas. = He/She asked a question to the teacher who was in the classroom.

Malay does not usually use articles like a, an, and the the way English does.

So:

• soalan can mean a question or the question, depending on context.

In this sentence, English naturally translates it as a question.

Malay often leaves definiteness unstated unless it needs to be clarified.

It is grammatical and understandable, but some speakers might choose slightly different wording depending on style.

Common alternatives include:

• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru dalam kelas.
• Dia bertanya soalan kepada guru di kelas.
• Dia tanya guru satu soalan di kelas.

A very natural everyday version is:

• Dia tanya guru satu soalan di kelas.

That corresponds closely to He/She asked the teacher a question in class.

Both relate to asking, but they are used a little differently.

• tanya = ask
• bertanya = ask / inquire

In many contexts, bertanya sounds a bit more formal or complete as an intransitive-style verb.

Compare:

• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru.
• Dia bertanya soalan kepada guru.

Both are understandable. In everyday speech, tanya is extremely common.

You may also hear:

• Dia bertanya kepada guru. = He/She asked the teacher.

Malay word order is flexible in some cases, but this sentence follows a common pattern:

• Dia = subject
• tanya = verb
• soalan = object
• kepada guru = recipient
• di kelas = location

So literally it is something like:

• He/She asked a question to the teacher in class

English often prefers:

• He/She asked the teacher a question

Malay can also be arranged more like that:

• Dia tanya guru satu soalan di kelas.

So the sentence you were given is normal, but not the only possible order.

Guru means teacher.

In this sentence, it does not need seorang, because Malay often leaves classifiers out unless you specifically want to count or emphasize one person.

So:

• kepada guru = to the teacher
• kepada seorang guru = to a teacher / to one teacher

Both are possible, but the shorter form is very common.

Yes, absolutely. That is a very natural interpretation.

Because di kelas often refers not only to the physical classroom but also to the classroom situation, a smooth English meaning could be:

• He/She asked the teacher a question during class.

That may sound more natural in English than a very literal translation.

You can add a time word. For example:

• Dia tanya soalan kepada guru di kelas semalam. = He/She asked a question to the teacher in class yesterday.
• Tadi, dia tanya soalan kepada guru di kelas. = Earlier, he/she asked a question to the teacher in class.

Malay often uses time expressions instead of changing the verb form itself.