Rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas.

Breakdown of Rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas.

duduk
to sit
kelas
the class
saya
my
rakan sekelas
the classmate
di belakang
at the back of
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Questions & Answers about Rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas.

What does Rakan sekelas saya mean?

It translates as my classmate. Breakdown:

  • rakan = friend/companion
  • sekelas = of the same class (se- = same; kelas = class)
  • saya = I/me → when placed after a noun it means “my…”
Why is there no article like the or a in the sentence?
Malay does not use definite or indefinite articles. Specificity comes from context or from words such as itu (that) or sebuah (a/an) when needed.
Why is saya placed at the end, whereas in English “my” comes first?
In Malay, the possessor follows the noun. So you say rakan sekelas saya (classmate-my) rather than English my classmate.
What role does se- play in sekelas?
The prefix se- conveys “same” or “one of a kind.” In sekelas, it turns kelas into “of the same class,” hence “classmate.”
Is sekelas written as one word or two separate words?
It’s one word: sekelas. In Malay, the se- prefix attaches directly to the noun without a space or hyphen.
Could I say kawan sekelas saya or teman sekelas saya instead of rakan sekelas saya? Are there differences?

Yes. All three mean “classmate,” but register differs:

  • rakan = neutral/formal
  • kawan = casual/everyday
  • teman = more literary
What does duduk mean? Does it only mean “to sit”?
Primarily duduk means to sit. Colloquially, it can also mean “to live/reside,” e.g. Saya duduk di Kuala Lumpur (“I live in Kuala Lumpur”).
What does the di in di belakang kelas do? How can I tell it’s a preposition and not the passive verb prefix?
As a location preposition (“in/at/on”), di stands alone and is followed by a space and a noun: di belakang = “at the back.” The passive verb prefix di- attaches directly to verbs (no space), e.g. dimakan (“eaten”).
How flexible is the word order? Can I move duduk or di belakang kelas to the front?

Malay normally follows Subject–Verb–Adverbial. You can front the adverbial for emphasis:
• Standard: Rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas.
• Emphatic: Di belakang kelas, rakan sekelas saya duduk.
Moving the verb or subject out of their slots is uncommon.

How do I ask “Where does my classmate sit?” in Malay?

Either word order works:
Di mana rakan sekelas saya duduk?
Rakan sekelas saya duduk di mana?

How do I express the plural “My classmates sit at the back of the class”?

Use reduplication on rakan:
Rakan-rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas.

How do you pronounce Rakan sekelas saya duduk di belakang kelas?

Malay is mostly phonetic. Approximate IPA:
/ˈrɑ.kɑn sə.ˈklas ˈsa.ja ˈdu.dʊk di bə.ˈla.kaŋ ˈkə.las/
Or break it down:
rakan /ˈrɑ.kɑn/
sekelas /sə.ˈklas/
saya /ˈsa.ja/
duduk /ˈdu.dʊk/
di /di/
belakang /bə.ˈla.kaŋ/
kelas /ˈkə.las/