Learn Hardcore Malay: Guru menjelaskan soalan sejarah kepada murid. - The teacher explains the history question to the student.

The root word jelas means “clear.” Adding me- at the front makes it an active verb (actor focus), and the suffix -kan turns it into a transitive or causative verb—literally “to cause something to become clear.” So menjelaskan means “to explain (something).”

Why is the sentence ordered as Guru menjelaskan soalan sejarah kepada murid? How do we identify the subject, verb, and objects?

Malay typically follows a Subject-Verb-Object order, plus any indirect object marked by a preposition.

Guru is the subject (the doer).
menjelaskan is the verb.
soalan sejarah is the direct object (what is being explained).
kepada murid is the indirect object marked by kepada, showing the recipient (to the students).

Could we omit kepada and just say Guru menjelaskan murid?

No. Without kepada, murid would look like a direct object, implying “the teacher explains the students,” which doesn’t make sense. Malay uses kepada to introduce the recipient of an action, so you need kepada murid for “to the students.”

What’s the difference between using kepada and untuk here?

Kepada marks the receiver or audience of an action (to someone).
Untuk expresses purpose or benefit (for someone).
Since the teacher is explaining to the students, you must use kepada murid, not untuk murid.

Is murid singular or plural? How would you make it explicitly plural?

Murid by itself can mean either “student” or “students.” To make it explicitly plural, you can say murid-murid or use the collective para murid (the students).

Why is soalan sejarah and not sejarah soalan?

In Malay, the head noun comes first, followed by its modifier. Here, soalan (question) is the head noun, and sejarah (history) specifies what kind of question it is. So soalan sejarah literally means “question of history.”

Why aren’t there any articles like “the” or “a” before guru, soalan, or murid?

Malay does not use articles such as “the” or “a.” Nouns stand alone, and definiteness or indefiniteness is either inferred from context or marked with words like ini (this) or itu (that) if necessary.

Can we turn this sentence into the passive voice? If so, how?

Yes. The passive version is:
Soalan sejarah dijelaskan oleh guru kepada murid.

Soalan sejarah becomes the subject.
dijelaskan is the passive verb.
oleh guru introduces the agent (“by the teacher”).
kepada murid remains the recipient phrase.

How would you ask “What is the teacher explaining to the students?” in Malay?

You can say:
Apa yang guru jelaskan kepada murid?
Here, apa yang means “what (thing) that,” followed by the normal S-V-IO order.