Learn Hardcore Malay: Di kelas ini, dilarang makan, tetapi minum air dibenarkan. - In this class, eating is prohibited, but drinking water is allowed.

The group of students / course
- Saya ada kelas Bahasa Melayu.
  I have a Malay class.
The classroom (the physical room)
- Di kelas ini, dilarang makan.
  In this classroom, eating is not allowed.

In your sentence, because it is about rules of behavior (eating, drinking), kelas is best understood as classroom rather than the abstract course.

Why is it dilarang makan instead of using jangan makan or tidak boleh makan?

All three express prohibition, but the tone and style are different:

dilarang makan
- More formal, impersonal, sounds like an official rule or sign.
- Common on notices: Dilarang merokok (No smoking).
jangan makan
- Direct command: Don’t eat.
- Sounds like someone speaking directly to you (teacher, parent).
tidak boleh makan
- Literally cannot / may not eat.
- Still a prohibition but slightly softer, can be conversational.

In a printed rule or formal sentence about regulations, dilarang makan is the most natural choice.

What is the structure of dilarang? Is it a passive form?

Yes, dilarang is a passive verb form.

Root verb: larang = to forbid / to prohibit.
Passive prefix: di-
di + larang → dilarang = is/are forbidden.

So dilarang makan literally means (it is) forbidden to eat.

Malay often omits the agent (the person who forbids), so you don’t say who forbids it:

Di sini dilarang merokok.
(Smoking is prohibited here.)
→ no need to say oleh pihak sekolah (by the school) unless you want to.

Why is it makan and not memakan or makanan?

makan = to eat (base verb).
memakan = to eat / to consume (more explicitly transitive; often more formal or specific).
makanan = food (noun).

In simple rules and signs, Malay normally uses the base verb:

dilarang makan = eating is forbidden
dilarang merokok = smoking is forbidden
dilarang berlari = running is forbidden

So makan is used here because we are talking about the activity to eat, not the food itself.

Why is the second part tetapi minum air dibenarkan, and not tetapi dibenarkan minum air?

Both word orders are grammatically possible, but they have slightly different feels.

tetapi minum air dibenarkan
- Literally: but drinking water is allowed.
- Focuses on the activity minum air (drinking water) as the topic.
- Structure:
  minum air (drinking water) + dibenarkan (is allowed).
tetapi dibenarkan minum air
- Literally: but is allowed to drink water.
- Grammatically okay, but less natural in this notice-like style.
- Often you would complete it with a subject:
  Tetapi pelajar dibenarkan minum air.
  But students are allowed to drink water.

In the original sentence, minum air dibenarkan is more natural because it mirrors the first part (dilarang makan) and keeps the focus on the activities: eating vs drinking water.

What does dibenarkan mean, and how is it different from using boleh?

Root verb: benar = true / correct.
Verb: membenarkan = to allow / to permit.
Passive: dibenarkan = is/are allowed / is/are permitted.

So minum air dibenarkan = drinking water is allowed.

Comparison with boleh:

boleh minum air = (you) may / can drink water.
More direct, less formal, sounds like spoken language.
minum air dibenarkan = drinking water is permitted.
More formal, impersonal, sounds like a written rule or regulation.

Both can describe permission; dibenarkan feels more like official policy wording.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi?

Both mean but, but the register is different:

tetapi
- More formal / standard.
- Common in writing, formal speech, and clear, careful sentences.
- Fits well in the example: … dilarang makan, tetapi minum air dibenarkan.
tapi
- Informal, conversational.
- Very common in everyday spoken Malay.
- You might say in speech:
  Di kelas ini, dilarang makan, tapi boleh minum air.

Meaning is the same; tetapi just sounds more formal and is better for written rules.

Does air always mean air, or does it mean water?

In Malay, air (pronounced roughly like eye-er) normally means water, not air.

air = water
- air panas = hot water
- air sejuk = cold water
- minum air = drink water

English air (the gas we breathe) is udara in Malay.

So minum air = to drink water, not to drink air.

Could you also say dalam kelas ini instead of di kelas ini? Is there a difference?

You can hear dalam kelas ini, but there is a nuance:

di kelas ini
- Focus on the location: at / in this classroom.
- Very natural for rules posted on doors or walls.
- Standard choice in this sentence.
dalam kelas ini
- Literally inside this class / inside this classroom.
- Emphasizes being inside the space.
- Often used when contrasting inside vs outside:
  Dalam kelas ini senyap, tetapi di luar bising.
  Inside this class it’s quiet, but outside it’s noisy.

For a simple rule about classroom behavior, di kelas ini is more typical and neutral.