Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas.

He/She asks for permission to enter the class.

Breakdown of Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas.

• dia: he/she
• ke: to
• kelas: the class
• untuk: to
• masuk: to enter
• minta izin: to ask for permission

Questions & Answers about Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas.

Does dia mean he or she? How do we know which one it is?

Dia is a third-person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or they (singular) depending on context. Malay pronouns do not mark gender.

You decide between he and she based on:

• earlier sentences (e.g. the person’s name or description), or
• the situation (e.g. you’re already talking about a woman).

If there’s no context, dia is ambiguous in a way that English he/she isn’t.

What does minta mean, and how is it different from meminta?

Both minta and meminta mean to ask for / to request.

• minta: base form; very common in everyday speech and writing.
  
  • Example: Saya minta air. – I ask for water.
• meminta: the meN- (men-) verb form; often sounds a bit more formal or complete, especially in writing.
  • Example: Saya meminta air. – I request water.

In your sentence:

• Dia minta izin… = completely natural in everyday Malay.
• Dia meminta izin… = also correct, a bit more formal or written style.

Meaning is the same; it’s mainly nuance and register.

Is minta izin a fixed expression? What does it literally mean?

Yes, minta izin is a very common collocation and can feel like a fixed expression.

• minta = ask (for), request
• izin = permission

So minta izin literally means ask for permission.

You’ll see and hear it a lot in contexts like:

• Dia minta izin untuk pulang awal. – He/She asks for permission to go home early.
• Boleh saya minta izin? – May I ask for permission? (like “Excuse me, may I…?”)

You generally keep minta and izin together as a unit; you don’t insert words between them.

What is the role of untuk in this sentence?

Untuk usually corresponds to English to / for / in order to, introducing purpose or function.

In Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas:

• untuk introduces the purpose of asking permission.
• Literally: He/She asks permission *to enter the class.*

Structure:

• minta izin – asks for permission
• untuk masuk ke kelas – (in order) to enter the class

Is untuk necessary here? Can I say Dia minta izin masuk ke kelas?

You can say Dia minta izin masuk ke kelas, and it’s natural, especially in speech.

• Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas.
• Dia minta izin masuk ke kelas.

Both are grammatical and understood as the same meaning: He/She asks permission to enter the class.

Nuance:

• With untuk: slightly clearer and more complete, often preferred in careful or written language.
• Without untuk: more compact, very common in everyday spoken Malay.

So untuk is not strictly required, but it’s perfectly fine—and common—to include it.

Why masuk ke kelas and not just masuk kelas? When do we use or drop ke?

Ke is a preposition meaning to (a place).

• masuk ke kelas = enter into the classroom / go into the classroom
• masuk kelas = literally enter class; in real usage it can mean enter the classroom or attend class.

Both masuk ke kelas and masuk kelas can be used. Differences:

1. Explicit movement into a place

   • ke makes the destination overt:
     
     • Dia masuk ke kelas. – He/She goes into the classroom.

2. More compact, conversational style

   • Dropping ke is very common in speech:
     
     • Dia masuk kelas lewat. – He/She came into class late.

In your sentence, masuk ke kelas is slightly more explicit and neutral. Masuk kelas would also be acceptable in many contexts, especially spoken Malay.

How is tense expressed here? How do I know if it means asked, is asking, or will ask?

Malay verbs normally do not change form for tense. Minta stays the same whether it’s past, present, or future. The tense comes from context or from time words.

Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas can mean:

• He/She asked for permission to enter the class. (past)
• He/She is asking for permission to enter the class. (present)
• He/She will ask for permission to enter the class. (future, if context suggests)

You can add time markers if you need to be explicit:

• Tadi dia minta izin… – Earlier he/she asked…
• Sekarang dia minta izin… – Right now he/she is asking…
• Nanti dia akan minta izin… – Later he/she will ask…

Can I use memasuki instead of masuk ke, like Dia meminta izin untuk memasuki kelas? Is that more formal?

Yes. Dia meminta izin untuk memasuki kelas is fully correct and sounds more formal / literary.

Differences:

• masuk ke kelas
  
  • literally: enter to the class
  • very common in everyday language, both spoken and written.
• memasuki kelas
  
  • memasuki is the meN- form of masuk, and it takes its object directly (no ke)
  • literally: to enter (something)
  • feels more formal, often found in official or written texts.

So you have these variants (all correct, with slight register differences):

• Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas. – neutral, natural.
• Dia minta izin masuk ke kelas. – more conversational.
• Dia meminta izin untuk memasuki kelas. – more formal / written.

What level of politeness does this sentence show? Is it how people actually ask to enter a classroom?

Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas is polite and neutral, but it’s narrative, not the words you say at the door.

It sounds like a report:

• He/She asks for permission to enter the class. (told by someone else)

What someone might actually say to the teacher:

• Cikgu, boleh saya masuk? – Teacher, may I come in?
• Cikgu, saya minta izin masuk. – Teacher, I ask for permission to come in.
• Maaf, saya lambat. Boleh saya masuk kelas? – Sorry I’m late. May I enter the class?

So the given sentence is how you describe the action, not usually the direct spoken request itself.

What does kelas mean here? Does it mean the classroom, the lesson, or the grade?

Kelas can mean several related things, and context decides:

1. The classroom (the room itself)

   • Dia masuk ke kelas. – He/She enters the classroom.

2. The lesson / class session

   • Kelas akan bermula pukul 8. – Class will start at 8.

3. The grade / form / class group

   • Dia di kelas 5 Amanah. – He/She is in class 5 Amanah.

In Dia minta izin untuk masuk ke kelas, the most natural reading is the classroom / the class session he/she is about to join. Context would clarify more precisely which sense is intended.

How is this sentence structured grammatically? What are the main parts?

You can break it down like this:

• Dia – subject (3rd person singular pronoun: he/she)
• minta izin – verb phrase (literally ask permission)
  
  • minta – verb (ask for / request)
  • izin – noun (permission), object of minta
• untuk masuk ke kelas – purpose clause (to enter the class)
  
  • untuk – preposition/marker (to / in order to)
  • masuk – verb (enter)
  • ke – preposition (to, indicating direction)
  • kelas – noun (class / classroom)

So overall pattern:

• [Subject] + [Verb + Object] + [Purpose phrase]
• Dia
  • minta izin
    • untuk masuk ke kelas

How do you pronounce the words in this sentence?

Approximate pronunciation using English-like spelling (Malay is very phonetic):

• Dia – DEE-ah (two syllables: di-a)
• minta – MEEN-tah (short i as in “bit”, t is clear)
• izin – EE-zin (short i, z as in “zoo”)
• untuk – OON-took (both u like in “put”; final k is often unreleased / soft)
• masuk – MAH-sook (short a as in “father”, u like “put”; final k soft)
• ke – kə (like weak English “ke” in “kebab”; very short, schwa sound)
• kelas – kə-LAS (stress usually near the end; e in ke is schwa, a in las like “last” without the t)

Malay stress is usually light and tends to fall on the second-last syllable, but it’s much less strong than English stress.