Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.

Even if that small child is afraid, he/she still enters the class.

Breakdown of Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.

• dia: he/she
• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• ke: to
• kelas: the class
• anak: the child
• kecil: small
• kalau: if
• masuk: to enter
• pun: even
• tetap: still
• takut: afraid

Questions & Answers about Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.

What is the function of kalau here, and does it really mean even if?

Kalau is the common spoken word for if / when.

In this sentence, kalau is combined with pun (after takut) to give a concessive meaning: even if / even though. So:

• kalau by itself → usually if / when
• kalau … pun → often understood as even if / even though

You could also see:

• kalaupun anak kecil itu takut, … (with kalaupun written as one word)
• Walaupun anak kecil itu takut, … (more formal: although / even though)

So yes, here kalau contributes to the meaning even if, but it needs pun (or the combined form kalaupun) to get that nuance.

What exactly does pun do after takut, and can it be left out?

Pun is a particle with several uses, but here it gives the sense of even (though) or even if.

• Kalau anak kecil itu takut, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.
  → If the little child is afraid, he still goes into the classroom.

• Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.
  → Even if / Even though the little child is afraid, he still goes into the classroom.

If you remove pun, the sentence is still grammatical, but it loses the strong concessive feeling. With pun, you are stressing that despite the fear, the child still goes in.

Other common uses of pun:

• Saya pun pergi. → I also went / I went too.
• Apa pun yang terjadi… → Whatever happens…

So here, think of pun as an emphasizer of contrast: even if he is scared…

Why is it anak kecil itu and not itu anak kecil?

In Malay, the demonstrative itu (that) usually comes after the noun phrase:

• buku itu → that book
• kereta merah itu → that red car
• anak kecil itu → that little child / the little child

Putting itu before the noun (itu anak kecil) is not the normal pattern and would sound odd in standard Malay.

Also note word order inside the noun phrase:

• anak (noun) kecil (adjective) itu (demonstrative)
  → noun + adjective + itu

What is the difference between anak kecil, budak, and kanak-kanak?

All can relate to children, but with different nuances:

• anak kecil

  • Literally small child, often used for a young child, with a bit of a tender or descriptive tone.
  • Focuses on the child’s smallness/youngness.

• budak

  • Everyday, informal word for kid / child.
  • Can be neutral, but context can make it sound a bit casual or sometimes slightly rough (e.g. scolding a kid).
  • Examples: budak sekolah (school kid), budak itu nakal (that kid is naughty).

• kanak-kanak

  • More formal or neutral, often used in writing, signs, legal/official contexts.
  • Example: taman permainan kanak-kanak (children’s playground).

In this sentence, anak kecil itu draws attention to the child being little/young, which fits the idea of being scared but still brave.

Why do we use dia after already mentioning anak kecil itu? Isn’t that redundant?

Malay often repeats the subject with a pronoun, even if the noun phrase has just been mentioned. It sounds natural and helps clarity.

Structure here:

• First clause: Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun
• Second clause: dia tetap masuk ke kelas

In English you might say:

• Even if the little child is scared, he still goes into the classroom.

You could, grammatically, say in Malay:

• Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, tetap masuk ke kelas.

…but without dia the second clause feels a bit incomplete or less natural in standard usage. The listener has to infer the subject. Using dia is the normal, smooth choice.

Does dia mean specifically he, or could it also mean she?

Dia is gender-neutral in Malay:

• dia = he / she

Context (or an earlier sentence) tells you whether it refers to a boy or a girl. If you want to be explicit, you’d normally specify:

• budak lelaki itu → that boy
• budak perempuan itu → that girl

But the pronoun remains dia for both.

Is takut an adjective or a verb here? Why isn’t there something like adalah?

Malay does not strictly separate adjectives and stative verbs the way English does. Takut can function like both:

• As adjective-like: Dia takut. → He is afraid.
• As verb-like: Dia takut hantu. → He fears ghosts.

In this sentence, takut functions like is afraid / is scared.
You do not need adalah:

• Dia takut. (natural)
• Dia adalah takut. (wrong / unnatural)

So: kalau anak kecil itu takut pun… = even if that little child is afraid…

What does tetap mean here, and how is it different from masih?

Tetap means still / remain / persist / nonetheless, with a sense of not changing despite something.

• dia tetap masuk ke kelas
  → he still goes into the classroom
  → better nuance: he goes into the classroom anyway / regardless

Compare with masih (still, as in continuance of a state):

• Dia masih di kelas. → He is still in class. (ongoing state)
• Dia masih belajar. → He is still studying.

In this sentence, tetap emphasizes determination or persistence despite fear, which matches the concessive takut pun.

Why is it masuk ke kelas instead of just masuk kelas?

Ke is the preposition for to / towards a place:

• ke rumah → to home
• ke sekolah → to school
• ke kelas → to class / to the classroom

Both forms are possible:

• masuk ke kelas
• masuk kelas

Differences:

• masuk ke kelas is a bit more explicit/clear about direction and is standard.
• masuk kelas is shorter and very common in speech, especially in informal contexts.

Meaning-wise in this context they are essentially the same: go into the classroom.

Could we say masuk ke dalam kelas? What’s the difference from masuk ke kelas?

Yes, you can say masuk ke dalam kelas:

• masuk ke kelas → enter the class / go to the classroom
• masuk ke dalam kelas → literally go into the inside of the classroom

Ke dalam adds a sense of into the inside (more spatially explicit).
In everyday speech, especially with common places like kelas, rumah, sekolah, people often just say masuk ke kelas or simply masuk kelas unless they need to emphasize the inside part.

How do we know the tense? Could this mean was scared or is scared?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense. There is no verb ending like -ed or -s.

Kalau anak kecil itu takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas can be translated depending on context as:

• Even if the little child is scared, he still goes into the classroom. (present/general)
• Even though the little child was scared, he still went into the classroom. (past)
• Even if the little child is scared, he will still go into the classroom. (future meaning by context)

If you want to be explicit, you add time markers:

• Kalau anak kecil itu sudah takut pun, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.
  → suggests past or completed aspect (already scared).

• Kalau anak kecil itu nanti takut pun, dia tetap akan masuk ke kelas.
  → future-oriented (if he later becomes scared, he will still go in).

Without such markers, context decides the tense in English translation.

Is kalau informal? What is a more formal alternative for this sentence?

Kalau is very common and perfectly acceptable in speech and most writing, but it is considered more informal/colloquial than jika or walaupun.

More formal-sounding versions:

• Walaupun anak kecil itu takut, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.
• Meskipun anak kecil itu takut, dia tetap masuk ke kelas.
• Sekalipun anak kecil itu takut, dia tetap masuk ke kelas. (quite formal/literary)

All of these convey although / even though with a more formal tone than kalau … pun.