Learn Hardcore Malay: Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang. - The classroom door is closed now.

Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang literally looks like “class door closed now”, but it is understood as “The classroom door is closed now.”
The word tertutup functions as the predicate (what you say about the subject), so Malay doesn’t need a separate “is.”

The word adalah is used mainly:

Before nouns:
- Dia adalah guru. – “He/She is a teacher.”
Or in more formal / written contexts.

You normally wouldn’t say “Pintu kelas adalah tertutup sekarang.” That sounds awkward or overly bookish; Malay speakers just say “Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang.”

What’s the difference between tutup, tertutup, and ditutup?

All three are related to the idea of closing, but they behave differently:

tutup – base verb/adjective
- As a verb: Saya tutup pintu. – “I close the door.”
- As a state/adjective (informal): Pintu tutup. – “The door is closed.”
ditutup – passive verb (“is closed”, “is being closed”)
- Focuses more on the action, often with an implied agent (by someone):
  - Pintu ditutup setiap malam. – “The door is closed every night (by someone).”
tertutup – stative/resultative (“in a closed state”)
- Focuses on the resulting state, not on who closed it:
  - Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang. – “The classroom door is (in the state of being) closed now.”

In your sentence, tertutup is natural because we’re talking about the current state of the door, not the act of closing it.

Could I say “Pintu kelas tutup sekarang” instead of “tertutup”?

In informal spoken Malay, you will hear:

Pintu kelas tutup sekarang.

This is understood as “The classroom door is closed now,” and is fine in everyday conversation.

However:

tertutup sounds a bit more careful/standard and clearly expresses a state.
tutup in this position is more casual and can sound slightly less “complete” in formal writing.

So:

Spoken: Pintu kelas tutup sekarang. – natural in casual speech.
Neutral/standard: Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang. – good in writing and speech.

What exactly does tertutup mean? Does the prefix ter- add a special nuance?

Yes. The prefix ter- often gives a sense of:

A state or condition:
- pintu tertutup – “the door is in a closed state”
- mata tertutup – “eyes (are) closed”
Sometimes unintentional / accidental action:
- Tersalah nombor. – “(I) dialed the wrong number (by mistake).”

In pintu kelas tertutup sekarang, the state meaning is dominant:
→ “The classroom door is (in a) closed (state) now.”

It doesn’t strongly imply accident here; it’s simply describing how the door is at the moment.

Can tertutup also mean “closed-minded” or “not open” in a metaphorical sense?

Yes, tertutup can be used metaphorically, depending on the noun:

fikiran tertutup – “closed-minded thinking”
masyarakat yang tertutup – “a closed/insular community”
perbincangan tertutup – “closed discussion / closed-door meeting”

In your sentence, pintu kelas tertutup sekarang, the meaning is purely literal: the physical classroom door is closed. Context tells you whether the meaning is literal or metaphorical.

Why is it pintu kelas and not kelas pintu? Which word order is correct for “classroom door”?

Malay places the main noun first, followed by the descriptor/possessor:

pintu kelas → pintu (door) + kelas (class/classroom)
→ literally “door (of the) class/classroom”

So the pattern is:

[Head noun] + [modifying noun]
- pintu rumah – house door / the door of the house
- baju lelaki – men’s shirt
- guru matematik – math teacher

kelas pintu would be wrong, because it would literally read “class of the door,” which doesn’t make sense.

Does kelas here mean “class” (group of students) or “classroom”? Is pintu kelas natural?

In Malay, kelas can mean:

Class (group / lesson) – like English class
Classroom – especially in school contexts, by extension

Because of context, pintu kelas is commonly understood as:

“the classroom door”, not “the door of the group of students.”

It’s natural and frequently used in school situations.
If you want to be more explicit, you could say:

pintu bilik darjah – more explicitly “classroom door” (more common in some regions, especially in Malaysia).
pintu kelas is still perfectly natural in everyday use.

Why is sekarang (“now”) at the end? Could I say “Sekarang pintu kelas tertutup” instead?

Yes, both word orders are possible:

Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang.
Sekarang pintu kelas tertutup.

In Malay, time expressions like sekarang, semalam, hari ini can appear at the beginning or end of the sentence:

Sekarang saya lapar.
Saya lapar sekarang.

The difference is mostly emphasis:

Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang. – neutral, states the situation and adds “now” at the end.
Sekarang pintu kelas tertutup. – slightly emphasizes “now”: Right now, the classroom door is closed (maybe it was open before).

Both are grammatically correct.

How would I say “The classroom door is already closed”? Is there a difference from using sekarang?

To say “already”, you use sudah or dah (informal):

Pintu kelas sudah tertutup.
Pintu kelas dah tertutup. (more colloquial)

sekarang = “now” → focuses on time (current moment).
sudah/dah = “already” → focuses on the completion of the change.

Compare:

Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang.
– The classroom door is closed now (as opposed to some other time).
Pintu kelas sudah tertutup.
– The classroom door is already closed (as opposed to what someone might expect; maybe you thought it would still be open).

You can combine them:

Pintu kelas sudah tertutup sekarang. – “The classroom door is already closed now.”

Is kelas singular or plural here? How do I show “classroom doors” instead of “classroom door”?

Malay nouns usually don’t mark singular vs plural. Pintu kelas can mean:

“classroom door” or
“classroom doors,” depending on context.

To show plural more clearly, you can use:

Reduplication:
- pintu-pintu kelas – classroom doors
Or a quantity word:
- beberapa pintu kelas – several classroom doors
- semua pintu kelas – all the classroom doors

But just pintu kelas on its own is neutral; context usually tells you whether it’s one or more.

How would I say “The classroom door is not closed now”?

The normal negative for adjectives/states like tertutup is tidak:

Pintu kelas tidak tertutup sekarang.
– “The classroom door is not closed now.”

However, Malay speakers often phrase this more naturally as the positive opposite:

Pintu kelas masih terbuka sekarang.
– “The classroom door is still open now.”

Notes:

Use tidak (not bukan) before adjectives and verbs:
- tidak tertutup, tidak besar, tidak datang, etc.
Use bukan mainly before nouns/pronouns:
- Ini bukan pintu kelas. – “This is not the classroom door.”

How might a more casual spoken version of this sentence sound?

In casual daily speech, you might hear:

Pintu kelas dah tutup sekarang.
- dah = informal for sudah
- tutup used instead of tertutup

Meaning: “The classroom door is already closed now / is closed now.”

This version:

Is very common in conversation.
Is less focused on the state/result grammar and more on everyday usage.

For writing or more neutral Malay, Pintu kelas tertutup sekarang is perfectly good and maybe a bit tidier grammatically.