Learn Hardcore Malay: Guru memilih bahan belajar yang mudah difahami. - The teacher chooses learning materials that are easy to understand.

Here, bahan belajar is the noun, and yang mudah difahami is the clause describing it.
So bahan belajar yang mudah difahami = learning materials that are easy to understand.

In Malay, yang is very commonly used to link a noun to:

an adjective: orang yang rajin (a person who is diligent)
or a whole clause: buku yang saya beli (the book that I bought)

Why is it difahami and not just faham in mudah difahami?

Difahami is a passive form based on the verb faham (to understand).

faham = to understand
difahami = to be understood

Mudah difahami literally means easy to be understood, which matches English easy to understand.
You might hear mudah faham in informal speech, but mudah difahami is more standard and formal.

Is difahami one word or two words (like di fahami)?

It should be written as one word: difahami.

Structure:

di- (passive prefix) + faham (understand) + -i (a verb suffix) → difahami

If you write di fahami with a space, it looks like the preposition di (at/in/on) plus a verb, which is incorrect here.

What exactly does bahan belajar mean, and why is belajar used like that?

Bahan = material(s), belajar = to study/learn.
Together, bahan belajar literally means learning/study materials.

In Malay, it’s common to put a verb after a noun to show purpose:

bilik tidur – sleeping room → bedroom
alat tulis – writing tools → stationery
bahan belajar – materials for studying → learning materials

Is bahan belajar singular or plural here?

Malay usually does not mark singular vs plural explicitly. Bahan belajar can mean:

a learning material
learning materials

The context decides. If you want to emphasise plurality, you can say:

bahan-bahan belajar (reduplicated noun to show “various materials”)

Why isn’t there any word for “the” or “a” before guru or bahan belajar?

Malay has no direct equivalents of English the, a, or an.

Guru could be a teacher or the teacher.
bahan belajar could be learning material or the learning materials.

Definiteness (specific vs general) is understood from context, or sometimes clarified with words like itu (that) or ini (this):

guru itu – that/the teacher
bahan belajar itu – that/the learning material(s)

How do we know the tense of memilih? Is this past, present, or future?

The verb memilih itself has no tense; Malay verbs usually don’t change for tense.
Guru memilih bahan belajar yang mudah difahami could mean:

The teacher chooses learning materials…
The teacher chose learning materials…
The teacher will choose learning materials…

You add time words if needed:

tadi (earlier), semalam (yesterday), esok (tomorrow), akan (will), etc.

What’s the difference between pilih and memilih?

Pilih is the root verb: choose.
Memilih is the meN- form, which is the normal “finite” verb form in many sentences: to choose, is choosing, chooses, etc.

Usage:

Command: Pilih satu! – Choose one!
Statement: Guru memilih bahan belajar… – The teacher chooses learning materials…

Using memilih makes the sentence sound complete and grammatically standard.

What does mudah difahami literally mean, and how does word order work here?

Literally, mudah difahami = easy to-be-understood.
In Malay, descriptions come after the noun:

bahan belajar yang mudah difahami – learning materials that are easy to understand
buku yang menarik – a book that is interesting

So you don’t say “mudah difahami bahan belajar”; the descriptive part follows the noun and is linked with yang.

Could we leave out yang and say Guru memilih bahan belajar mudah difahami?

In standard Malay, yang is normally required in this kind of structure.
Guru memilih bahan belajar mudah difahami sounds informal or slightly ungrammatical in careful writing.

Correct standard form:

Guru memilih bahan belajar yang mudah difahami.

In casual speech, some people drop yang, but it’s better to keep it, especially when learning.

What’s the difference between mudah and senang in this context?

Both can mean easy, but there is a nuance:

mudah – slightly more formal/neutral; common in writing and explanations.
senang – also “easy”, but often used more in everyday spoken Malay and can also mean “comfortable/at ease”.

So:

mudah difahami – easy to understand (neutral, slightly formal)
senang difahami – also used, sounds a bit more casual.

What’s the difference between guru and cikgu?

Both refer to a teacher, but usage differs:

guru – the general word for teacher, often used in writing, official contexts, or when referring to the profession.
cikgu – commonly used as a form of address, like “Teacher”; more informal and personal.

Sentence with cikgu:

Cikgu memilih bahan belajar yang mudah difahami. – The teacher chooses learning materials that are easy to understand.
This sounds a bit more colloquial or school‑like.

Is bahan belajar yang mudah difahami a complete phrase on its own?

Yes. Bahan belajar yang mudah difahami is a full noun phrase:

head noun: bahan belajar
relative clause: yang mudah difahami

On its own, it means learning materials that are easy to understand, and can be used as a subject or object in other sentences.