Learn Hardcore Malay: Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas. - The teacher mentions my name in the classroom.

sebut is the base verb (root form). In everyday spoken Malay, especially in Malaysia, people often use the root verb after a noun subject:
- Guru sebut nama saya… (very common in speech)
menyebut is the meN- verb form (a more “complete” verb form). It sounds slightly more formal or careful:
- Guru menyebut nama saya… (very natural in writing or more formal speech)

In casual conversation, Guru sebut nama saya… is totally fine and very common. In a formal essay or exam, Guru menyebut nama saya… might be preferred.

Is sebut closer to “say”, “mention”, or “call”?

sebut overlaps all of these in English, but it usually means:

to say / pronounce (especially a word or name)
to mention (say something out loud, not just think it)

In this sentence, Guru sebut nama saya…, the most natural translations are:

“The teacher said my name in class.”
“The teacher mentioned my name in class.”

It does not usually mean “call (phone)” or “call someone over” — those would normally use other verbs like telefon, panggil, etc.

Why is it nama saya and not just saya? In English we say “said my name” or “called me”.

Malay is flexible, but there is a nuance:

Guru sebut nama saya… = “The teacher said my name…”
- Focus on the name itself being spoken.
Guru panggil saya… = “The teacher called me…”
- Focus on calling the person, not on the name itself.
Guru sebut saya… sounds odd in most contexts; you normally sebut nama, not a pronoun.

So if you want to match the English idea of “said my name”, nama saya is the natural object of sebut.

Could I say nama saya disebut oleh guru di dalam kelas? How does that sound?

Yes, that’s grammatical, but it changes the style and focus:

Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas.
- Active voice, simple, natural. Used all the time in speech.
Nama saya disebut oleh guru di dalam kelas.
- Passive voice, a bit more formal or written-style.
- Focuses on my name as the topic (what happened to it? It was mentioned).

Both are fine, but for everyday speaking, the original active sentence is more typical.

Do I really need di dalam? What’s the difference between di dalam kelas, dalam kelas, and di kelas?

All three can be used, and all can translate as “in the class / in class”, but with slight nuances:

di kelas
- Very common and natural. Means “in class / in the classroom”.
- Short and widely used in speech.
dalam kelas
- Also “in class / inside the class (situation)”. Often interchangeable with di kelas.
di dalam kelas
- Literally “at inside the class”.
- Feels a bit more explicit or slightly more formal/emphatic about being inside the classroom.

In most everyday contexts, di kelas is enough:

Guru sebut nama saya di kelas.

How do you know this is past tense (“said”) and not present or future? There’s no tense marking.

Malay usually doesn’t mark tense directly on the verb. Time is understood from context or time words:

Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas.
- Could be “says / said / will say my name in class” depending on context.
To be explicit:
- Tadi guru sebut nama saya… = “Just now the teacher said my name…”
- Esok guru akan sebut nama saya… = “Tomorrow the teacher will say my name…”
- Selalu guru sebut nama saya… = “The teacher often says my name…”

In isolation, most learners interpret it as past (“said”), but grammatically it’s neutral without a time marker.

Is saya the only option? What about aku?

You can change the politeness level:

nama saya — polite, neutral, safe in almost all situations (to teachers, strangers, at work).
nama aku — informal, used with friends, close family, people your age or younger in casual contexts.

So you could say:

Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas. (polite/neutral)
Guru sebut nama aku dalam kelas. (more casual, depending on relationship with the listener)

For a typical classroom context (talking about your teacher) saya is the safer standard.

What’s the difference between guru and cikgu for “teacher”?

Both relate to “teacher” but are used slightly differently, especially in Malaysia:

guru
- General word for “teacher”; used in writing, formal speech, job titles.
- guru can be any kind of teacher (school, tuition, etc.).
cikgu
- Originally from cik (Miss) + gu(ru).
- Commonly used as a form of address to a school teacher:
  - Cikgu, saya tak faham. = “Teacher, I don’t understand.”
- Also used as a noun, especially in more informal speech:
  - Cikgu sebut nama saya di dalam kelas.

Both are understandable. Guru sounds more neutral/formal; cikgu has a more direct “my school teacher” feeling in Malaysian usage.

Is sebutkan possible here? What’s the difference between sebut and sebutkan?

Yes, you can use sebutkan in some contexts, but it’s not the same nuance:

sebut = “say / mention / pronounce”
sebutkan often appears:
- As a command/request:
  - Sebutkan nama kamu. = “State your name.”
- To emphasize “to state / to list (something)” fully.

In your sentence, using sebutkan sounds slightly off if it’s just a description:

Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas. ✅ natural
Guru sebutkan nama saya di dalam kelas. ⚠️ possible but sounds like the teacher was deliberately “stating/announcing” your name, maybe from a list.

For normal “The teacher said my name in class”, sebut is best.

Why is there no word for “the” in guru or kelas? How do I know it means “the teacher” and not “a teacher”?

Malay doesn’t have separate words for “the” or “a/an”. Nouns like guru and kelas are neutral by themselves. Whether you read them as “the” or “a” comes from context.

Guru sebut nama saya di dalam kelas.
- In a typical school context, it’s natural to interpret as “The teacher said my name in class.”
If you really want to stress “that specific teacher”, you can add itu:
- Guru itu sebut nama saya… = “That teacher said my name…”

But most of the time, you don’t add anything; context is enough.

How do you pronounce sebut and kelas correctly?

Rough pronunciation (Malay has very regular spelling):

sebut: suh-BOOT
- se like the se in “sofa” (unstressed)
- but like English “boot” (shorter, no diphthong)
nama: NAH-mah
- Both a sounds like a in “father”
kelas: kə-LAS
- ke like kə in “about” but with a clear k
- las with a like in “father”

Stress is usually on the last syllable: se-BUT, na-MA, ke-LAS, but not as strong as English stress.