Learn Hardcore Malay: Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang. - The teacher explains that question calmly.

The root word is jelas = clear (understandable).
The prefix meN-
- root + -kan often makes a transitive / causative verb: “to make X [adjective]” or “to do X to something.”
So men-jelas-kan literally = to make (something) clear → to explain it.

The sentence does not show tense by changing the verb form. Menjelaskan can mean:

explained,
is explaining, or
will explain,
depending on context or added time words (e.g. tadi, sekarang, nanti).

There’s no word for “the” or “a” before guru. How do we know it means “the teacher”?

Malay generally has no articles like “a/an” or “the.”

Guru by itself can mean a teacher / the teacher.
Context decides whether you translate it as “a teacher” or “the teacher.”

In this sentence, when we say in English “The teacher explained the matter calmly,” we are just choosing a natural English translation. Malay does not grammatically force “the.” It’s simply guru = teacher.

Is guru singular or plural here? Could it mean “the teachers”?

Guru is not marked for singular or plural in this sentence. It could mean:

“the teacher” (one teacher), or
“the teachers” (teachers in general or a group),

depending on context.

To make it explicitly plural, Malay often adds:

para guru = the teachers (more formal), or
guru-guru = teachers (reduplication to show plurality).

But in many cases, guru alone is enough, and context tells you whether it’s one or many.

What is persoalan, and how is it different from soalan or masalah?

All three relate to problems or questions, but with different nuances.

Soalan
- Usually = a question (like in an exam, interview, or conversation).
- Example: soalan ujian = exam question.
Persoalan
- Built from soal (question/issue) with per-…-an, often giving a more abstract or formal “issue / matter / question”.
- In many contexts, it’s closer to “the issue / the matter / the question at hand” rather than a simple test question.
Masalah
- = problem / difficulty.
- Example: masalah kewangan = financial problem.

In Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu, persoalan itu is best understood as “that issue / that matter / that question (being discussed)”, not just any random test question.

What does itu do in persoalan itu? Is it “that” or “the”? Can we just omit it?

Itu literally means “that.” After a noun, it usually shows that the noun is specific / known to both speaker and listener.

persoalan itu = that issue / that particular matter
(often naturally translated as “the issue / the matter” in English).

If you omit itu:

Guru menjelaskan persoalan secara tenang.
This is more like “The teacher explained an issue / issues / the issue (in general).”
It feels less specific, unless context already makes the issue very clear.

So itu adds a sense of “that specific, already-known one.”

How does secara tenang work? Why secara before tenang?

Tenang by itself is an adjective = calm.

Secara comes from cara = way/manner.
Secara + adjective often forms something like an English “-ly” adverb phrase:

secara tenang = in a calm way / calmly
secara perlahan = slowly
secara rasmi = officially

So in the sentence:

Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang.
= The teacher explained the matter calmly / in a calm manner.

This secara + adjective pattern is common, especially in more formal or written Malay.

Can I say dengan tenang instead of secara tenang? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can.

secara tenang and dengan tenang both mean roughly “calmly / in a calm way.”

Nuance:

Secara tenang
- Sounds more formal, often seen in writing, official texts, or careful speech.
Dengan tenang
- Very common in everyday Malay and perfectly natural.

So you can say:

Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu dengan tenang.
= same meaning, just a bit more colloquial / neutral.

Is the word order Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang fixed, or can I move secara tenang?

The basic word order here is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Adverbial
Guru (subject)
menjelaskan (verb)
persoalan itu (object)
secara tenang (adverbial phrase)

You can move secara tenang for emphasis or style:

Guru secara tenang menjelaskan persoalan itu.
Secara tenang, guru menjelaskan persoalan itu.

All are grammatically correct. Differences are mostly about focus and style, not basic meaning. The original order (… persoalan itu secara tenang) is very natural and neutral.

How do we know this sentence is past tense (“explained”) and not present or future?

We don’t, from the verb form alone. Malay verbs like menjelaskan do not change for tense.

Menjelaskan can mean:

explained (past)
is explaining (present)
will explain (future)

Tense is normally shown by:

Time words, e.g.
- tadi (earlier), semalam (yesterday) → past
- sekarang (now) → present
- nanti, esok, akan (will) → future
Context.

Examples:

Tadi guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang.
= Earlier, the teacher explained the matter calmly.
Sekarang guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang.
= Now, the teacher is explaining the matter calmly.
Esok guru akan menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang.
= Tomorrow, the teacher will explain the matter calmly.

Is this sentence formal or informal? How might it sound in everyday spoken Malay?

Guru menjelaskan persoalan itu secara tenang. leans neutral to slightly formal, mainly because of:

menjelaskan (vs more casual terangkan),
persoalan (slightly formal “issue/matter”),
secara tenang (bookish feel compared to dengan tenang).

In everyday spoken Malay (especially in Malaysia), you might hear:

Cikgu terangkan hal tu dengan tenang.
- cikgu = teacher (more colloquial term)
- terangkan = explain (more casual)
- hal tu = that matter / that thing
- dengan tenang = calmly

Meaning is essentially the same, just more conversational.