Learn Hardcore Malay: Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih. - That picture of the lake was shown by the science teacher on the whiteboard.

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih.

That picture of the lake was shown by the science teacher on the whiteboard.

Breakdown of Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih.

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Questions & Answers about Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih.

Why is itu placed after tasik in gambar tasik itu, instead of before the noun like English that lake picture?

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that / the) usually come after the noun they modify.

tasik itu = that lake / the lake
gambar tasik itu = the picture of that lake / the picture of the lake (already known in context)

So the structure is:

gambar = picture
tasik = lake
tasik itu = the/that lake
gambar tasik itu = the picture of the lake

Putting itu before the noun (itu tasik) is possible but different; it’s more like a standalone phrase: that lake (over there), often used deictically (when pointing), not inside a noun phrase like here.

What exactly does guru sains mean, and why is there no word like of as in teacher of science?

Guru sains is a noun–noun compound:

guru = teacher
sains = science
guru sains = science teacher / teacher of science

Malay often forms these relationships simply by putting two nouns together, without a preposition like of:

buku sejarah = history book (book of history)
kelas muzik = music class (class of music)
guru bahasa Inggeris = English teacher (teacher of English)

So guru sains is the natural way to say science teacher, and adding something like guru yang mengajar sains (teacher who teaches science) would be grammatically correct but unnecessarily long in most contexts.

What is the structure and meaning of ditunjukkan, and how is it different from menunjukkan?

Both come from the root tunjuk (to show, to point).

menunjukkan = active, to show (something)
- guru sains menunjukkan gambar itu = the science teacher shows the picture
ditunjukkan = passive, is/was shown
- gambar itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains = the picture was shown by the science teacher

Morphologically:

meN- + tunjuk + -kan → menunjukkan (active, transitive)
di- + tunjuk + -kan → ditunjukkan (passive)

In this sentence, ditunjukkan marks the verb phrase as passive, with gambar tasik itu as the thing being shown (the patient), not the one doing the action.

Why is the sentence in the passive voice (ditunjukkan oleh guru sains) instead of in active voice?

Passive voice in Malay is very common and often more neutral than in English. It is often used when:

You want to focus on the object (what is shown) rather than who did it.
The doer (agent) is less important or already known.

In:

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih.
The picture of the lake was shown by the science teacher on the whiteboard.

The focus is on gambar tasik itu (the picture of the lake). Who showed it (guru sains) is additional information.

An equally grammatical active version would be:

Guru sains menunjukkan gambar tasik itu di papan putih.
The science teacher showed the picture of the lake on the whiteboard.

Meaning-wise they’re very close; the difference is mostly about emphasis and information flow.

What does oleh do in ditunjukkan oleh guru sains? Can it be left out?

Oleh marks the agent (the doer) in a passive clause.

ditunjukkan oleh guru sains = shown by the science teacher
- oleh ≈ by (in English passive constructions)

You can often omit oleh + agent if it’s obvious or not important:

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan di papan putih.
The picture of the lake was shown on the whiteboard.
(We don’t say who showed it.)

If you still want to mention who did it, and you keep the passive form, oleh is normally required:

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains. ✔
Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan guru sains.
– This can occur in more colloquial style, but for learners it’s safer to include oleh in this pattern.

Is di in di papan putih the same as the di- in ditunjukkan?

They are different:

di (separate word) in di papan putih
- This is a preposition meaning at / in / on.
- It must be written separately from the next word.
- di papan putih = on the whiteboard.
di- (attached) in ditunjukkan
- This is a prefix marking passive voice.
- It is attached to the verb with no space: di- + tunjuk + -kan.
- ditunjukkan = is/was shown.

Spelling matters:

di makan (two words) = at the food / at eating (unlikely phrase)
dimakan (one word) = is/was eaten

Does di papan putih tell us where the picture is, or where the action happens? Could it mean the picture is on the whiteboard?

In this sentence, di papan putih modifies the verb phrase (the action), not the noun gambar.

ditunjukkan di papan putih = was shown on the whiteboard
→ the showing happened there.

If you wanted to emphasise the location of the picture (that the picture itself is on the whiteboard), you would normally phrase it differently, for example:

Gambar tasik itu ada di papan putih.
The picture of the lake is on the whiteboard.

So here, the natural reading is:
The science teacher showed the picture on the whiteboard (e.g. projected or drawn there), not simply “the picture was located on the whiteboard.”

How do we know the tense? Does ditunjukkan mean is shown or was shown?

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense. Ditunjukkan itself just tells you:

voice: passive
aspect: completed/actual showing (as an event)

The time (past, present, future) comes from:

context, or
time expressions, e.g.:
- tadi (earlier)
- semalam (yesterday)
- esok (tomorrow)
- akan (will) before the verb in some styles

So:

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih.
could be:
- The picture of the lake *was shown by the science teacher on the whiteboard.* (most natural)
- or, in the right context: The picture of the lake *is being shown / is shown…*

To make it clearly past, you can add a time word:

Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains semalam di papan putih.
The picture of the lake was shown by the science teacher yesterday on the whiteboard.

Why is there no adalah in the sentence? I thought Malay often uses adalah for is/are.

Adalah is mainly used:

in equative sentences (X = Y), especially in more formal writing:
- Dia adalah guru sains. = She is a science teacher.
to link a subject to a noun phrase or adjective, not to an action.

In your sentence, the predicate is a verb phrase:

Gambar tasik itu (subject)
ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih (verb phrase / predicate)
Malay does not use adalah in front of a normal verb:
Gambar tasik itu ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih. ✔
Gambar tasik itu adalah ditunjukkan oleh guru sains di papan putih. ✘ (ungrammatical)

So the sentence is complete and correct without adalah.

Is papan putih literally white board? Is this the usual way to say whiteboard in Malay?

Yes:

papan = board / plank
putih = white
papan putih = white board → whiteboard

This is a standard term for the whiteboard used in classrooms.

You may also see/hear:

papan tulis = (writing board), more generic and can refer to chalkboards / blackboards (literally “writing board”)
papan putih is specifically for whiteboards (the modern, non‑chalk ones).

In everyday school context, papan putih is a very natural way to say whiteboard.