Guru melukis garis di papan putih.

The teacher draws a line on the whiteboard.

Breakdown of Guru melukis garis di papan putih.

• guru: the teacher
• di: on
• melukis: to draw
• putih: white
• garis: the line
• papan: the board

Questions & Answers about Guru melukis garis di papan putih.

What is the word‑by‑word breakdown of Guru melukis garis di papan putih?

Here is a simple gloss:

• Guru – teacher
• melukis – draws / is drawing
• garis – (a) line
• di – at / on / in (location preposition)
• papan – board / plank
• putih – white

So the structure is essentially:
Guru (subject) + melukis (verb) + garis (object) + di papan putih (location phrase).

What exactly does melukis mean, and what is its base form?

• The base form (root) is lukis – to draw, to sketch (and sometimes to paint).
• melukis = me- (a verbal prefix) + lukis.

In standard Malay:

• lukis often appears in:
  • dictionary entries (root form)
  • imperatives: Lukis garis di sini. – Draw a line here.
• melukis is the normal finite verb:
  • Dia melukis. – He/She draws / is drawing.

It usually means to draw (with pen, pencil, marker), but it can also include to paint depending on context. Here, with garis and papan putih, it clearly means to draw (a) line with a marker.

Is garis singular or plural? How do I say “a line” vs “lines”?

Malay doesn’t normally mark singular vs plural on the noun itself, so:

• garis can mean “a line” or “lines”, depending on context.

To be more explicit:

• a line:
  • satu garis – literally one line
  • segaris – sometimes used as a (single) line in some contexts
• lines:
  • garis-garis – reduplication to show plurality
  • banyak garis – many lines

In the sentence Guru melukis garis di papan putih, the most natural default reading in English is “The teacher draws a line on the whiteboard”, but “lines” is also possible if the wider context suggests plural.

What does di mean here? In English we say “on the whiteboard,” not “at the whiteboard.”

di is a general preposition for location: it can correspond to in, on, or at, depending on what sounds natural in English.

• di papan putih literally: “at/on (the) whiteboard”

When the location is a flat surface like a board, di usually maps to English “on”:

• di meja – on the table
• di dinding – on the wall
• di papan putih – on the whiteboard

So di papan putih is correctly translated as “on the whiteboard.”

Why is it papan putih and not putih papan? What’s the order of noun and adjective?

In Malay, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify.

• papan – board
• putih – white
• papan putih – white board → whiteboard

So:

• papan putih = white board
• rumah besar = big house
• buku baru = new book

putih papan would be ungrammatical in standard Malay as a noun phrase. The natural order is noun + adjective: papan putih.

Is papan putih the usual word for “whiteboard”? What about papan tulis?

Both are used, but they’re not identical:

• papan tulis – literally writing board
  
  • Traditionally: the blackboard / chalkboard.
  • In many contexts now, it can mean any classroom board used for writing.
• papan putih – literally white board
  
  • Refers more specifically to a whiteboard (the modern one for markers).

In many schools today, people may casually say papan tulis even when the board is actually white, but papan putih is the more specifically “whiteboard” term.

How do you say “the teacher” vs “a teacher”? Does Guru mean one or the other?

Malay does not use articles like “a/an” or “the”, so guru by itself is neutral:

• guru can mean “a teacher” or “the teacher”, depending on context.

To be more explicit:

• a teacher:
  • seorang guru – literally one person (who is a) teacher
• the teacher (a specific one):
  • guru itu – that teacher / the teacher
  • guru tersebut – that (aforementioned) teacher (more formal)

So:

• Guru melukis garis di papan putih.
  → A teacher draws a line on the whiteboard or
  → The teacher draws a line on the whiteboard,
  depending on what has been mentioned earlier.

How can I tell if this sentence is present, past, or future tense?

Malay verbs do not change form for tense, so melukis itself has no tense. The time is understood from context or from extra words.

Guru melukis garis di papan putih can mean:

• The teacher *draws a line on the whiteboard.* (habitual / present)
• The teacher *is drawing a line on the whiteboard.* (present continuous)
• The teacher *drew a line on the whiteboard.* (past)

To be explicit, you can add:

• sedang (in the process of, now):
  
  • Guru sedang melukis garis di papan putih.
    – The teacher is drawing a line on the whiteboard.
• telah / sudah (already, past):
  
  • Guru telah/sudah melukis garis di papan putih.
    – The teacher has drawn / drew a line on the whiteboard.
• akan (will, future):
  
  • Guru akan melukis garis di papan putih.
    – The teacher will draw a line on the whiteboard.

Can I drop the subject Guru and just say Melukis garis di papan putih?

In isolation, Melukis garis di papan putih is not a natural full sentence in standard Malay.

• For an imperative (“Draw a line on the whiteboard”), you would normally say:
  
  • Lukis garis di papan putih. (using the base form lukis, not melukis)
• Melukis garis di papan putih by itself sounds like a fragment, e.g. part of a title or description (Drawing a line on the whiteboard), not a complete “Someone is drawing… ” sentence.

Malay can drop subjects when they are clear from context, but you’d typically still use the normal verb form plus context:

• If you previously talked about the teacher and then just say:
  
  • Sedang melukis garis di papan putih.
    – something like “(He/She) is drawing a line on the whiteboard.”

So: yes, subjects can be omitted when obvious, but Guru melukis garis di papan putih is the fully clear and natural version.

Can I say Guru lukis garis di papan putih instead of Guru melukis garis di papan putih?

In informal spoken Malay, especially in some dialects and in Indonesian-influenced speech, you will hear:

• Guru lukis garis di papan putih.

This is understandable and commonly used in casual conversation.

However, in standard / formal Malay (e.g. writing, exams, textbooks):

• The more correct form is Guru melukis garis di papan putih.

Dropping the me- prefix (melukis → lukis) is a common feature of informal or colloquial speech, but it is not considered standard in careful written Malay.

How would I say “The teacher is drawing a line on the whiteboard now” more explicitly?

You can make the “right now” meaning very clear by adding sedang and a time adverb:

• Guru sedang melukis garis di papan putih sekarang.

Breakdown:

• sedang – (in the process of; indicates ongoing action)
• sekarang – now

This is unambiguously present continuous:
“The teacher is drawing a line on the whiteboard now.”

How could I make everything clearly plural, like “The teachers are drawing lines on the whiteboards”?

Malay doesn’t require you to mark all plurals, but you can make it explicit:

One possible fully plural version:

• Para guru melukis garis-garis di papan-papan putih.

Explanation:

• para guru – the teachers (group of teachers)
• garis-garis – lines
• papan-papan putih – whiteboards

More natural, less “over-plural,” but still conveying plurality:

• Para guru melukis garis di papan putih masing-masing.
  – The teachers draw lines on their respective whiteboards.

In everyday usage, people often just say:

• Guru melukis garis di papan putih.

and let context indicate whether it’s one teacher or several, one line or many, one board or multiple.