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Learn Hardcore Malay: Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini. - That student skips school today.

Hardcore Malay
/Lesson 39
/Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.

Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.

Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.

That student skips school today.

Breakdown of Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.

Questions & Answers about Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.

What does itu mean in murid itu? Is it “that” or “the”?

Itu literally means that, but in real usage it often works like the in English – it points to a specific, known person or thing.

murid = a student / pupil (not specific)
murid itu = that student / the student (a specific one you and your listener both know about)

In Malay, the demonstrative (itu, ini) usually comes after the noun:

murid itu = that/the student
rumah ini = this/the house

So murid itu is clearly one particular student, not just any student.

What is the difference between murid and pelajar?

Both can translate as student, but there is a nuance:

murid
- Commonly used for younger students: primary and secondary school.
- Sounds a bit like pupil or school student.
pelajar
- More general; often used for older students, especially college / university.
- Also used in formal contexts: pelajar universiti, pelajar cemerlang (excellent student).

In this sentence, murid itu suggests a school-age student, not a university student.

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What exactly does ponteng mean? Is it just “absent”?

Ponteng means to skip something (like school or work) on purpose, without permission. It is more specific than just absent.

murid itu ponteng sekolah
= The student skipped / played truant from school (deliberately, without a valid reason).

By contrast:

murid itu tidak hadir ke sekolah
= The student was not present at school (this could be for any reason, even a legitimate one).

So ponteng carries a negative, disapproving nuance: cutting class, bunking off, playing truant.

Why is it ponteng sekolah and not something like ponteng dari sekolah?

In Malay, ponteng commonly takes the thing you are skipping as a direct object, without a preposition:

ponteng sekolah = skip school
ponteng kelas = skip class
ponteng kerja = skip work

So the pattern is:

[subject] + ponteng + [activity/place being skipped]

Using dari (from) is not natural here. You would almost always say ponteng sekolah, not ponteng dari sekolah.

How do we know this means “skipped school today” (past) and not “is skipping school today” or “will skip school today”?

Malay verbs generally do not change form for tense. There is no change like skip / skipped / will skip.

Tense is shown by:

time expressions (like hari ini = today, semalam = yesterday)
context
sometimes by auxiliary words (sudah, telah, akan, sedang, etc.)

In Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini, you see:

hari ini = today

In everyday conversation, hari ini often implies something that has already happened or is effectively true today. Translators typically choose the simple past in English:

The student skipped school today.

Depending on context, it could also be translated as:

The student is skipping school today.

But “skipped school today” is the most natural default translation.

Can hari ini go at the beginning of the sentence? Does the meaning change?

Yes, hari ini can move:

Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.
Hari ini, murid itu ponteng sekolah.

Both mean The student skipped school today.

Putting hari ini at the start slightly emphasises the time (“As for today…”), but the basic meaning does not change. Malay word order for time expressions is quite flexible; you will hear both positions.

Is murid itu definitely singular, or could it mean “those students”?

By default, murid itu is understood as singular: that student / the student.

Malay does not usually mark plural on the noun, so context matters. To be clearly plural, speakers often:

repeat the noun: murid-murid itu = those students / the students
or use a number or quantifier: tiga orang murid itu (those three students)

So:

murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini
is understood as that student skipped school today (one person).
murid-murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini
would clearly mean those students skipped school today.

Is ponteng formal? Would a teacher use this word, or is it just slang among students?

Ponteng is informal to neutral and very common in everyday speech. It is used by:

students
parents
teachers
even in some newspapers and TV news, depending on the style

For more formal or official language, you might hear:

Murid itu tidak hadir ke sekolah hari ini.
The student was not present at school today.
Murid itu tidak datang ke sekolah hari ini.
The student did not come to school today.

These do not automatically imply the student was deliberately skipping; ponteng does.

Is this sentence rude, or is it neutral?

The sentence is neutral in tone, but ponteng itself carries a negative idea (skipping without permission).

It is fine in normal conversation: teachers talking to each other, parents talking about their child, friends talking.
It is not an insult, but it labels the action as bad or irresponsible, similar to saying “He skipped school” in English.

So the tone is: neutral wording about a negative behaviour.

Could I say something like Murid itu telah ponteng sekolah hari ini, or is that wrong?

You can say Murid itu telah ponteng sekolah hari ini, but it sounds a bit heavy and redundant in normal speech.

telah roughly marks completed past action (similar to “has already” or simple past).
hari ini already gives enough time information.

So:

Murid itu ponteng sekolah hari ini.
is natural everyday Malay.
Murid itu telah ponteng sekolah hari ini.
is grammatically possible but sounds too formal / stiff for such an informal verb (ponteng). You would be more likely to pair telah with a more formal verb, e.g.:
- Murid itu telah tidak hadir ke sekolah hari ini.
  The student has not been present at school today.

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