Learn Hardcore Malay: Daripada ponteng kelas bahasa, lebih baik saya bercakap dengan guru tentang tekanan saya. - Instead of skipping language class, it is better that I talk with the teacher about my stress.

As “than” in comparisons:
- Saya lebih tinggi daripada dia. = I’m taller than him/her.
As “from” in some contexts:
- Hadiah daripada ibu. = A present from my mother.

Here it is the “rather than” meaning. Putting daripada… at the start is a natural way to introduce the less-preferred option first, then follow with lebih baik… (“it is better…”).

Why is it “ponteng kelas bahasa” and not something like “tidak pergi kelas bahasa”?

Ponteng is a specific verb in Malay that means “to skip / play truant / deliberately not attend (class, school, etc.)”. It is stronger and more specific than just “not go”.

ponteng kelas bahasa
= to skip language class on purpose
tidak pergi ke kelas bahasa
= to not go to language class (could be any reason: sick, busy, etc.)

So ponteng implies:

The person should be there.
They choose not to attend, usually without a valid reason.

Common collocations:

ponteng sekolah = skip school
ponteng kuliah = skip lectures
ponteng kerja (informal) = skip work

Your sentence uses ponteng because it’s about intentionally skipping language class, not just accidentally missing it.

Is ponteng a formal word? Would I use it with a teacher?

Ponteng is informal–neutral, very commonly used in speech and in writing, including by teachers and in the media.

A teacher might say:
- Jangan ponteng kelas. = Don’t skip class.
A news report might say:
- Ramai pelajar didapati ponteng sekolah. = Many students were found to be skipping school.

If you want a more formal or neutral alternative, you might see:

tidak hadir ke kelas = not present in class
mengabaikan pelajaran = neglect studies (more general)

But in everyday conversation, ponteng is absolutely natural and not rude.

What exactly does lebih baik do here? Is it like “it’s better if I…”?

Yes. Lebih baik literally means “better / more good” but is used as a set phrase meaning “it’s better (to) … / I’d better … / you’d better …” depending on context.

In your sentence:

lebih baik saya bercakap dengan guru…
≈ it would be better if I talk with the teacher…
≈ I’d rather talk to the teacher…

Patterns:

Lebih baik saya… = I’d better…
Lebih baik kamu… = You’d better…
Lebih baik kita… = We’d better…

You don’t need “adalah” or “untuk”:

Lebih baik saya bercakap… (natural)
Adalah lebih baik untuk saya bercakap… (grammatical but more formal, heavier)

In normal speech, Lebih baik saya + verb is the most natural.

Why is the word order “lebih baik saya bercakap” and not “saya lebih baik bercakap”?

Both orders are possible, but they feel slightly different.

Lebih baik saya bercakap dengan guru…
- Very natural, common pattern.
- Sounds like a fixed expression: “(It would be) better if I talk to the teacher…”
Saya lebih baik bercakap dengan guru…
- Grammatically fine.
- Emphasises “I” a bit more: As for me, I’d better talk to the teacher…
- Slightly less idiomatic for this “rather than X, better do Y” structure.

For the “Daripada …, lebih baik …” pattern, the usual, most natural form is:

Daripada X, lebih baik saya / kamu / kita Y.

Is kelas bahasa specific enough, or should it be kelas bahasa Melayu?

Kelas bahasa literally means “language class” and is a bit general. It could be:

Malay class
English class
Any other language class

Whether it’s specific enough depends on context:

If everyone already knows which language class you’re talking about (e.g. it’s your Malay lesson), kelas bahasa is fine.
If you need to be clear that it’s specifically Malay, you can say:
- kelas bahasa Melayu = Malay language class

Other examples:

kelas bahasa Inggeris = English class
kelas bahasa Jepun = Japanese class

So the sentence is natural as is, but you can specify the language if needed.

What’s the difference between bercakap dengan guru and berbincang dengan guru?

Both involve talking, but the nuance is slightly different:

bercakap dengan guru
- Literally “to talk/speak with the teacher”.
- Neutral, can be casual or serious.
- Focus is simply on speaking.
berbincang dengan guru
- Means “to discuss (something) with the teacher”.
- Suggests a more structured, two-way discussion, usually about a specific issue or decision.

In your context:

…lebih baik saya bercakap dengan guru tentang tekanan saya.
= talk to the teacher about my stress (very natural).
…lebih baik saya berbincang dengan guru tentang tekanan saya.
= discuss my stress with the teacher (slightly more formal/serious).

Both are correct; bercakap is a bit more general and slightly more casual.

Why is tentang used before tekanan saya? Could I use mengenai instead?

Tentang means “about / regarding / concerning”. It introduces the topic of what you are talking about.

bercakap dengan guru tentang tekanan saya
= talk with the teacher about my stress / pressure.

You can also use mengenai here:

bercakap dengan guru mengenai tekanan saya

Differences:

tentang: very common, neutral, works in both speech and writing.
mengenai: slightly more formal, more common in writing, but still okay in speech.

In everyday conversation, tentang is often the default.

Does tekanan saya mean “my stress” or “my pressure”? Is this a natural way to say it?

Tekanan literally means “pressure”, but it’s also used for mental/emotional pressure, so it can correspond to “stress” in English, depending on context.

tekanan saya
= my pressure / my stress (depending on interpretation)

More specific phrases:

tekanan perasaan = emotional pressure
tekanan kerja = work pressure
stres (loanword) = stress

For “my stress” in a psychological sense, Malay speakers might say:

tekanan yang saya hadapi = the pressure I’m facing
tekanan perasaan saya = my emotional stress
stres saya = my stress (using the loanword)

Your sentence with tekanan saya is understandable and acceptable, especially in context. If you want to sound more natural and specific about emotional/mental stress, you might slightly refine it to:

…bercakap dengan guru tentang tekanan perasaan saya.
…bercakap dengan guru tentang stres saya.

Could I leave out saya and just say “lebih baik bercakap dengan guru…”?

Yes, grammatically you can say:

Daripada ponteng kelas bahasa, lebih baik bercakap dengan guru tentang tekanan saya.

However, the subject “I” then becomes implicit, understood from context. In spoken Malay, dropping pronouns is common if the subject is clear.

Nuance:

lebih baik saya bercakap…
= clearly “I would be better off talking…”
lebih baik bercakap…
= “better to talk…”, more general, could mean “one should talk…”

In your sentence, because it’s clearly about your class and your stress (tekanan saya), both forms are understandable, but including saya makes it explicitly personal and more natural.