Breakdown of Daripada ponteng kelas Bahasa Inggeris, lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan.
Questions & Answers about Daripada ponteng kelas Bahasa Inggeris, lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan.
In this sentence, daripada means “rather than / instead of”.
The pattern is:
- Daripada
- action you don’t want
- lebih baik
- action you do want
So:
- Daripada ponteng kelas Bahasa Inggeris,
Rather than skipping English class, - lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan.
it’s better that I study in the library.
Putting daripada at the start clearly introduces the “bad” or less preferred option to contrast with lebih baik.
Ponteng is a verb meaning to skip (class/work), to play truant.
- ponteng = to absent yourself on purpose, without permission
- kelas = class
- ponteng kelas = to skip class / to cut class
Yes, ponteng kelas is a very common collocation in Malay, like “skip class” in English. You’ll also see:
- ponteng sekolah – skip school
- ponteng kerja – skip work / play truant from work
Bahasa Inggeris literally means “English language”.
- bahasa = language
- Inggeris = English (the nationality / language)
So:
- kelas Bahasa Inggeris = English (language) class
- Just kelas Inggeris could be understood, but it sounds less natural and less standard. It might also be interpreted as “an English(-style) class” in some contexts.
In standard usage, for language subjects in school, Malay usually uses Bahasa X:
- Bahasa Melayu – Malay
- Bahasa Cina – Chinese
- Bahasa Jepun – Japanese
In standard Malay spelling:
- Bahasa is capitalized when it’s part of a proper name for a language:
- Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Inggeris, Bahasa Arab
- The nationality/language name (Melayu, Inggeris, etc.) is also capitalized because it is derived from a proper noun.
So Bahasa Inggeris is treated like the proper name of the language, similar to “English” in English.
Lebih baik literally means “more good / better”, but in this structure it functions like:
- “it is better to …”
- “I’d rather / I should just …”
So:
- lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan
≈ “it’s better (for me) to study in the library” / “I’d better study in the library instead.”
In many contexts, lebih baik softens advice, making it sound like a suggestion or a preference, not a command:
- Lebih baik kamu tidur awal. – You’d better sleep early.
- Lebih baik kita tunggu. – We’d better wait.
Yes. You can also say:
- Lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan daripada ponteng kelas Bahasa Inggeris.
This has the same meaning: It’s better for me to study in the library rather than skip English class.
Both word orders are natural:
- Daripada A, lebih baik B.
- Lebih baik B daripada A.
Putting daripada + A at the beginning emphasizes the “bad” option first, then presents the better alternative.
In Malay:
- di = at / in (location)
- ke = to (movement towards a place)
Here, the focus is on the activity happening at the location:
- belajar di perpustakaan – study in the library
If you used ke, it would emphasize movement, which doesn’t fit well here:
- pergi ke perpustakaan – go to the library
- lari ke perpustakaan – run to the library
So belajar di perpustakaan is correct because you’re describing where the studying takes place, not where you’re going.
The comma marks a pause between the two contrasted parts:
- Daripada ponteng kelas Bahasa Inggeris,
- lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan.
It’s similar to English:
- “Rather than skipping English class, it’s better that I study in the library.”
Grammatically, it separates:
- the “rather than …” clause (with daripada), and
- the main clause (with lebih baik).
In speech, you would naturally pause there.
Saya means “I / me”, so:
- lebih baik saya belajar di perpustakaan
= it’s better that I study in the library.
You can drop saya in some contexts:
- lebih baik belajar di perpustakaan
This can mean “it’s better to study in the library,” but it’s more general and less explicit about who is doing the studying.
Including saya:
- makes it clear that I am the one being referred to
- sounds a bit more personal and specific.
Daripada and dari are related, but they’re used differently.
Rough guide:
dari – mostly physical origin or starting point:
- Saya datang dari London. – I came from London.
- Dari rumah ke sekolah. – From home to school.
daripada – more abstract comparisons, choices, or sources (often non-physical):
- comparisons: lebih tinggi daripada, lebih baik daripada
- choices: daripada X, lebih baik Y
- source (non-physical): dapat hadiah daripada ibu – got a present from mum
In this sentence, daripada introduces a choice / alternative (“rather than skipping class”), so daripada is correct, not dari.
Perpustakaan means library.
Morphologically, it comes from the root pustaka:
- pustaka – a book, writing, literature (a somewhat formal/literary word now)
- per- … -an – a common pair of affixes that turns roots into nouns, often places or abstract nouns
So:
- pustaka → perpustakaan
≈ “place of books / place of writings” → library
This per- … -an pattern appears in many place nouns:
- sekolah → persekolahan (schooling, the schooling system)
- air (water) → perairan (waters, maritime area)
Ponteng is informal–neutral and very commonly used in everyday speech and writing, especially for school and work contexts.
- In casual conversation, ponteng is the normal word.
- In more formal or official language, you may see tidak hadir tanpa sebab, ponteng sekolah (even in news), or more formal descriptions like ketidakhadiran murid (absence of students).
For a learner, ponteng kelas / ponteng sekolah / ponteng kerja is useful and natural in spoken Malay.
Malay verbs don’t change form for tense like in English; context provides the time.
This sentence can be:
- about a specific situation:
“Rather than skipping English class (right now / today), I’d better study in the library.” - or a general preference:
“Rather than (ever) skipping English class, it’s better if I study in the library.”
Without extra time words (like hari ini, selalu, etc.), it’s flexible. Context (conversation, surrounding sentences) usually makes the intended meaning clear.