Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Baik guru maupun murid datang tepat waktu. - Both the teacher and the students arrive on time.

Yes. Baik X maupun Y is a correlative construction meaning “both X and Y.” In this sentence it emphasizes that the two groups are included. It’s a bit formal or written in tone.

Can I just say Guru dan murid datang tepat waktu? Any difference in nuance?

Yes, that’s perfectly natural. X dan Y is the neutral “X and Y.” Baik X maupun Y adds a slightly more emphatic/formal “both X and Y” feel, but the meaning is essentially the same here.

Does baik mean “good” here?

No. In baik ... maupun ..., baik is part of a fixed pair meaning “both ... and ...,” not the adjective “good.”

Are guru and murid singular or plural here?

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default, so it’s context-dependent. With baik ... maupun ... in a general statement, it’s naturally read as plural (“teachers and students”). To make plurality explicit, use para guru ... para murid or reduplication: guru-guru ... murid-murid.

Should I use para or reduplication on both nouns to keep it parallel?

Yes, keep the structure parallel:

Baik para guru maupun para murid ... (formal), or
Baik guru-guru maupun murid-murid ... (neutral). Mixing (e.g., para guru with murid-murid) is possible but less tidy stylistically.

What’s the role of tepat waktu, and where does it go?

Tepat waktu means “on time/punctually” and functions as an adverbial phrase. The natural position is after the verb: datang tepat waktu. You can front it for emphasis: Tepat waktu, baik guru maupun murid datang, but tepat waktu datang (without a comma) sounds odd.

Is datang the right verb if I mean “arrive,” or should I use tiba/sampai/hadir?

In everyday speech, datang is fine for “come/arrive.” Nuances:

tiba/sampai = specifically “arrive” (journey completed).
hadir = “be present/attend” (formal, for events/meetings). So you might also see hadir tepat waktu in formal contexts.

How do I show past, present, or future in this sentence?

Add time words or particles:

Past/completed: sudah/telah — Baik guru maupun murid sudah datang tepat waktu.
Progressive: sedang (not typical with datang).
Future: akan — ... akan datang tepat waktu. Time adverbs (e.g., kemarin, besok) also clarify tense.

How do I say “Neither teachers nor students came on time”?

Put the negation after the correlative: Baik guru maupun murid tidak datang tepat waktu. Another option: Tidak ada guru maupun murid yang datang tepat waktu.

Does the verb change because the subject is plural?

No. Indonesian verbs don’t agree with number or person. Datang stays the same whether the subject is singular or plural.

Any quick pronunciation tips for key words?

baik: two syllables, ba-ik (often like “bah-ik” or “bai-k”).
maupun: mau-pun; au like “ow” in “cow.”
waktu: wak-tu; short, crisp vowels. Stress is typically on the penultimate syllable.

If I mean specific people (“the teacher and the student”), how do I say that?

Use demonstratives: Guru itu dan murid itu datang tepat waktu (“that/the teacher and that/the student”). You can also use -nya for definiteness, though it can be possessive in some contexts: Gurunya dan muridnya datang tepat waktu.

Are there more colloquial ways to express “both”?

Yes. A common conversational pattern is X dan Y sama-sama ...:

Guru dan murid sama-sama datang tepat waktu. You can also follow up with keduanya (“both of them”) if X and Y are already mentioned.

Is a comma needed anywhere in the original sentence?

No comma is needed in Baik guru maupun murid datang tepat waktu. If you front an adverbial for emphasis (e.g., Tepat waktu, ...), then use a comma.

Is murid the only word for “student”? What about siswa/pelajar/mahasiswa?

murid: general “student” (often school-age).
siswa: specifically school students (elementary–high school).
pelajar: learners/students (often school-age, broader/formal).
mahasiswa: university students. So you could say Baik guru maupun siswa ... for school context.