Questions & Answers about Guru kami sangat ramah.
Where is the English is in this Indonesian sentence?
Indonesian doesn’t use a verb like is/are before adjectives. An adjective can directly serve as the predicate.
- Guru kami sangat ramah. = Our teacher is very friendly.
- Dia pintar. = He/She is smart. Avoid using adalah before an adjective (see a later question for details).
What’s the difference between kami and kita? Which one fits here?
- kami = we/us (excluding the person you’re talking to)
- kita = we/us (including the person you’re talking to) Use kami if the listener is not part of your group. If you’re speaking to a classmate who shares the teacher with you, say: Guru kita sangat ramah.
Does guru kami mean one teacher or more than one?
Indonesian nouns don’t change for number. Guru kami can mean our teacher or our teachers, depending on context. To make it clearly plural:
- Guru-guru kami sangat ramah. (neutral)
- Para guru kami sangat ramah. (more formal) To say one of our teachers:
- Salah satu guru kami sangat ramah.
Where should intensifiers go? Can I use sangat, sekali, or banget?