Guru kami sangat sopan.

to be

Breakdown of Guru kami sangat sopan.

• sangat: very
• guru: the teacher
• kami: our

Questions & Answers about Guru kami sangat sopan.

Where is the English verb “is” here?

Indonesian doesn’t use a separate verb like “to be” before adjectives. An adjective can be the predicate by itself. So Guru kami sangat sopan literally maps to “Our teacher very polite,” which equals “Our teacher is very polite.” You do not add adalah before an adjective in this structure.

Why is kami after guru? Can it go before?

Possessive pronouns follow the noun in Indonesian: guru kami (our teacher), rumah kami (our house). You don’t say kami guru. An alternative is to rephrase with possession: Kami punya guru yang sangat sopan (We have a very polite teacher).

What’s the difference between kami and kita?

• kami = we/us (excluding the listener)
• kita = we/us (including the listener) So Guru kami sangat sopan excludes the listener’s group; Guru kita sangat sopan includes the listener (e.g., classmates talking about the same teacher).

Does guru here mean one teacher or many?

It’s ambiguous by itself. Context decides. To be explicit:

• Singular, specific: Guru kami itu sangat sopan (that/our particular teacher is very polite).
• One of our teachers: Salah satu guru kami sangat sopan.
• Plural: Guru-guru kami sangat sopan or Para guru kami sangat sopan (more formal).
• All of them: Semua guru kami sangat sopan.