Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami. - That report has our female boss’s signature.

Here ada is the existential “there is/are,” indicating the presence of something. Literally: “That report, there is the signature of our female boss.” In natural English we’d say “That report has our female boss’s signature on it.”

Neutral/formal alternatives: terdapat (there is/are, formal), or rephrase with a passive verb: ditandatangani (“was signed by”).
Avoid using punya or memiliki with tanda tangan for a document; they’re possible but sound odd. It’s more idiomatic to use ada/terdapat or the passive ditandatangani.

Is the word order natural? Do I need a preposition like “on” (di/pada)?

The sentence is acceptable, but many speakers prefer to mark location explicitly:

Spoken/neutral: Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami.
Formal: Pada laporan itu terdapat tanda tangan bos perempuan kami.
Keeping the original start is fine too: Laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami.

Adding di/pada makes it crystal clear that the signature is on the report.

Can I say “The report was signed by our female boss” instead?

Yes. Use the passive:

Neutral: Laporan itu ditandatangani bos perempuan kami.
More formal/explicit agent: Laporan itu ditandatangani oleh bos perempuan kami.

Nuance: the original with ada emphasizes the presence of the signature; the passive emphasizes the action/agent (who signed it). Both are common and natural; passive is often the cleanest way to say this.

Why bos perempuan kami and not perempuan bos kami?

In Indonesian, modifiers follow the noun they modify. So “female boss” is bos perempuan (boss + female). The possessor kami comes after that: bos perempuan kami (“our female boss”).

perempuan bos kami is ungrammatical in this sense.
Be careful: bos kami perempuan usually reads as a full sentence “Our boss is female,” not an attributive noun phrase.

If we have multiple bosses, how do I make clear I mean the female one?

Use a restrictive clause or a name:

tanda tangan bos kami yang perempuan
tanda tangan Ibu [Name] (very natural and respectful)

Is it polite/natural to say bos perempuan? Are there better options?

It’s understandable and not rude, but often you don’t need to state gender at all: bos kami is enough.

Alternatives:

Respectful/common: Ibu [Name] (for an adult woman). Example: tanda tangan Ibu Rina.
More formal words for “boss”: atasan, pimpinan, kepala, manajer.
wanita can replace perempuan, but both are fine. Avoid slang like cewek in professional contexts.

What’s the difference between kami and kita here?

kami = “we/our” excluding the listener.
kita = “we/our” including the listener.

So bos perempuan kami excludes the person you’re talking to; bos perempuan kita would include them as sharing the same boss.

What does itu contribute? Is it “the” or “that”?

itu is the distal demonstrative “that,” and it often functions like a definite article for a specific known item. Laporan itu can be understood as “that report” (or “the report” in context). For “this,” use ini. A more formal “that” is laporan tersebut.

Can I drop ada and say Laporan itu tanda tangan bos perempuan kami?

No. Without ada (or another verb), that structure is ungrammatical. Use one of:

Laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami. (existential)
Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami. (location + existential)
Laporan itu ditandatangani (oleh) bos perempuan kami. (passive)

Where else can I put the location phrase?

All of these are correct; they just shift the focus:

Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami.
Ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami di laporan itu.
Tanda tangan bos perempuan kami ada di laporan itu.

Is tanda tangan one word or two? How do I use the verb forms?

Noun: tanda tangan (two words) = signature.
Verbs:
- menandatangani [objek] = to sign [object].
- ditandatangani (oleh …) = to be signed (by …).
- penandatanganan = the act/ceremony of signing.
- bertanda tangan = to bear a signature (formal set phrase, e.g., yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini).

You’ll also see the abbreviation ttd. on forms, standing for tanda tangan.

How do I say it’s already signed?

Existential: Laporan itu sudah ada tanda tangan bos perempuan kami.
Passive (more natural): Laporan itu sudah ditandatangani (oleh) bos perempuan kami.
Formal: Laporan tersebut telah ditandatangani (oleh) bos perempuan kami.

Why not use punya to say the report “has” a signature?

punya (“to have/own”) is most natural with animate possessors. With inanimate subjects like a report, punya often sounds off. Prefer:

ada/terdapat for presence: Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan …
Passive: Laporan itu ditandatangani …

How do I talk about multiple signatures or specify the number?

Numbers: dua tanda tangan, tiga tanda tangan.
Indefinite plural: beberapa tanda tangan, banyak tanda tangan.
Specific group: tanda tangan para saksi (the witnesses’ signatures).

Reduplication (tanda tangan-tanda tangan) is possible but rarely needed; quantifiers are more natural.

How would I make the sentence more formal or more casual?

More formal:
- Pada laporan tersebut terdapat tanda tangan pimpinan kami.
- Laporan tersebut telah ditandatangani oleh Ibu [Name].
Neutral:
- Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos kami.
Very casual (avoid in professional settings):
- Di laporan itu ada tanda tangan bos (kami). (dropping “kami” if context is clear)