Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tetangga kami di rumah seberang sangat sopan. - Our neighbor in the house across the street is very polite.

Indonesian doesn’t need a verb “to be” before adjectives. The predicate is the adjective phrase sangat sopan, so you state it directly. Avoid adalah before adjectives; it’s mainly for noun predicates (e.g., Dia adalah dokter), and even there, it’s often omitted in speech.

Does tetangga kami mean one neighbor or more than one?

It’s number‑neutral; context decides. To be explicit:

Singular: Seorang tetangga kami di rumah seberang sangat sopan. or Tetangga kami yang di rumah seberang itu sangat sopan.
Plural: Tetangga‑tetangga kami... or Para tetangga kami... (for humans; a bit formal).

What’s the difference between kami and kita, and why is kami used?

kami = we/us, excluding the listener. Use this if the listener isn’t part of “our” group.
kita = we/us, including the listener. Use if the listener shares the same “our.” Here, kami implies the neighbor belongs to our household’s context, not necessarily the listener’s.

What exactly does di rumah seberang mean? Is “street” implied?

seberang = the opposite side/across (from here). In daily speech, rumah seberang is shorthand for “the house across (the street/road),” with jalan often understood.
Natural variants:
- di seberang (across)
- di seberang jalan (across the street)
- di rumah seberang (at/in the house across)

Is di rumah seberang describing the neighbor or “us”?

It describes tetangga kami. The subject is “our neighbor who is (located) in the house across.” To say “we are at the house across,” you’d say Kami di rumah seberang.

Do I need yang, as in Tetangga kami yang di rumah seberang?

Not necessary, but fine. Adding yang highlights that you’re specifying which neighbor:

Without yang: natural, general description.
With yang: selection/focus: Tetangga kami yang di rumah seberang sangat sopan.

Can I use adalah, like Tetangga kami … adalah sangat sopan?

No. Adalah doesn’t go before adjectives. Use:

Tetangga kami di rumah seberang sangat sopan.
If you want adalah, make the predicate a noun phrase: … adalah orang yang sangat sopan.

Where can I put “very”? Is sangat the only option?

Common choices:

sangat before the adjective: sangat sopan (neutral/formal).
sekali after: sopan sekali (neutral).
banget after: sopan banget (colloquial).
amat before: amat sopan (formal/literary). Don’t say sopan sangat.

How do I say it for plural neighbors: “The neighbors across the street are very polite”?

Para tetangga kami di seberang jalan sangat sopan. (formal-ish)
Tetangga‑tetangga kami di seberang jalan sangat sopan. (neutral) The adjective doesn’t change for plural.

What’s the difference between seberang, sebelah, samping, and depan?

seberang: across/opposite side (often with a road/space between): rumah seberang.
sebelah: the side/next; also “neighboring”: rumah sebelah (next door).
samping: beside/at the side: di samping rumah.
depan: in front/facing: di depan rumah (in front of the house).

Why is di written separately in di rumah? When is it attached?

As a preposition (“at/in/on”), di is separate: di rumah, di sekolah.
As a passive prefix, di- attaches to a verb: dibuat, ditolong. Here it’s the preposition: di rumah.

How do I point to that specific neighbor (“that neighbor across the street”)?

Add itu to the noun phrase. Safest with a relative marker:

Tetangga kami yang di rumah seberang itu sangat sopan. This clearly means “that (specific) neighbor of ours who is at the house across.”

Any quick pronunciation tips for seberang and sopan?

seberang: first e is a schwa (uh), ng is the single “ng” sound: roughly “suh-BRAHNG.”
sopan: clear vowels; say “SO-pahn” (not like English “soap”).

Is rumah seberang the same as seberang rumah?

rumah seberang is a common, compact way to say “the house across.”
seberang rumah isn’t used alone; say di seberang rumah (kami) = “across from (our) house.” Your di rumah seberang is natural; di seberang jalan is another clear option.

Can I replace sopan with baik to mean “nice”?

They overlap but differ:

sopan = polite, well‑mannered.
baik = good/kind/nice (broader). Use sopan for manners; baik for kindness/helpfulness: Tetangga kami … sangat baik.

If I want to stress “who lives,” can I add tinggal?

Yes. Tetangga kami yang tinggal di rumah seberang sangat sopan. Using yang tinggal makes the residence explicit (“who lives”), not just a location tag.