Keputusan guru adil.

to be

Breakdown of Keputusan guru adil.

• guru: the teacher
• keputusan: the decision
• adil: fair

Questions & Answers about Keputusan guru adil.

Why is there no word for is? Do I need to add adalah?

Indonesian doesn’t use a linking verb before adjectives. An adjective can directly function as the predicate, so Keputusan guru adil. is complete. Use adalah when the predicate is a noun phrase, not an adjective:

• Correct: Dia adalah guru. (He is a teacher.)
• Correct: Dia cantik. (She is beautiful.)
• Unnatural: Dia adalah cantik. Likewise, Keputusan guru adalah adil. is unnatural; use Keputusan guru adil.

Does this mean the teacher’s decision is fair or a teacher’s decision is fair? How do I show the vs a?

Without a word like ini/itu, Indonesian leaves definiteness to context. Keputusan guru adil. can mean the/a teacher’s decision is fair. To be explicit:

• The decision (of that teacher): Keputusan guru itu adil.
• This teacher’s decision: Keputusan guru ini adil.
• That decision (no possessor mentioned): Keputusan itu adil.

How do I show plural (teachers’ decisions are fair)?

Indonesian marks plural in a few ways:

• Human plural with para: Keputusan para guru adil.
• Reduplication: Keputusan guru-guru adil.
• Often, context alone: Keputusan guru adil. can be understood as plural if the context makes it clear.