Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dosen perempuan kami ramah kepada mahasiswa. - Our female lecturer is friendly to the students.

Indonesian adjectives can function as predicates, so ramah itself means “is friendly.” You don’t use adalah before adjectives. Use adalah mainly before nouns/pronouns/numbers (e.g., Dia adalah dosen), but say Dia ramah, not Dia adalah ramah.

Why use kepada and not ke, pada, or untuk?

With adjectives like ramah, Indonesian uses kepada to mean “toward/to (a person).”

ke is for physical motion (“to a place”).
untuk means “for (the benefit/purpose of).”
pada can be used with people in more formal styles, but kepada is the safest choice here: ramah kepada mahasiswa.

Can I use terhadap, dengan, or sama instead of kepada?

terhadap = “toward,” more formal; ramah terhadap mahasiswa is acceptable.
dengan is much less common with ramah; most speakers prefer kepada/terhadap.
sama is very colloquial for “to/toward”: ramah sama mahasiswa (casual speech).

Is mahasiswa singular or plural here? How do I show plural clearly?

Number isn’t marked by default; mahasiswa can mean “student” or “students.” To highlight plural, use para mahasiswa, mahasiswa-mahasiswa (reduplication, more formal), or semua mahasiswa.

Does mahasiswa mean any “student”?

No. mahasiswa means university/college student(s). For school students use siswa or pelajar; murid is “pupil/student” in relation to a teacher.

What does kami convey, and how is it different from kita?

kami = “we/our” excluding the listener (exclusive).
kita = “we/our” including the listener (inclusive).
So Dosen perempuan kami excludes the listener; Dosen perempuan kita includes them.

Why is perempuan placed after dosen?

In noun phrases, modifiers follow the noun: dosen perempuan = “female lecturer.” Perempuan (woman/female) functions as a modifier here. dosen wanita is also common; both are acceptable, with perempuan widely preferred today.

Can I say dosen kami perempuan?

That turns into a full sentence: “Our lecturer is female.” If you need a noun phrase subject, keep Dosen perempuan kami… or use Dosen kami yang perempuan….

How would I say “our female lecturers” (plural)?

Use para or reduplication: Para dosen perempuan kami… or Dosen-dosen perempuan kami…. The predicate ramah stays the same.

How do I say “very friendly” or “not friendly”?

Very: sangat ramah (before) or ramah sekali (after).
Not: tidak ramah; softer: kurang ramah.
Example: Dosen perempuan kami sangat ramah kepada mahasiswa.

Can I drop kepada mahasiswa?

Yes. Dosen perempuan kami ramah. simply means she is friendly (in general). Adding kepada mahasiswa specifies the target of her friendliness.

Could I use mahasiswanya to mean “her students”?

Yes. Dosen perempuan kami ramah kepada mahasiswanya. is usually understood as “...friendly to her students.” The suffix -nya marks definiteness/possession, with the possessor inferred from context. Without -nya, it means students in general.

Is dosen the same as “teacher”?

dosen = lecturer/academic at a college or university.
School teacher = guru.
profesor is a specific academic rank, not a generic “professor.”

Is kepada always one word?

Yes—write kepada as one word. Don’t split it as ke pada. While pada exists on its own as a preposition, the set phrase here is ramah kepada.

Can I say ramah pada mahasiswa?

It’s acceptable (especially in formal writing), but ramah kepada mahasiswa is more common in everyday usage when referring to people.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

dosen: DO-sen (penultimate stress).
perempuan: pə-rəm-PU-an (first two e’s are schwa-like).
mahasiswa: ma-ha-SIS-wa.
ramah: RA-mah (final “h” sounded softly).
kepada: kə-PA-da (first “e” is schwa).

Is there a way to sound more formal or to add a “behaves” nuance?

Yes, insert bersikap: Dosen perempuan kami bersikap ramah terhadap para mahasiswa. This emphasizes behavior rather than a static trait.