Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru menjelaskan bahwa kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita, tetapi kita tetap perlu menghormati batas ruang pribadi orang lain. - The teacher explains that a boarding room is our own space, but we still need to respect other people’s personal boundaries.

kamar = room (any room, like bedroom, classroom, etc.)
kos (often spelled kost) = rented room/boarding house arrangement, usually a small room in a shared building that you rent monthly, common for students and workers in cities.

So kamar kos = a rented boarding-room / room in a boarding house, not just any room in a house you own. It implies:

you pay rent,
you share the building with other tenants,
typically simple, small, and includes basic facilities.

If you just say kamar, that could be any room, not necessarily a rented one.

Why is kos sometimes written kost? Are they different?

They mean the same thing in everyday use, but:

kos is closer to the standardized Indonesian spelling.
kost reflects Dutch influence (from kosteerkamer / kosthuis), and is very common in signs, ads, and informal writing.

In speech they sound the same. For learning purposes, treat kos and kost as interchangeable, both meaning a rented room / boarding place.

What is the function of bahwa in this sentence? Can I omit it?

In the sentence:

Guru menjelaskan bahwa kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita, ...

bahwa works like English “that” in reported speech:

Guru menjelaskan bahwa ... = The teacher explained that ...

It introduces a noun clause (the content of what is being explained).

You can omit bahwa in many casual contexts, especially in speech:

Guru menjelaskan kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita, ...

This would still be understood, but:

With bahwa = more formal, clearer structure (good for writing, school contexts).
Without bahwa = more informal, conversational.

So bahwa isn’t always required, but it is very natural and correct here.

Why do we need adalah in kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita? Could we drop it?

adalah here is a linking verb (copula), similar to “is/are” in English.

kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita
= the boarding room is our space.

In Indonesian, adalah is optional in many “A = B” sentences, especially in speech:

With adalah: more formal, explicit
Without adalah: still correct in many cases

So you could say:

Kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita. (formal/neutral)
Kamar kos ruang milik kita. (more compact, but not always natural in all contexts)

In careful written Indonesian (like textbooks), adalah is very commonly used in such definitions or explanations, so its use here is stylistically appropriate.

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

Both kita and kami translate as “we” / “us”, but:

kita = inclusive “we” (includes the person you’re talking to)
kami = exclusive “we” (excludes the person you’re talking to)

In this sentence:

kamar kos adalah ruang milik kita
... kita tetap perlu menghormati ...

the teacher is talking to students and wants to include:

themselves (the teacher),
the students,
maybe others in the same situation.

So kita = we all, including you. That’s why kita, not kami.

If the teacher said kami, it would mean we (not including you) have that room as our space, which doesn’t fit the message.

What does tetap perlu mean? Why not just perlu?

perlu = need, necessary
tetap = still, remain, nonetheless

So tetap perlu together means “still need to / nonetheless need to / must still”.

In context:

... tetapi kita tetap perlu menghormati ...
= but we still need to respect ... / but we must still respect ...

The nuance:

Even though kamar kos is our own space,
nevertheless we still have the obligation to respect others’ personal boundaries.

If you said only kita perlu menghormati, it would be correct, but you’d lose the contrastive emphasis: even so, still…

What exactly does menghormati mean here? Is it the same as “to respect” someone?

Yes, menghormati generally means “to respect”.

Root: hormat = respect, honor
menghormati = to show respect / to honor / to respect

In this sentence:

kita tetap perlu menghormati batas ruang pribadi orang lain
= we still need to respect the boundaries of other people’s personal space.

So here menghormati means:

acknowledge and not violate those boundaries,
behave in a considerate way regarding others’ privacy and space.

It does not mean “to salute” (military salute) here, even though hormat can also be used in that sense in other contexts (e.g. hormat! in military commands).

What does batas ruang pribadi orang lain literally mean? Why “batas” + “ruang pribadi” instead of just “ruang pribadi”?

Breakdown:

batas = boundary, limit
ruang = space
pribadi = personal, private
orang lain = other people

So batas ruang pribadi orang lain literally =
the boundaries of other people’s personal space.

Why add batas?

ruang pribadi = personal space/private sphere
batas ruang pribadi emphasizes the limits of that space — the line you shouldn’t cross.

If you only said menghormati ruang pribadi orang lain, it would mean:

respect other people’s personal space (also correct and natural).

By adding batas, the sentence highlights:

not just that such a space exists,
but that there are limits that must not be overstepped (e.g., knocking before entering, not borrowing things without permission).

Does orang lain mean “another person” or “other people”? Why no plural marker?

orang lain can mean both depending on context:

orang = person / people
lain = other, different

So orang lain = other person / other people.

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural with an -s like English. Plurality is often understood from context.

In:

batas ruang pribadi orang lain

we understand orang lain as “other people” in general:

the personal space of people other than ourselves.

If you wanted to emphasize plurality, you could say orang-orang lain, but it’s not necessary here, and orang lain sounds more natural and general.

How do we know if Guru menjelaskan is past or present tense? Could it mean “explained” or “explains”?

Indonesian verbs usually do not change form for tense. Context gives the time reference.

Guru menjelaskan can mean:
- The teacher explains (present, habitual)
- The teacher is explaining (present continuous)
- The teacher explained (past)

In this isolated sentence, without time markers like tadi (earlier), kemarin (yesterday), akan (will), etc., it’s ambiguous and context-dependent.

Examples with time markers:

Kemarin guru menjelaskan bahwa ...
= Yesterday the teacher explained that ...
Setiap hari guru menjelaskan bahwa ...
= Every day the teacher explains that ...

So in your sentence, both “explains” and “explained” are possible translations depending on the larger context.