Saya suka ajaran guru itu.

I like that teacher's teachings.

Breakdown of Saya suka ajaran guru itu.

• itu: that
• saya: I
• suka: to like
• guru: the teacher
• ajaran: the teaching

Questions & Answers about Saya suka ajaran guru itu.

What exactly does ajaran mean here? Is it teaching, lesson, doctrine, or something else?

The word ajaran comes from the root ajar (to teach / teaching) plus the suffix -an, which often turns a verb or root into a result / product / concept.

In this sentence, ajaran most naturally means:

• the teachings of that teacher
• what that teacher teaches (their ideas, principles, methods, doctrine)

Depending on context, ajaran can mean:

• teachings / doctrine (often used for religious or ideological teachings: ajaran agama, ajaran Buddha, ajaran sesat = heretical teaching)
• a set of lessons / what is taught generally

So Saya suka ajaran guru itu is closer to:

• I like that teacher’s teachings / what that teacher teaches,
  not just a single classroom “lesson.”

What is the difference between ajaran and pelajaran?

Both are related to learning/teaching, but they are used differently:

• ajaran

  • focus: what is taught, the content, principles, doctrine, or teaching style
  • often more abstract or general
  • used for religious/ideological teachings: ajaran Islam, ajaran moral

• pelajaran

  • focus: a lesson / subject / school material
  • used for school subjects, lessons in a book, or class periods
  • examples:
    • pelajaran matematika = math lesson / math subject
    • pelajaran hari ini = today’s lesson

In your sentence:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu = I like that teacher’s teachings / way of teaching / what they teach
• Saya suka pelajaran guru itu sounds odd, because pelajaran is usually “a subject/lesson,” not “this particular teacher’s teaching style or ideas.” You’d normally specify the subject:
  
  • Saya suka pelajaran matematika dari guru itu = I like the math lessons from that teacher.

Why is it ajaran guru itu and not ajaran dari guru itu?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavors:

• ajaran guru itu

  • literally: the teachings of that teacher / that teacher’s teachings
  • guru itu is directly modifying ajaran, forming a noun phrase like:
    • buku guru itu = that teacher’s book
    • ajaran guru itu = that teacher’s teaching(s)

• ajaran dari guru itu

  • literally: teaching(s) from that teacher
  • the preposition dari = from is explicitly added
  • this can sound a bit more explicit or heavy, emphasizing the source

In everyday speech, ajaran guru itu is perfectly natural, compact, and common for “that teacher’s teaching(s).” Dari is not required for possession like ’s in English; Indonesian often just places the possessor after the noun.

Does itu describe guru only, or the whole phrase ajaran guru?

In ajaran guru itu, the structure is:

• ajaran = teachings
• guru itu = that teacher

So itu attaches to guru, not to ajaran. The phrase is best understood as:

• ajaran (guru itu) = the teachings of that teacher

If you changed the position of itu, the meaning changes slightly:

• ajaran itu = that teaching / those teachings (referring to some previously mentioned teaching)
• ajaran guru itu = that teacher’s teachings
• ajaran guru ini = this teacher’s teachings

You would not normally interpret ajaran guru itu as “those teachings of the teacher,” but rather “the teachings of that teacher.”

Could I say Saya suka ajaran itu instead? How is that different?

Yes, you can say Saya suka ajaran itu, but it has a different focus:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu
  
  • emphasizes whose teachings they are (that teacher’s teachings)
• Saya suka ajaran itu
  
  • emphasizes which teaching(s) (those particular teachings that have just been mentioned or are already known in context)

Without more context, ajaran itu might refer to:

• a specific doctrine someone just explained,
• some particular method of teaching previously discussed,
• or a certain idea / principle.

So:

• if you want to highlight the teacher as the source, use ajaran guru itu
• if you want to highlight the specific teaching(s) already in context, use ajaran itu

Can I replace Saya with Aku here? What is the difference?

Yes, grammatically both are fine:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu.
• Aku suka ajaran guru itu.

The difference is formality / politeness:

• Saya
  • more formal / polite / neutral
  • used in most formal situations, with teachers, strangers, older people, in writing, in the workplace
• Aku
  • informal / intimate
  • used with close friends, family, peers, people your age or younger, often in relaxed contexts

Talking about a teacher (not to the teacher), if you’re speaking with classmates, Aku suka ajaran guru itu is fine.
In a more formal setting, or if the teacher is present, Saya suka ajaran guru itu sounds safer and more polite.

Is suka a verb or an adjective here? Can I also say menyukai?

In Indonesian, suka functions like a stative verb meaning to like / to be fond of.

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu.
  → literally: I like that teacher’s teachings.

You can also say:

• Saya menyukai ajaran guru itu.

But the nuance is different:

• suka
  • very common, natural, and conversational
  • shorter and lighter
• menyukai
  • more formal / stronger in tone
  • can sound a bit bookish or emphatic in daily speech

In everyday Indonesian, Saya suka ajaran guru itu is far more natural than Saya menyukai ajaran guru itu.

Can the word order be changed, like Ajaran guru itu saya suka?

Yes, Indonesian word order is more flexible than English, though the neutral order is:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu. (Subject – Verb – Object)

You can say:

• Ajaran guru itu saya suka.

This is still correct and can sound slightly more emphatic on ajaran guru itu (“That teacher’s teachings, I like (them)”). It’s somewhat like fronting the object in English:
That teacher’s teachings, I like.

However, the most common and neutral version is:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu.

Does ajaran here mean one teaching or many teachings? How do you show plural?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural nouns explicitly; context tells you whether it’s one or many.

• ajaran can mean:
  • a teaching / a body of teaching / teaching in general
  • teachings (plural)

In Saya suka ajaran guru itu, it most naturally means:

• I like that teacher’s teachings / way of teaching / what they teach overall.

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can use reduplication:

• ajaran-ajaran guru itu = those various teachings of that teacher

So:

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu. = I like that teacher’s teachings (general statement)
• Saya suka ajaran-ajaran guru itu. = I like the various teachings from that teacher (more explicitly plural, but also a bit more “textbook-ish” in feel).

Does this sentence mean I like the teacher personally, or only the teaching?

Saya suka ajaran guru itu refers specifically to the teaching, not to the teacher as a person.

• Saya suka ajaran guru itu.
  • I like that teacher’s teachings / what they teach / teaching style.

If you want to say you like the teacher personally, you would say:

• Saya suka guru itu. = I like that teacher.
• Saya suka sekali guru itu. = I really like that teacher.

So:

• adding ajaran narrows the meaning to their teachings or way of teaching,
• removing ajaran makes it about the teacher themselves.