Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru kami menjelaskan bahwa setiap manusia bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang. - Our teacher explains that every human can learn about religion calmly.

Guru kami menjelaskan bahwa setiap manusia bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.

Our teacher explains that every human can learn about religion calmly.

Breakdown of Guru kami menjelaskan bahwa setiap manusia bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Indonesian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Indonesian now

Questions & Answers about Guru kami menjelaskan bahwa setiap manusia bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.

What does guru kami literally mean, and why does kami come after guru?

Guru kami literally means our teacher.

In Indonesian, the possessed noun usually comes first, and the possessor (the pronoun) comes after it:

guru kami = our teacher
rumah saya = my house
teman mereka = their friend

So guru kami is a single noun phrase: our teacher (teacher + our), not “we teachers.”

What is the difference between kami and kita here?

Both mean we / us, but:

kami = we (excluding the person you’re talking to)
kita = we (including the person you’re talking to)

So:

guru kami = our teacher (but not yours)
guru kita = our teacher (yours and mine; shared teacher)

In this sentence, guru kami suggests the teacher belongs to the speaker’s group, not necessarily including the listener.

Why is there no word for “the” before guru or manusia?

Indonesian has no articles like the or a/an. Nouns are usually bare, and context tells you whether it means a, the, some, etc.

guru kami can be “our teacher” or “the teacher of ours”
setiap manusia is “every human (being)” without any article

You don’t add words to match English the unless you need emphasis (e.g. guru yang itu = that teacher / that specific teacher).

What does menjelaskan mean, and is it different from just “say”?

Menjelaskan means to explain.

menjelaskan = to explain (give a clearer understanding)
mengatakan / bilang = to say

So:

Guru kami menjelaskan... = Our teacher explained…
Guru kami mengatakan... = Our teacher said…

Menjelaskan implies the teacher is clarifying or teaching something, not just reporting or stating it.

Why is bahwa used after menjelaskan? Can I leave it out?

Bahwa introduces a that-clause, similar to that in English:

Guru kami menjelaskan bahwa…
= Our teacher explained that…

In everyday speech, bahwa is often dropped:

Guru kami menjelaskan setiap manusia bisa belajar…

This is still correct and more casual. Including bahwa sounds a bit more formal or written.

What does setiap manusia mean, and how is it different from setiap orang?

Setiap manusia literally means every human (being).

manusia = human (human being)
orang = person / people

Both setiap manusia and setiap orang can translate as everyone / every person, but:

setiap manusia sounds slightly more formal or abstract: “every human being”
setiap orang is more everyday: “every person / everyone”

You could say:

setiap orang bisa belajar… (more common in casual speech)

Is manusia singular or plural in this sentence?

Grammatically, manusia is singular (“a human”), but with setiap (every), it means each individual human, and together they function like every human being or all humans (one by one).

Indonesian verbs don’t change for singular or plural, so bisa belajar works for both.

What is the nuance of bisa here? How is it different from dapat or boleh?

In this sentence, bisa means can / is able to (ability or possibility):

setiap manusia bisa belajar = every human can/is able to learn

Differences:

bisa = can (ability, possibility); very common and neutral.
dapat = can, may (slightly more formal; also “to get/obtain” in other contexts).
boleh = may (permission).

So:

Setiap manusia bisa belajar… = Everyone is able to learn…
Setiap manusia boleh belajar… = Everyone is allowed/permitted to learn… (focus on permission)

What does tentang mean in belajar tentang agama? Can I say it another way?

Tentang means about / regarding / concerning.

belajar tentang agama = to learn about religion

Other similar options:

belajar mengenai agama = to learn regarding/about religion (a bit more formal)
belajar soal agama = to learn about religion (more colloquial)

All are understandable; tentang is a very common, neutral choice.

Why is agama used? Does it always mean “religion”?

Agama usually means religion (organized belief system).

Depending on context, it can also carry nuances of faith or religious studies, but the basic meaning is “religion” as a general concept, not a specific religion unless specified:

agama Islam = Islam
agama Kristen = Christianity

Here, tentang agama means about religion in general.

What does dengan tenang literally mean, and why use dengan here?

Literally:

dengan = with
tenang = calm / peaceful

Dengan tenang functions as an adverbial phrase: calmly / in a calm way / in peace.

Indonesian often uses dengan + adjective to form an adverb:

perlahan or dengan perlahan = slowly
dengan hati-hati = carefully
dengan jelas = clearly

So belajar … dengan tenang = to learn … calmly / peacefully (with a calm mind/situation).

Where does dengan tenang go in the sentence? Could it go earlier?

In the given sentence:

… bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.

The adverbial phrase comes after the main verb phrase, which is very natural.

You could move it, but bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang is the most natural order. Something like:

… bisa dengan tenang belajar tentang agama

is possible but sounds more marked or literary. For normal speech/writing, keep:

bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.

How formal is this sentence, and how might it sound in more casual spoken Indonesian?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal, suitable for writing, class explanations, or polite speech.

More casual versions might be:

Guru aku jelasin kalau setiap orang bisa belajar tentang agama dengan tenang.
(Very colloquial, using aku, jelasin (short for menjelaskan), and kalau instead of bahwa.)
Guru kita bilang kalau semua orang bisa belajar agama dengan tenang.
(Colloquial but still polite; bilang instead of menjelaskan, kalau instead of bahwa, semua orang instead of setiap manusia.)

The original sentence sounds more like something from a textbook, an essay, or a teacher’s careful explanation.