Guru bahasa saya sangat sabar.

to be

Breakdown of Guru bahasa saya sangat sabar.

• sangat: very
• sabar: patient
• guru bahasa: the language teacher

Questions & Answers about Guru bahasa saya sangat sabar.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

Indonesian usually leaves out a verb like is / am / are when linking a subject to an adjective or a noun.

So Guru bahasa saya sangat sabar literally feels like:

• Guru bahasa saya = my language teacher
• sangat sabar = very patient

English needs is in the middle: My language teacher is very patient.
Indonesian does not; the link is understood from context and word order.

Can I add adalah to mean is, like Guru bahasa saya adalah sangat sabar?

No. You should not put adalah before an adjective like sabar in this kind of sentence.

Use:

• Guru bahasa saya sangat sabar. ✅

Do not use:

• Guru bahasa saya adalah sangat sabar. ❌ (sounds wrong or unnatural)

Adalah is mainly used before a noun phrase, for example:

• Guru bahasa saya adalah orang yang sangat sabar.
  = My language teacher is a very patient person.

Here adalah links guru bahasa saya (noun phrase) to orang yang sangat sabar (another noun phrase).

Why does saya (my) go at the end, instead of in front like in English?