Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru matematika kami sangat sabar.

When the predicate is just an adjective (like sabar, tinggi, cantik) or a simple noun phrase, Indonesian usually drops any linking verb. Context shows that it means “is very patient.”

How does kami mean “our” here? Isn’t kami usually “we”?

Yes, kami by itself means “we (excluding the person spoken to)”.

But in Indonesian, a pronoun placed after a noun often shows possession:

buku saya = my book
rumah mereka = their house
guru kami = our teacher

So in guru matematika kami:

guru matematika = math teacher
kami = we
Together: guru matematika kami = our math teacher (literally: math teacher we).

You don’t need an extra word like “of” or “’s”; the pronoun after the noun is enough to show possession.

What’s the difference between kami and kita if both can mean “our”?

Both can show possession when placed after a noun, but they differ in inclusiveness:

kami = we / our (excluding the listener)
kita = we / our (including the listener)

So:

guru matematika kami = our math teacher, but not your teacher
guru matematika kita = our math teacher, and you are included in that “our”

In practice:

Students talking to each other about their own class teacher: guru matematika kita
A student talking to someone from another school: guru matematika kami (because the listener is not in that group).

Is guru singular or plural here? “Teacher” or “teachers”?

By itself, guru is number-neutral in Indonesian. It can mean “teacher” or “teachers”, depending on context.

In Guru matematika kami sangat sabar, most likely it means “Our math teacher is very patient” (one teacher), but it could also be understood as “Our math teachers are very patient” if the context clearly involves more than one.

If you want to clearly show plural, you can use:

guru-guru matematika kami = our math teachers (reduplication for plural)
para guru matematika kami = our math teachers (more formal, with para indicating a group of people)

What exactly does guru matematika mean? Is matematika an adjective?

Matematika is a noun meaning “mathematics”, not an adjective. But Indonesian often puts a noun after another noun to show a “X of Y” or “X for Y” relationship.

So:

guru matematika = mathematics teacher / math teacher
literally: teacher (of) mathematics

Other similar examples:

guru bahasa Inggris = English teacher (language of English)
guru sejarah = history teacher
buku matematika = math book

So matematika here functions as a modifier to guru, but grammatically it’s still a noun.

Why is it guru matematika kami and not kami guru matematika?

In Indonesian, the basic pattern is: noun + modifiers (including possessive pronouns).

noun + pronoun: guru kami (our teacher)
noun + noun modifier: guru matematika (math teacher)
noun + noun modifier + pronoun: guru matematika kami (our math teacher)

If you say kami guru matematika, that’s a different structure:

kami guru matematika = we are math teachers
(subject kami, predicate guru matematika)

So:

Guru matematika kami sangat sabar. = Our math teacher is very patient.
Kami guru matematika yang sabar. = We are math teachers who are patient.

What does sangat mean, and how is it different from sekali or banget?

sangat means “very” and is more neutral/formal. It comes before the adjective:

sangat sabar = very patient

sekali also means “very”, but it comes after the adjective:

sabar sekali = very patient

banget is informal/colloquial (often spoken, casual text):

sabar banget = very / super patient (casual tone)

So you can say:

Guru matematika kami sangat sabar. (neutral / slightly formal)
Guru matematika kami sabar sekali. (neutral)
Guru matematika kami sabar banget. (informal, casual)

Is sabar an adjective (“patient”) or a verb (“to be patient”)?

In Indonesian, many words can work like both adjectives and stative verbs, depending on the sentence.

Sabar basically means “patient” or “to be patient”:

As a predicate describing someone:
- Dia sabar. = He/She is patient.
- Guru matematika kami sangat sabar. = Our math teacher is very patient.
As a verb meaning “to be patient / hold your patience”:
- Coba sabar, ya. = Try to be patient, okay.

But you don’t need an extra word like “to be” in Indonesian; sabar alone is enough.

How would I clearly say “Our math teachers are very patient” (definitely plural)?

To make the plural explicit, you can do:

Guru-guru matematika kami sangat sabar.
- guru-guru = teachers (plural via reduplication)
- Our math teachers are very patient.
Para guru matematika kami sangat sabar.
- para
  - noun = a group of people doing that role
- More formal / written style.

Both clearly indicate that there is more than one teacher.

Can I say the same idea without sangat? What changes?

Yes:

Guru matematika kami sabar. = Our math teacher is patient.

Dropping sangat just removes the emphasis.

sabar = patient
sangat sabar = very patient

The core meaning stays the same (the teacher is patient), but sangat adds intensity.

How would I say this in a slightly more explanatory way, like “We have a very patient math teacher”?

You can rephrase it using punya (“to have”):

Kami punya guru matematika yang sangat sabar.
= We have a math teacher who is very patient.

Breakdown:

kami = we
punya = have
guru matematika = math teacher
yang sangat sabar = who is very patient (yang links the noun to its description)

Both sentences are natural:

Guru matematika kami sangat sabar.
Kami punya guru matematika yang sangat sabar.

The first focuses on the teacher as the topic.
The second focuses more on “we (kami)” having such a teacher.