Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru kami sangat bijak.

Indonesian usually does not use a verb like “is/are/am” (a copula) before adjectives or nouns.
So instead of saying “Our teacher is very wise”, Indonesian just says “Guru kami sangat bijak” (literally: “teacher our very wise”).

You can sometimes see adalah used where English has “is/are”, but typically:

adalah is more common in formal writing,
and more often used before nouns, not before simple adjectives.

So “Guru kami sangat bijak” is the most natural version in everyday speech.

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

Both kami and kita mean “we / us / our”, but:

kami = we (not including the person we are talking to) → exclusive we
kita = we (including the person we are talking to) → inclusive we

Guru kami sangat bijak normally means “Our teacher (my group’s teacher, not including you) is very wise.”
If you said “Guru kita sangat bijak,” it would usually mean “Our teacher (yours and mine) is very wise.”

So the choice between kami and kita depends on who is included in “our.”

Does “guru kami” mean “our teacher” or “our teachers”?

On its own, guru kami is ambiguous between singular and plural:

“our teacher”
“our teachers”

Indonesian often does not mark plural explicitly, so context decides.
If you really want to show plural, you can say:

para guru kami = our teachers (formal, respectful)
guru-guru kami = our teachers (neutral, clearly plural)

So “Guru kami sangat bijak” could be understood as “Our teacher is very wise” or “Our teachers are very wise,” depending on the situation.

Why is sangat placed before bijak? Can it go somewhere else?

Sangat is an intensifier meaning “very.” The usual pattern is:

sangat + adjective → sangat bijak = very wise

You can also use sekali after the adjective:

bijak sekali = also “very wise”

So you could say:

Guru kami sangat bijak.
Guru kami bijak sekali.

Both are natural. Sangat often sounds a bit more neutral or formal, while sekali is very common in speech.
Putting sangat after the adjective (“bijak sangat”) is not grammatical.

Could I say “Guru kami adalah sangat bijak” to mean “Our teacher is very wise”?

That sounds awkward or unnatural.
In standard usage:

You usually don’t use adalah before a plain adjective like bijak.

More natural options are:

Guru kami sangat bijak.
Guru kami benar-benar bijak. (our teacher is truly wise)

Use adalah mostly before noun phrases or longer descriptions, for example:

Guru kami adalah seorang yang sangat bijak.
= Our teacher is a very wise person.

What is the nuance of bijak? How is it different from pintar or cerdas?

Bijak means “wise” in the sense of having good judgment and making thoughtful, fair decisions.

Compared with similar words:

pintar = smart, clever, good at something (skill or intelligence)
cerdas = intelligent, bright (mental ability)
bijak / bijaksana = wise, thoughtful, morally and emotionally mature

So “Guru kami sangat bijak” focuses on the teacher’s wisdom and judgment, not just intelligence.

Why is it “guru kami” and not “kami guru” for “our teacher”?

Indonesian usually puts the possessed thing first and the possessor pronoun after:

guru kami = teacher our = our teacher
rumah saya = house my = my house

“Kami guru” would be interpreted as a separate noun phrase, like “We are teachers” (if it were in the right context), not as “our teacher.”
So for “our X”, the pattern is:

X + kami/kita/saya/dia/mereka

Is “Guru kami sangat bijak” formal or informal?

It’s neutral and works in both spoken and written Indonesian.

In everyday speech, it sounds natural and clear.
In writing (e.g. school essays, formal texts), it is also acceptable.

If you wanted to sound more formal or elaborate, you might say:

Guru kami adalah sosok yang sangat bijak.
(Our teacher is a very wise figure/person.)

Can I just say “Guru kami bijak” without sangat? Does the meaning change much?

Yes, “Guru kami bijak” is perfectly correct. It means:

“Our teacher is wise.”

Adding sangat just strengthens it to “very wise.”
So:

Guru kami bijak. = Our teacher is wise.
Guru kami sangat bijak. = Our teacher is very wise.

How would I say “Our teacher is very wise and patient” in Indonesian?

You can combine adjectives directly:

Guru kami sangat bijak dan sabar.

Here:

bijak = wise
sabar = patient

The pattern is still the same:

Subject + sangat + adjective (+ dan + adjective)
Guru kami sangat bijak dan sabar.