Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Pelatih olahraga kami suka membaca laporan statistik. - Our sports coach likes to read statistical reports.

If you put kami before it (kami pelatih olahraga), it no longer means our sports coach. Instead, it sounds like we are sports coaches (with "kami" as the subject, not a possessor). So:

pelatih olahraga kami → one coach, belonging to us
kami pelatih olahraga → we (are) sports coaches

Why is kami used instead of kita in this sentence?

Indonesian distinguishes between two kinds of “we / us”:

kami = we/us, excluding the listener
kita = we/us, including the listener

Pelatih olahraga kami means our sports coach, but it implies the coach belongs to us (but not you).
If the speaker wants to include the person they’re talking to (e.g., classmates talking to a classmate), they might say:

Pelatih olahraga kita suka membaca laporan statistik.
= Our (yours and mine) sports coach likes to read statistical reports.

Can suka be followed directly by a verb like membaca? I thought it only took nouns.

Yes, suka can be followed by both nouns and verbs.

With a noun:
- Saya suka kopi. = I like coffee.
With a verb:
- Saya suka membaca. = I like reading.
- Pelatih olahraga kami suka membaca laporan statistik.

You do not need untuk or akan here.
Forms like suka untuk membaca are grammatical but sound more formal or stiff in everyday speech; suka membaca is the natural, common pattern.

What is the difference between suka membaca and suka baca?

Both can be correct, but they differ in formality and style:

suka membaca
- Uses the full verb with prefix meN- (membaca).
- Neutral and works in both spoken and written Indonesian.
suka baca
- Drops the meN- prefix and uses the bare verb baca.
- Very common in casual speech; feels more informal.

In a neutral sentence like Pelatih olahraga kami suka membaca laporan statistik, membaca is a safe, standard choice.

Why is it membaca and not just baca in this sentence?

Indonesian often uses the meN- prefix to form an active verb from a root:

baca (root) → membaca (active verb “to read”)

You can use baca on its own, especially in casual speech or imperatives:

Baca buku itu! = Read that book!

But in a more neutral/descriptive sentence, especially in writing, the meN- form (membaca) is standard:

Pelatih olahraga kami suka membaca laporan statistik.

Does laporan statistik mean “statistical reports” or just one “statistical report”? There’s no plural marker.

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with an ending like English -s.
Number is often understood from context.

laporan statistik can mean:
- a statistical report
- statistical reports

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can say:

laporan-laporan statistik = reports (many)
Or add a quantity: banyak laporan statistik = many statistical reports

But in most contexts, laporan statistik alone is enough, and listeners infer singular or plural from the situation.

Why is the order laporan statistik and not statistik laporan, like in English “statistical report”?

In Indonesian, the head noun comes first, and the word that describes or modifies it comes after.

laporan = report
statistik = statistical / statistics-related
laporan statistik = (a) statistical report

So the pattern is:

[head noun] + [modifier]
- rumah besar = big house
- guru bahasa Inggris = English teacher
- laporan statistik = statistical report

Putting it as statistik laporan would be ungrammatical or at least very unnatural.

Is olahraga an adjective (“sports”) or a noun here? How does pelatih olahraga work?

olahraga is a noun meaning “sport” or “sports”.

In pelatih olahraga:

pelatih = coach / trainer
olahraga = sport(s)

Together they form a noun–noun phrase where the second noun specifies the type of coach:

pelatih olahraga = sports coach
pelatih renang = swimming coach
pelatih sepak bola = football/soccer coach

This is the same “head noun + modifier” pattern:
[pelatih] + [olahraga] → not olahraga pelatih.

What is the exact subject of the sentence? Is kami the subject?

The subject is the entire phrase Pelatih olahraga kami.

Breakdown:

Pelatih olahraga kami = our sports coach → subject
suka membaca laporan statistik → predicate (what the subject does/likes)

So kami is not the subject; it’s a possessive pronoun modifying pelatih olahraga (telling you whose coach it is). The sentence is about the coach, not about “we/us”.

Could I say Pelatih olahraga kami senang membaca laporan statistik instead? What’s the difference between suka and senang here?

Yes, you can say:

Pelatih olahraga kami senang membaca laporan statistik.

Both suka and senang can express liking, but there’s a nuance:

suka
- Neutral “to like / enjoy”
- Common with hobbies, preferences, habitual likes
- suka membaca = likes (the activity of) reading
senang
- Originally means “happy / pleased / glad”
- With verbs, often adds a feeling nuance: “enjoys / is pleased to”
- senang membaca can sound like “is happy (when) reading / enjoys reading”

In many everyday contexts, they can be interchangeable with only a small difference in feel.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence Pelatih olahraga kami suka membaca laporan statistik. is neutral in tone.

Vocabulary: common, everyday words
Grammar: standard, not slangy and not overly formal
Suitable for: spoken conversation, school essays, general writing

If you wanted it more formal (e.g., in an academic report), you might adjust the context or add more detail, but the sentence as-is is fine in most situations.