Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Guru bahasa kami menjelaskan tatabahasa dan pengucapan kata-kata sulit dengan metode yang sederhana. - Our language teacher explains grammar and the pronunciation of difficult words with a simple method.

Guru kami bahasa would sound wrong/unnatural, because bahasa is tightly linked to guru as a classifier (language teacher), and the possessor (kami) comes at the end of the whole phrase.

What exactly is the difference between kami and kita?

Both mean we / us, but:

kami = we (excluding you, the listener)
kita = we (including you, the listener)

So guru bahasa kami means our language teacher where our does not include the person being spoken to.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener (for example, talking to a classmate), they might say:

guru bahasa kita = our (everyone’s, including you) language teacher

What is the base form of menjelaskan, and why does it have men- and -kan?

The base word is jelas (clear).

Affixes:

meN- (here men-) + adjective/verb
-kan (suffix)

menjelaskan roughly means to make something clear → to explain.

Structure:

jelas = clear
menjelas = not used by itself
menjelaskan = to explain (to cause something to become clear)

So kami menjelaskan tatabahasa ... = our teacher explains the grammar ...

Why is there no word for “is/are” in this sentence?

Indonesian does not always use a separate “to be” verb like is/are in the same way English does.

Here, the verb of the sentence is menjelaskan (explains). We don’t need “is explaining” or “does explain” separately; menjelaskan already covers the meaning “explains / is explaining” depending on context.

Indonesian generally:

uses a lexical verb (like menjelaskan) without an auxiliary to be.
does not change verb form for tense (past/present/future).

What does tatabahasa mean, and is it usually one word or two?

Tatabahasa means grammar.

Breakdown:

tata = arrangement, order, system
bahasa = language
tata bahasa = the system/order of a language → grammar

In standard Indonesian spelling, you will usually see:

tata bahasa (two words)

In some contexts or in Malay, you might also see tatabahasa as one word. For Indonesian learners, it’s safer to learn tata bahasa as the standard form, but you should recognize tatabahasa when you see it.

What is pengucapan, and how is it formed?

Pengucapan means pronunciation.

It comes from the root:

ucap = to say / utter

With the nominalizing pattern:

peN-
- ucap
  - -an → pengucapan

This pattern often turns verbs into nouns meaning the act/result of X:

makan (to eat) → pemakan / makanan
ucap (to say) → pengucapan (pronunciation / saying)

So tatabahasa dan pengucapan = grammar and pronunciation.

How does pengucapan kata-kata sulit work grammatically? Where is the “of” in “pronunciation of difficult words”?

Indonesian usually expresses “of” by simply putting two nouns together, with the more general noun first:

pengucapan = pronunciation
kata-kata sulit = difficult words

Placed together:

pengucapan kata-kata sulit
Literally: pronunciation [difficult words]
Meaning: pronunciation of difficult words

No additional word for of is needed; the relationship is shown by word order (Noun 1 + Noun 2).

Why is kata repeated (becoming kata-kata), and what does that change?

Kata = word (singular or general).
Kata-kata = words (plural), formed by reduplication.

In Indonesian, repeating a noun can:

indicate plurality (more than one), or
emphasize various kinds of that noun.

So:

kata sulit = a difficult word or difficult word(s) (ambiguous)
kata-kata sulit = more clearly difficult words (plural / several)

Plural marking is often optional, but here kata-kata sulit naturally suggests multiple difficult words that need explaining.

Why is the adjective sulit placed after kata-kata, not before it?

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they modify:

kata sulit = difficult word
metode sederhana = simple method
mobil baru = new car

So:

kata-kata sulit = difficult words
(literally: words difficult)

Putting the adjective before the noun (like sulit kata-kata) would sound ungrammatical or very strange.

What does dengan mean here, and why is it needed before metode yang sederhana?

Dengan is a preposition that often means:

with
by (means of) / using
in (a certain way)

In this sentence:

dengan metode yang sederhana
≈ with a simple method / by using a simple method

Grammatically, dengan introduces a prepositional phrase of manner/means, telling us how the teacher explains grammar and pronunciation.

Why is it metode yang sederhana instead of just metode sederhana?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

metode sederhana = a simple method (basic description)
metode yang sederhana = a method that is simple / the method, which is simple

Yang turns the adjective phrase into a relative clause:

yang sederhana = that is simple

This can:

slightly emphasize the simplicity, or
make it sound more like a specific, identified method (the method that is simple), not just any random simple method.

In everyday speech, many speakers would also say metode sederhana with almost the same meaning.

How is the sentence structured overall? What is subject, verb, object, etc.?

The sentence follows a straightforward S–V–O–(adverbial) pattern:

Subject (S): Guru bahasa kami
→ our language teacher
Verb (V): menjelaskan
→ explains
Object (O): tatabahasa dan pengucapan kata-kata sulit
→ grammar and the pronunciation of difficult words
Adverbial (manner): dengan metode yang sederhana
→ with a simple method

So the structure is:

[Guru bahasa kami] [menjelaskan] [tatabahasa dan pengucapan kata-kata sulit] [dengan metode yang sederhana].

How do we know if menjelaskan means “explains”, “explained”, or “will explain”?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Menjelaskan can mean:

explains (present)
explained (past)
will explain (future)

The tense is understood from context or time words, for example:

Kemarin guru bahasa kami menjelaskan ...
= Yesterday our language teacher explained ...
Besok guru bahasa kami akan menjelaskan ...
= Tomorrow our language teacher will explain ...

Without time markers, a default English translation is often simple present (explains), or present progressive (is explaining) depending on context.

Could we drop kami and just say Guru bahasa menjelaskan ...? What would change?

You can say:

Guru bahasa menjelaskan tatabahasa dan pengucapan ...

But then:

It means “the language teacher explains ...” in a more general or context-dependent way.
You lose the explicit idea of “our” teacher.

Including kami makes it clear that you’re talking about our language teacher (belonging to the speaker’s group, excluding the listener).