Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di kelas kami ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing. - In our class there is a mix of native speakers and foreign learners.

Without ada, the sentence would feel incomplete or ungrammatical here, because you’d just have a location phrase (di kelas kami) followed directly by a noun (campuran) without something linking them.

Why is the word order “Di kelas kami ada campuran …” and can I also say “Ada campuran … di kelas kami”?

Both word orders are grammatically correct:

Di kelas kami ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing.
- Focuses first on the location: “In our class, there is a mix …”
- Common in spoken and written Indonesian; the place is presented as the topic.
Ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing di kelas kami.
- Focuses first on the existence of the mix: “There is a mix of native speakers and foreign learners in our class.”
- Also natural, slightly more neutral or “there is … in our class” feeling.

So the difference is nuance / emphasis, not correctness. Indonesian word order is quite flexible, and it often uses:

[Place] + ada + [thing]
Ada + [thing] + [place]

How is campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing structured grammatically?

This is a noun phrase where campuran is the head, and the rest specifies what kind of mixture:

campur = to mix (root)
campuran = a mix / mixture (noun, “the result of mixing”)

So:

campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing
= “a mixture of native speakers and foreign learners”

Breaking it down:

campuran – mix / mixture
penutur asli – native speakers (literally “original speakers”)
dan – and
pelajar asing – foreign learners/students

The whole phrase acts as one noun phrase: “a mix of X and Y”.

There are clearly many speakers and learners. Why don’t we mark plural, like para penutur or penutur-penutur?

Indonesian usually does not need an explicit plural marker. Plurality is understood from context.

penutur asli can mean “a native speaker” or “native speakers”
pelajar asing can mean “a foreign learner” or “foreign learners”

You only mark plural when you really want to emphasize “many” or a group:

para penutur asli – (the) native speakers as a group (more formal)
penutur-penutur asli – native speakers (emphasis on plurality; a bit clunky in everyday speech)

In this sentence, campuran already implies more than one of each type, so extra plural marking isn’t necessary.

What exactly does penutur asli mean? Is it the same as “local people”?

penutur asli literally means “native speaker”:

penutur = speaker (from tutur = speech, to speak)
asli = original, native, authentic

So penutur asli is someone who speaks a language as their native language.

It is not automatically the same as “local person”:

penutur asli bahasa Indonesia – native speaker of Indonesian
orang lokal – local people (from that area), regardless of what their native language might be

In your sentence, without extra context, penutur asli is usually understood as native speakers of the language being studied in that class (likely Indonesian).

What is the difference between pelajar asing, mahasiswa asing, and murid asing?

All involve students, but they differ in level and context:

pelajar asing
- General: foreign student / foreign learner
- Can refer to school students or language-course students
- Neutral and common in news/formal contexts:
  - pelajar asing di Indonesia – foreign students in Indonesia
mahasiswa asing
- Specifically foreign university/college students
- mahasiswa = university student
- Used when the context is higher education
murid asing
- More often used for school pupils (primary/secondary)
- murid = pupil/student (younger, school-age)

In a typical language class at a school or course, pelajar asing works well as a broad, neutral term.

Why is it kami and not kita in di kelas kami?

Both kami and kita mean “we / our”, but they differ in inclusiveness:

kami = we / our (excluding the person being spoken to)
kita = we / our (including the person being spoken to)

Di kelas kami literally suggests “in our class (but not yours)”.

So, the choice depends on who is being included:

Talking to someone outside the class:
Di kelas kami ada campuran … – “In our class (that you’re not part of) there is a mix …”
Talking to a classmate / someone in the same class:
Di kelas kita ada campuran … – “In our class (yours and mine) there is a mix …”

In isolation, kami implies the listener is not part of that class.

Could we drop kami and just say “Di kelas ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing”?

Yes, you can, and it is grammatically correct:

Di kelas ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing.
– “In the class there is a mix of native speakers and foreign learners.”

Differences:

Di kelas kami … – specifically our class (more precise)
Di kelas … – some class / the class already known from context

If the listener already knows which class you’re talking about (e.g. you both just mentioned “this class”), dropping kami is fine and natural.

What’s the difference between di kelas and dalam kelas?

Both can translate as “in the class”, but they have slightly different nuances:

di kelas
- Very common
- Means “at/in the class (as a place or setting)”
- Used for activities or situations related to the class:
  - Di kelas kami belajar bahasa Indonesia. – In our class we study Indonesian.
dalam kelas
- More literal “inside the class / inside the classroom”
- Emphasizes the inside of the physical space or the “inside” of some structure/category

In your sentence, di kelas kami is the natural choice; dalam kelas kami ada campuran … is possible but sounds more formal or slightly unusual for everyday speech.

Could we use terdapat instead of ada here, and is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Di kelas kami terdapat campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing.

terdapat also means “there is / there are / can be found”, but:

It is more formal and often used in written language (reports, academic texts, news)
It can sound a bit more impersonal or descriptive, like you’re presenting information

ada is neutral and very common in everyday speech and writing.
So:

ada – fits all contexts, especially conversational
terdapat – more formal, “there is/are to be found”

Could I express the same idea without campuran, for example with bercampur or terdiri dari? Would that change the nuance?

Yes, you can rephrase, each with a slightly different nuance:

Di kelas kami, penutur asli dan pelajar asing bercampur.
- bercampur = are mixed, mix together
- Focuses more on the action/state of mixing, the people are mixed.
Kelas kami terdiri dari penutur asli dan pelajar asing.
- terdiri dari = consists of
- More formal; describes the composition of the class.
Di kelas kami ada penutur asli dan pelajar asing.
- Simpler: “In our class there are native speakers and foreign learners.”
- No explicit mention of “mixture,” just existence of both groups.

Your original:

Di kelas kami ada campuran penutur asli dan pelajar asing.
Highlights the idea of a mix / mixture, slightly more descriptive than just “there are X and Y”.