Saya bekerja sebagai guru.

I work as a teacher.

Breakdown of Saya bekerja sebagai guru.

• saya: I
• guru: the teacher
• bekerja: to work
• sebagai: as

Questions & Answers about Saya bekerja sebagai guru.

What does bold se­bagai bold do here, and how is it different from bold seperti bold?

bold Sebagai bold means “as/in the capacity of” and introduces a role or function. In bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru bold, it links your job to the role “teacher.”

• bold seperti bold means “like/as (resembling).”
  • bold Dia bekerja sebagai jurutera bold = He works as an engineer. (role)
  • bold Dia menyanyi seperti penyanyi profesional bold = He sings like a professional singer. (resemblance) They’re not interchangeable.

Do I need to add bold seorang bold before bold guru bold?

It’s optional. bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru bold is perfectly natural. Adding bold seorang bold emphasizes “a single person” and sounds a bit more explicit or formal:

• bold Saya bekerja sebagai seorang guru bold = I work as a teacher (one person). Most of the time, speakers omit bold seorang bold after bold sebagai bold.

Can I just say bold Saya seorang guru bold instead?

Yes. It states identity rather than the activity:

• bold Saya seorang guru bold = I am a teacher. (who/what you are)
• bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru bold = I work as a teacher. (what job you do) In many contexts both are fine; choose the one that matches what you want to highlight (identity vs employment function).

What about bold Saya jadi guru bold or bold Saya menjadi guru bold?

bold menjadi/jadi bold means “to become” or “to serve as.”

• bold Saya menjadi guru pada tahun 2015 bold = I became a teacher in 2015. (change of status)
• bold Sekarang saya jadi guru bold = Now I serve as a teacher. (colloquial) bold bekerja sebagai bold is neutral for ongoing employment; bold menjadi/jadi bold can focus on the transition or appointment.

Is bold berkerja bold ever correct?

Standard Malay/Indonesian uses bold bekerja bold (not bold berkerja bold). The prefix alternation produces bold bekerja bold. You’ll sometimes hear bold berkerja bold in casual speech, but it’s considered nonstandard in writing.

Can I drop the subject bold saya bold?

Yes, if the context makes it clear who the subject is. Malay can omit pronouns when understood:

• bold Bekerja sebagai guru bold = (I) work as a teacher. However, including bold saya bold is normal and safe. Dropping it can sound abrupt if context isn’t obvious.

How do I mark past, ongoing, or future time?

Malay/Indonesian usually rely on time words or aspect markers:

• Completed/past: bold sudah/telah bold (formal), bold dah bold (colloq MY)
  • bold Saya sudah bekerja sebagai guru tiga tahun bold = I have worked as a teacher for three years.
• Experience: bold pernah bold
  • bold Saya pernah bekerja sebagai guru bold = I have worked as a teacher (at some point).
• Ongoing right now: bold sedang bold (standard), bold tengah bold (colloq MY)
  • bold Saya sedang bekerja sebagai guru bold = I am currently working as a teacher.
• Future: bold akan bold, or a future time word
  • bold Saya akan bekerja sebagai guru tahun depan bold = I will work as a teacher next year.

How do I negate this?

• Negate the verb phrase with bold tidak bold:
  • bold Saya tidak bekerja sebagai guru bold = I do not work as a teacher.
• If you use a noun predicate (no verb), use bold bukan bold:
  • bold Saya bukan guru bold = I am not a teacher. Don’t say bold Saya bukan bekerja… bold; that’s ungrammatical.

Do I ever use bold adalah bold here?

Not with a verb phrase. bold Saya adalah bekerja sebagai guru bold is wrong. bold adalah bold is mainly a formal copula before a noun phrase:

• bold Saya adalah seorang guru bold = I am a teacher. (formal/written) In everyday speech, drop bold adalah bold.

What’s the difference between bold kerja bold and bold bekerja bold?

• bold bekerja bold is the standard verb “to work.”
• bold kerja bold is a noun (“work, job”). In casual speech it can act as a verb:
  • bold Saya kerja sebagai guru bold (colloquial) vs bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru bold (standard). Related words: bold pekerja bold (worker), bold pekerjaan bold (job/employment).

Is bold guru bold always the right word for “teacher”?

Often yes, but note:

• Malaysia: bold guru bold (school teacher), bold Cikgu bold (address/title), bold pensyarah bold (lecturer).
• Indonesia: bold guru bold (school teacher), bold Pak/Bu Guru bold (address), bold dosen bold (lecturer). bold pengajar bold means “instructor” in a general sense.

How would I ask someone if they work as a teacher?

• Formal Malay: bold Adakah anda bekerja sebagai guru? bold
• Neutral Malay (Malaysia): bold Awak bekerja sebagai guru ke? bold
• Formal Indonesian: bold Apakah Anda bekerja sebagai guru? bold
• Colloquial Indonesian: bold Kamu kerja sebagai guru ya? bold

Can I move bold sebagai guru bold earlier in the sentence?

The neutral order is Subject–Verb–Complement: bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru bold. You can front for topical emphasis, but it changes the feel:

• bold Sebagai guru, saya bekerja di sekolah swasta bold = As a teacher, I work at a private school. (topic marked; more formal/written) Don’t split bold bekerja bold from bold sebagai guru bold.

How do I add where I work?

Use bold di bold for location:

• bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru di sekolah rendah/menengah bold (MY)
• bold Saya bekerja sebagai guru di sekolah dasar/menengah bold (ID) You can also add subjects/levels: bold di sekolah menengah kebangsaan bold (MY), bold di SMA bold (ID).

How do I say “We work as teachers,” and what’s the difference between bold kami bold and bold kita bold?

• bold Kami bekerja sebagai guru bold = We (not including you) work as teachers.
• bold Kita bekerja sebagai guru bold = We (including you) work as teachers. Plural marking is often unnecessary; bold guru bold can cover plural. If you really want to emphasize plurality: bold guru-guru bold, but it’s usually not needed here.

Any pronunciation tips for bold bekerja bold and bold guru bold?

• bold bekerja bold: the bold e bold is a schwa (uh), roughly be-KER-ja; bold r bold is a tap/trill; bold j bold like English j.
• bold guru bold: hard bold g bold, bold u bold like “oo,” stress is light and fairly even (Malay doesn’t have strong stress).