Indonesian has three common ways to say “very”: sangat bagus, amat penting, and bagus sekali. Sangat and amat come before the adjective; intensifying sekali comes after it. The emphatic frame sangat bagus sekali surrounds the adjective with degree marking on both sides.
These positions reveal the boundaries of the adjective phrase. A pre-degree word opens the phrase, the adjective supplies the property, and post-adjective sekali closes the degree expression. This page explains that system while leaving adjective vocabulary and full derivational-affix paradigms to dedicated pages.
Sangat before the adjective
Sangat + adjective is the broadest neutral pattern for “very.”
Film itu sangat bagus; saya ingin menontonnya lagi.
That film is very good; I want to watch it again.
Kamar kami sangat bersih dan tenang.
Our room is very clean and quiet.
Informasi ini sangat berguna bagi pelanggan baru.
This information is very useful for new customers.
In sangat bersih dan tenang, context can let sangat take scope over the coordinated properties, especially with balanced intonation. Repeating it—sangat bersih dan sangat tenang—makes both degrees fully explicit.
Sangat works in conversation, formal prose, and academic writing. It is usually the safest all-purpose intensifier.
Amat before the adjective
Amat + adjective also means “very” or “extremely.” It often sounds weightier or more evaluative than sangat. It is especially at home in careful prose (formal) and elevated narrative (literary).
Keselamatan penumpang amat penting bagi perusahaan.
Passenger safety is extremely important to the company. (formal)
Desa itu amat indah pada musim hujan.
The village is very beautiful during the rainy season. (literary)
Kami amat berterima kasih atas bantuan Anda.
We are extremely grateful for your help. (formal)
Everyday speakers do use amat, particularly for emphasis, but sangat is generally less marked. There is no categorical difference in degree that makes amat always stronger; lexical choice, intonation, and genre determine the effect.
Do not confuse degree amat with the root in derived words such as mengamati “observe.” Full derivational analysis lies outside this page, but the spelling illustrates the affix rule: the productive prefix attaches.
Sekali after the adjective
When sekali means “very,” it follows the adjective.
Kopinya enak sekali; bijinya dari Flores.
The coffee is very tasty; the beans are from Flores.
Anak itu senang sekali mendapat hadiah.
The child was very happy to receive a gift.
Jalannya sempit sekali, jadi bus besar tidak bisa masuk.
The road is very narrow, so a large bus cannot enter.
This placement differs from English very delicious. A learner who says sekali enak has placed the intensifier on the wrong side for this meaning.
Sekali also has a separate numerical/frequency meaning “once,” as in seminggu sekali “once a week.” Position and context distinguish them:
Saya berolahraga seminggu sekali.
I exercise once a week.
In enak sekali, it intensifies the adjective; in seminggu sekali, it counts frequency. The two uses should not be forced into one English gloss.
Sangat ... sekali: framing the adjective
Indonesian can combine a pre-adjective intensifier with post-adjective sekali:
Pertunjukannya sangat bagus sekali; penonton langsung berdiri dan bertepuk tangan.
The performance was extremely good; the audience immediately stood and applauded. (emphatic)
Saya sangat senang sekali bisa kembali ke sini.
I am extremely happy to be able to return here. (emphatic)
The pattern sangat + adjective + sekali is common as strong spoken emphasis (informal). It is structurally transparent: the two degree expressions frame the same adjective phrase.
It is also a genuine style issue. Formal editors often remove one intensifier as redundant and prefer sangat bagus or bagus sekali (formal). Do not call every occurrence ungrammatical; expressive speech uses the combination naturally. Match it to the intended force and register.
Laporan ini sangat penting bagi keputusan akhir.
This report is very important to the final decision. (formal, restrained)
Degree words in predicates and modifiers
A degree-marked adjective phrase can serve directly as a predicate or follow yang to modify a noun. A simple adjective can modify a noun directly.
| Role | Example | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| predicate | Pelayanannya sangat baik. | subject + degree phrase |
| direct simple modifier | pelayanan baik | noun + adjective |
| yang modifier | pelayanan yang sangat baik | noun + yang + degree phrase |
Hotel itu menawarkan pelayanan yang sangat baik.
That hotel offers very good service.
Pelayanan di hotel itu baik sekali.
The service at that hotel is very good.
The positions show what belongs together: [sangat baik] and [baik sekali] are adjective phrases. When such a phrase modifies a noun, careful Standard Indonesian inserts yang: pelayanan yang sangat baik. In pelayanan yang sangat baik itu, demonstrative itu follows the completed description and closes the whole noun phrase.
Combining with negation and other degree words
Negation normally precedes the degree phrase:
Harganya tidak terlalu mahal untuk daerah ini.
The price is not too expensive for this area.
Hasilnya tidak begitu bagus, tetapi masih bisa diperbaiki.
The result is not that good, but it can still be improved.
These examples show a larger phrase boundary: tidak [terlalu mahal] and tidak [begitu bagus]. Detailed terlalu, cukup, and downtoner behavior belongs to the too-and-enough page and downtoner page.
Register and alternatives
The main choices can be summarized as follows:
| Pattern | Usual effect |
|---|---|
| sangat bagus | neutral and widely usable |
| amat bagus | weightier; often formal or literary |
| bagus sekali | neutral, expressive post-adjective emphasis |
| sangat bagus sekali | strong, often spoken emphasis; edited down in restrained prose |
Casual speech may use banget after the adjective, as in bagus banget (informal), especially in Jakarta-influenced usage (regional: Jakarta). It is valuable to recognize, but sangat and sekali are safer choices in contemporary Standard Indonesian.
Orthography
Write degree words separately: sangat bagus, amat penting, bagus sekali. Attach productive affixes in derived words such as mengamati. Hyphenate full reduplication, as in baik-baik. Normal Standard Indonesian examples use unaccented EYD V spelling.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting intensifying sekali before the adjective
❌ Film itu sekali bagus.
Incorrect order when sekali means ‘very.’
✅ Film itu bagus sekali.
That film is very good.
2. Putting sangat after the adjective
❌ Kamar ini bersih sangat.
Incorrect neutral order — sangat precedes the adjective.
✅ Kamar ini sangat bersih.
This room is very clean.
3. Splitting the adjective phrase with a demonstrative
❌ Rumah sangat itu besar belum terjual.
Incorrect phrase order — the degree word and adjective belong together.
✅ Rumah yang sangat besar itu belum terjual.
That very large house has not been sold yet.
4. Treating every sangat ... sekali as suitable formal style
❌ Kesimpulan ini sangat amat penting sekali bagi penelitian tersebut.
Overloaded degree marking in restrained academic prose.
✅ Kesimpulan ini sangat penting bagi penelitian tersebut.
This conclusion is very important to the study. (academic)
5. Reading frequency sekali as an adjective intensifier
❌ Saya berenang sekali rajin seminggu.
Incorrect word order and interpretation for ‘I swim once a week.’
✅ Saya berenang seminggu sekali.
I swim once a week.
Key Takeaways
- Put sangat and amat before the adjective.
- Put intensifying sekali after it: bagus sekali.
- Sangat bagus sekali is natural emphatic usage, though formal editing often prefers one intensifier.
- Degree words form a phrase with the adjective in both predicate and modifier roles.
- Distinguish intensifying sekali from frequency sekali “once.”
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