Orang buta itu menunggu bantuan.

Yes, buta means blind, but it is mainly an adjective.

To refer to a person, Indonesian commonly uses orang buta, literally person blind. So:

• buta = blind
• orang buta = a blind person / blind people

In other words, orang makes it clear that we are talking about a person, not just the quality of being blind.

Because in Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So the normal pattern is:

• orang buta = blind person
• rumah besar = big house
• anak kecil = small child / young child

English usually does adjective + noun, but Indonesian usually does noun + adjective.

Itu is a demonstrative, usually meaning that. In a sentence like this, it often also works like the, making the noun phrase definite or specific.

So orang buta itu can mean:

• that blind person
• or, depending on context, the blind person

Learners often notice that itu is sometimes translated as that, but in natural English the best translation may be the.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the whole noun phrase.

So the pattern is:

• noun + adjective + itu
• orang buta itu = that blind person

Not:

• buta itu orang
• itu orang buta (unless you mean something different, like That is a blind person)

So itu comes after orang buta because it refers to the entire phrase.

By itself, Indonesian often does not clearly mark singular vs. plural. Context usually tells you.

So orang buta itu could refer to:

• that blind person
• or, in some contexts, those blind people

However, in many simple examples like this, learners will usually understand it as singular unless the context says otherwise.

If you want to make plural more explicit, Indonesian can use reduplication or other markers, for example:

• orang-orang buta itu = those blind people

It is understandable and commonly used, but it can sound blunt in some contexts.

A more formal or respectful term is:

• tunanetra = visually impaired / blind

So depending on context:

• orang buta = common, direct
• tunanetra = more formal/polite

This is similar to how word choice in English can sound more neutral or more sensitive depending on the situation.

Tunggu is the root word meaning wait.

Menunggu is the standard active verb form used in normal sentences. It has the prefix meN-, which often marks an active verb.

So:

• tunggu! = wait! (command)
• menunggu = to wait / waits / is waiting

With this root, the prefix changes form:

• meN- + tunggu → menunggu

The t of tunggu drops after the prefix, which is a normal sound change in Indonesian morphology.

Because menunggu is a verb that takes its object directly in Indonesian.

English says:

• wait for help

But Indonesian says:

• menunggu bantuan
• literally: wait help

So bantuan is the direct object of menunggu. This is a very common difference between English and Indonesian.

Bantuan means help, assistance, or aid.

It comes from the root:

• bantu = help (verb/root)

and the suffix:

• -an, which often forms a noun

So:

• bantu = help
• bantuan = help, assistance, aid

In this sentence, bantuan is the thing being waited for.

Indonesian usually does not use a verb like English to be in this kind of sentence, and verbs do not change form the way English verbs do.

So:

• menunggu can mean wait, waits, is waiting, was waiting, or will wait
• the exact time usually comes from context or from extra time words

That means Orang buta itu menunggu bantuan does not automatically mark present progressive by itself. English needs is waiting, but Indonesian often just uses the basic verb.

You can add sedang before the verb:

• Orang buta itu sedang menunggu bantuan.

Here, sedang shows an ongoing action, similar to English is waiting or is in the middle of waiting.

So:

• menunggu = wait / is waiting / waits, depending on context
• sedang menunggu = is waiting right now, more explicitly

This is optional if the context already makes the time clear.