Pujian dan kritik harus objektif.

Indonesian often does not use a verb like to be in sentences like this.

So where English says:

Praise and criticism must be objective

Indonesian simply says:

Pujian dan kritik harus objektif

Here:

• pujian dan kritik = praise and criticism
• harus = must / should
• objektif = objective

There is no need for a separate word meaning are before objektif.

Pujian means praise.

It comes from the root puji, which is related to praising, and the ending -an turns it into a noun. So pujian is praise, a compliment, or words of approval, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is a general noun:

• pujian = praise
• not necessarily one specific compliment

Kritik is the standard word for criticism or critique.

In many contexts, kritik is the most natural choice for the general idea of criticism:

• Pujian dan kritik harus objektif = Praise and criticism must be objective

You may also hear kritikan, but kritik is the more basic and standard form here. A learner should feel very comfortable using kritik for the abstract noun criticism.

Harus often means must, but in English it can sometimes be translated more naturally as should, depending on context.

So this sentence could be understood as:

• Praise and criticism must be objective
• or Praise and criticism should be objective

The Indonesian word harus itself expresses necessity or obligation. It is stronger than a mild suggestion.

Because harus works like a modal word meaning must / should, and it comes before what follows.

The pattern here is roughly:

subject + harus + predicate

So:

• Pujian dan kritik = subject
• harus objektif = must be objective

Even though English uses must be objective, Indonesian does not need be. So harus goes directly before objektif.

Indonesian often leaves nouns unmarked for singular or plural unless it is necessary to make the distinction clear.

So:

• pujian can mean praise in general
• kritik can mean criticism in general

Indonesian does have ways to show plural, such as reduplication, but it is not needed here. The sentence is making a general statement, so plain nouns are natural.

Yes. Objektif applies to the whole phrase pujian dan kritik.

So the meaning is:

Both praise and criticism should be objective.

This is very common in Indonesian: one adjective can describe two coordinated nouns joined by dan.

Yes. Dan is the standard Indonesian word for and.

So:

• pujian dan kritik = praise and criticism

It is used just like English and to join words, phrases, or clauses.

This word order is the most straightforward and natural:

Pujian dan kritik harus objektif.

You might sometimes see different word orders for emphasis in other contexts, but for a simple general statement, this is the normal pattern.

A learner should treat this as the standard structure:

• subject → pujian dan kritik
• modal/necessity → harus
• adjective/predicate → objektif

Indonesian adjectives do not agree with nouns the way adjectives do in some other languages.

That means objektif stays the same:

• not singular vs plural
• not masculine vs feminine
• not different for different noun types

So whether the subject is one thing or several things, objektif remains objektif.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

pu-JI-an dan KRI-tik HA-rus ob-yek-TIF

A few notes:

• pujian is usually said in three syllables: pu-ji-an
• kritik sounds like kree-tik
• harus has two syllables: ha-rus
• objektif is often pronounced close to ob-yek-tif

Indonesian spelling is fairly regular, so pronunciation is usually more predictable than in English.