Pensil itu patah.

In Indonesian, you often do not need a verb like to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken
• literally: pencil that broken

This is very normal in Indonesian. When you describe something with an adjective, you can usually just put the noun and the adjective together without is/are.

Examples:

• Rumah itu besar = That house is big
• Buku ini mahal = This book is expensive

Here, itu means that.

So:

• pensil = pencil
• itu = that
• patah = broken / snapped

Together: Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken

In Indonesian, itu usually comes after the noun, unlike English.

Compare:

• English: that pencil
• Indonesian: pensil itu

Because Indonesian commonly places demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) after the noun.

Examples:

• buku ini = this book
• mobil itu = that car
• pensil itu = that pencil

This is one of the basic word-order differences between English and Indonesian.

Patah usually means broken by snapping, snapped, or broken into pieces/parts because of bending or force.

It is often used for things like:

• pencils
• branches
• bones
• sticks

So for a pencil, patah is a very natural word, because a pencil typically breaks by snapping.

Examples:

• Tulangnya patah = His/her bone is broken
• Cabangnya patah = The branch snapped

Both can relate to something being “broken,” but they are not the same.

• patah = physically snapped/broken
• rusak = damaged, not working properly, spoiled

For a pencil:

• Pensil itu patah = The pencil is snapped/broken
• Pensil itu rusak sounds less natural if you specifically mean it snapped

For machines or electronics, rusak is much more common:

• Televisinya rusak = The TV is broken

So patah is the better choice here because a pencil breaks in a snapping way.

In sentences like this, it works very much like an adjective in English: broken.

• Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken

But Indonesian words often do not fit neatly into English grammar categories. A word like patah can behave in ways that feel adjective-like, and Indonesian does not always mark the difference as clearly as English does.

For a beginner, the easiest way to understand this sentence is:

• pensil itu = that pencil
• patah = broken

Usually, Pensil patah itu would mean something more like that broken pencil, not that pencil is broken.

Compare:

• Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken
• pensil patah itu = that broken pencil

So word order matters:

1. Noun + itu + adjective
   → a full sentence
   → Pensil itu patah

2. Noun + adjective + itu
   → a noun phrase
   → pensil patah itu

No. You can say:

• Pensil patah = The pencil is broken / A pencil is broken

This can sound more general or depend more on context.

Adding itu makes it more specific:

• Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken

So itu helps point to a particular pencil.

You would say:

• Pensil ini patah

Here:

• ini = this
• itu = that

So:

• Pensil ini patah = This pencil is broken
• Pensil itu patah = That pencil is broken

Again, ini and itu come after the noun.

Patah is pronounced approximately PAH-tah.

A few helpful notes:

• both a vowels are like a in father
• the t is a clear t
• the final h is lightly pronounced in careful speech

So it is not like English patch or path. It is closer to pah-tah.

In this sentence, the subject is clearly stated: Pensil itu.

Indonesian can sometimes omit things that are understood from context, but for a simple standalone sentence like this, keeping the noun is normal and natural.

So:

• Pensil itu patah is the clear full sentence.

If the context is already obvious, a speaker might simply say:

• Patah = Broken.

But that would only work when everyone already knows what is being talked about.

It is neutral and completely normal in both formal and everyday Indonesian.

• Pensil itu patah is simple, natural, and correct.
• It does not sound especially formal or especially slangy.

So it is a good model sentence for learners.

Not usually in the literal physical sense unless you are talking about a body part, such as a bone.

For example:

• Kakinya patah = His/Her leg is broken
• Tangannya patah = His/Her arm is broken

But you would not normally say a whole person is patah. The word is used for something that has snapped or a specific part that is broken.