Departemen itu memiliki kantor besar.

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

• departemen itu = that department / often the department
• kantor itu = that office

So this is normal Indonesian word order. English says that department, but Indonesian says department that.

It literally means that, but in real sentences it often works a lot like the when the speaker is referring to a specific, known thing.

So departemen itu can mean:

• that department
• or simply the department

The exact nuance depends on context. Indonesian does not have a separate word that works exactly like English the.

Yes, memiliki means to have / to possess.

However, it is a bit more formal than everyday punya.

Compare:

• Departemen itu memiliki kantor besar. → formal, written, official-sounding
• Departemen itu punya kantor besar. → more everyday, conversational

Both are correct, but memiliki fits better in formal writing or careful speech.

Memiliki is built from the base milik, which relates to ownership or belonging.

Structure:

• milik = possession / belonging
• meN- + milik → memilik-
• plus -i → memiliki

You do not need to analyze it every time, but it helps to know that many Indonesian verbs are formed with affixes like this.

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• kantor besar = big office
• rumah besar = big house
• mobil baru = new car

This is one of the most important word-order differences from English.

Indonesian normally does not use articles like English a/an/the.

So kantor besar can mean:

• a big office
• the big office
• sometimes just big office/offices, depending on context

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes.

• Departemen itu memiliki kantor besar. → formal
• Departemen itu punya kantor besar. → less formal, very common in speech

Both mean essentially the same thing. A learner should recognize both, but memiliki is more likely in textbooks, news, official writing, or formal statements.

Yes, departemen is a real Indonesian word, borrowed from Dutch/English-related sources. It means department.

That said, depending on context, Indonesians may also use other words such as:

• bagian = section/division
• kementerian = ministry
• jurusan = department/major in education

So departemen is correct, but the best word depends on what kind of organization you mean.

By itself, Indonesian nouns usually do not show singular vs. plural clearly.

So kantor can mean:

• office
• offices, if the context makes that clear

However, in this sentence, most learners would naturally read kantor besar as a big office unless context suggests otherwise.

If you really wanted to make it clearly plural, Indonesian often uses:

• repetition: kantor-kantor
• number words
• or context

It sounds neutral to formal.

The main reason is memiliki, which is more formal than punya. The rest of the sentence is straightforward and standard.

So it would fit well in:

• writing
• reports
• presentations
• textbook examples

It would be a little more formal than everyday casual conversation.

A very natural spoken version would be:

• Departemen itu punya kantor besar.

Indonesian often prefers simpler verb choices in conversation. Punya is extremely common in speech for possession.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Departemen → de-par-te-men
• itu → ee-too
• memiliki → meh-mee-lee-kee
• kantor → kahn-tor
• besar → beh-sar

A rough full reading: de-par-te-men ee-too meh-mee-lee-kee kahn-tor beh-sar

A few notes:

• Indonesian pronunciation is usually fairly regular.
• The r is typically tapped or lightly rolled.
• Stress is not as strong or contrastive as in English.