Anak itu memecahkan piring.

• anak = child / kid
• itu = that / the
• memecahkan = broke / break / caused to break
• piring = plate

So the sentence is literally something like that child broke a plate or the child broke the plate, depending on context.

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

So:

• anak itu = that child / the child
• piring itu = that plate / the plate

This is different from English, where we say that child, not child that.

In many sentences, itu can also make the noun feel definite, so anak itu often means not just that child but also the child.

Because pecah and memecahkan do not mean the same thing.

• pecah = to break, be broken, shatter, burst
• memecahkan = to break something, to cause something to become broken

So:

• Piring itu pecah. = The plate broke / is broken.
• Anak itu memecahkan piring. = The child broke the plate / a plate.

In other words, pecah describes the state or event of breaking, while memecahkan is a transitive verb used when there is an object being broken.

The verb memecahkan is built from the root pecah.

A simple way to understand it is:

• root: pecah = break / broken
• derived verb: memecahkan = break something, cause something to break

Here:

• meN- is a common verbal prefix that forms active verbs
• -kan often adds a causative or transitive meaning

So memecahkan literally has the sense of cause to become broken.

Also notice the spelling change:

• meN- + pecah becomes memecah- This happens because the nasal prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root.

Not necessarily.

Memecahkan tells you that the child caused the plate to break. It does not by itself clearly say whether it was accidental or intentional.

Context tells you that:

• If you want to show it was accidental, Indonesian might add words like tidak sengaja.
• If you want to show it was intentional, context or extra wording would make that clear.

So this sentence on its own simply says the child broke the plate.

Indonesian does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

That means a noun like piring can mean:

• a plate
• the plate
• sometimes even plates, depending on context

In this sentence:

• anak itu is definite because of itu
• piring is not specifically marked as definite or indefinite

So Anak itu memecahkan piring could be understood as:

• The child broke a plate
• That child broke the plate

The surrounding context decides which English translation is best.

By itself, piring does not clearly tell you singular or plural.

Indonesian nouns often do not change form for number. So piring can mean:

• plate
• plates

If speakers want to make plurality explicit, they can use:

• reduplication: piring-piring = plates
• a number: dua piring = two plates
• context words that show quantity

So in this sentence, piring most naturally feels like a plate or the plate, but context is what decides.

No, not in the English-style grammatical sense.

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do. Memecahkan can refer to past, present, or even future depending on context.

So:

• Anak itu memecahkan piring can often be translated as The child broke a plate
• But without context, the verb itself does not specifically mark past tense

Time is often shown by:

• context
• time words like kemarin (yesterday), tadi (earlier), besok (tomorrow)
• aspect markers like sudah, sedang, akan

For example:

• Anak itu sudah memecahkan piring. = The child has already broken a plate.
• Anak itu sedang memecahkan piring. = The child is breaking a plate.

No, that would not be standard for this meaning.

If you want to say the child broke the plate, you need the transitive verb memecahkan.

• correct: Anak itu memecahkan piring.
• not standard for this meaning: Anak itu pecah piring.

That is because pecah by itself is not normally used as the active transitive verb break something in this structure.

Yes, you could, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Anak itu memecahkan piring. = that child / the child broke a plate
• Anak memecahkan piring. = a child / children / child breaks plate(s) depending on context

Without itu, anak becomes less specific. It sounds more general or less anchored to a particular known child.

So itu helps identify a specific child already known in the conversation or visible in the situation.

Yes, this sentence uses the basic Indonesian order:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Anak itu = subject
• memecahkan = verb
• piring = object

So it matches English fairly well:

• The child
  • broke
    • a plate

That makes this sentence quite straightforward for English speakers.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

meh-meh-CHAHK-an

More roughly by syllable:

• me
• me
• cah
• kan

A few notes:

• c in Indonesian is pronounced like English ch
• e in me is often a schwa-like sound, similar to the a in about
• k in -kan is clearly pronounced

So memecahkan sounds approximately like muh-muh-CHAH-kan.

No. This sentence is active, not passive.

• Anak itu memecahkan piring. = The child broke the plate.

If you want a passive meaning, Indonesian usually uses di-:

• Piring itu dipecahkan oleh anak itu. = The plate was broken by the child.

Often oleh is optional if the agent is clear:

• Piring itu dipecahkan anak itu.

So the sentence you were given is specifically an active sentence.