Mereka menunjukkan rasa kasihan kepada hewan itu.

It follows a very common Indonesian pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object + Prepositional phrase

So here:

• Mereka = subject
• menunjukkan = verb
• rasa kasihan = object
• kepada hewan itu = prepositional phrase showing the target of that feeling

A very literal breakdown would be something like:

They showed pity toward that animal.

Mereka means they or them, depending on its role in the sentence. Here it is the subject, so it means they.

A few useful points:

• It does not show gender, so it can mean they for any group.
• It is normally plural.
• Indonesian does not distinguish they for men vs women.
• It is usually used for people, though in some contexts it can refer to animals.

So mereka is much simpler than English pronouns in that sense.

Because Indonesian verbs do not change according to the subject.

In English, we compare:

• I show
• she shows
• they show

In Indonesian, the verb stays the same:

• saya menunjukkan
• dia menunjukkan
• mereka menunjukkan

There is no equivalent of English -s for third person singular, and no subject-verb agreement in that way.

Menunjukkan means to show, to display, or to demonstrate.

It comes from the root tunjuk, which is related to pointing or showing.

The form menunjukkan includes:

• the prefix meN-
• the root tunjuk
• the suffix -kan

This combination often makes a transitive verb, meaning a verb that takes an object.

So:

• menunjuk can mean to point or to appoint, depending on context
• menunjukkan more clearly means to show something

In this sentence, the thing being shown is rasa kasihan.

Because rasa kasihan is a noun phrase meaning something like a feeling of pity or compassion.

• rasa = feeling
• kasihan = pity, compassion, sorry-for-someone feeling

So menunjukkan rasa kasihan literally means to show a feeling of pity.

This is natural because menunjukkan usually takes a noun phrase as its object.

Compare:

• menunjukkan rasa kasihan = to show pity
• merasa kasihan = to feel pity / to feel sorry

A more everyday sentence might be:

• Mereka merasa kasihan pada hewan itu.

So the original sentence is correct, but slightly more formal or descriptive.

Kepada means to or toward, especially when the target is a person or other animate being.

Here it marks the target of the pity:

• kepada hewan itu = toward that animal / to that animal

It is not a location word. It is more about the direction of an action, feeling, or attitude.

So:

• kepada = to/toward someone or something animate
• ke = to a place

That is why kepada works better here than ke.

Yes, sometimes.

• pada is often a shorter, more everyday alternative to kepada
• terhadap often means toward in a more formal or abstract sense

So you may hear:

• Mereka merasa kasihan pada hewan itu.
  Very natural.

You may also see:

• rasa kasihan terhadap hewan itu
  Also possible, especially in more formal writing.

In this sentence, kepada is correct and clear. It sounds a bit more formal than pada.

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

So:

• hewan itu = that animal / the animal
• rumah itu = that house
• orang ini = this person

This is normal Indonesian word order.

English says:

• that animal

Indonesian says:

• hewan itu

Not always. Indonesian does not require nouns to show singular or plural the way English does.

So hewan itu can often be understood from context. In many cases it will mean that animal, but context could sometimes allow those animals.

If you want to make the plural very clear, Indonesian often uses reduplication:

• hewan-hewan itu = those animals

So number in Indonesian is often less explicitly marked than in English.

Both can mean animal, but they are not always identical in tone.

• hewan is more neutral and often a bit more formal
• binatang is common too, but can sound more earthy, colloquial, or harsher depending on context

In formal, educational, or careful writing, hewan is often preferred.

So in this sentence, hewan sounds very natural.

The sentence is grammatical and natural, but it sounds a little formal or written.

A more everyday way to say it would be:

• Mereka kasihan pada hewan itu.
• Mereka merasa kasihan pada hewan itu.

These are simpler and probably more common in conversation.

So:

• Mereka menunjukkan rasa kasihan kepada hewan itu. = correct, slightly formal/descriptive
• Mereka merasa kasihan pada hewan itu. = very natural in daily speech

It can feel like either, depending on context.

Literally, itu means that. But in many sentences, Indonesian uses itu to mark something as already known or specific, which can feel closer to English the.

So hewan itu could be understood as:

• that animal
• or the animal, if the animal is already known from context

This is a very common feature of Indonesian. The language does not have articles exactly like a and the, so words like itu often help make a noun specific.