Perpustakaan itu punya banyak anggota.

That library has many members.

Breakdown of Perpustakaan itu punya banyak anggota.

• itu: that
• punya: to have
• banyak: many
• perpustakaan: the library
• anggota: the member

Questions & Answers about Perpustakaan itu punya banyak anggota.

What is the function of itu in this sentence? Could we omit it?

itu is a demonstrative pronoun placed after the noun perpustakaan. It means “that” or, in context, “the.” By saying perpustakaan itu, you point to a specific library. You can omit itu if the library is already clear from context, but then it would be just Perpustakaan punya banyak anggota, which sounds more general (“A library has many members”).

Why is punya used here? Is it a verb? Could we use mempunyai or memiliki instead?

Yes, punya is an informal verb meaning “to have.” It functions exactly like “has” in English. In formal writing you can replace it with mempunyai or memiliki.
Example: Perpustakaan itu memiliki banyak anggota.
All three mean “The library has many members,” but punya is more conversational.

What does banyak do in banyak anggota? Why not anggota banyak?

banyak is a quantifier meaning “many” or “a lot of.” In Indonesian, quantifiers and adjectives usually come before the noun they modify. So you always say banyak anggota, not anggota banyak.

Why is there no article like “the” or “a” in Indonesian?

Indonesian doesn’t have articles like “a,” “an,” or “the.” Definiteness is often marked by context or by demonstratives such as ini (this) or itu (that). So perpustakaan itu covers “that library” or “the library.”

Can we make the sentence negative? How do we say “The library doesn’t have many members”?

Yes. You insert tidak before punya:
Perpustakaan itu tidak punya banyak anggota.
That literally means “That library does not have many members.”

Could we instead say “Ada banyak anggota di perpustakaan itu”? What’s the nuance?

Absolutely. Ada banyak anggota di perpustakaan itu means “There are many members in that library.”
– Ada stresses existence: “there is/are.”
– Punya stresses possession: “has.”
Both are correct; you choose based on whether you want to highlight existence or ownership.

Is anggota singular or plural? Why doesn’t it change form for “many”?

anggota is both singular and plural. Indonesian nouns don’t change form for number. You rely on words like satu (one), dua (two), or quantifiers like banyak (many) to show quantity.

What is the typical word order in Indonesian? This sentence seems SVO like English.

Correct—Indonesian generally follows Subject–Verb–Object (SVO). Here:
Subject = Perpustakaan itu
Verb = punya
Object = banyak anggota
This mirrors English “The library has many members.”