Perpustakaan itu punya banyak anggota.

that

Breakdown of Perpustakaan itu punya banyak anggota.

• punya: to have
• banyak: many
• perpustakaan: the library

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 (this) or (that). So covers “that library” or “the library.”