Breakdown of Laut di depan pantai itu tenang.
adalah
to be
itu
that
di
in
tenang
calm
pantai
the beach
laut
the sea
depan
front
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Questions & Answers about Laut di depan pantai itu tenang.
What does laut mean in this sentence?
laut means sea or ocean in English. It’s the subject of the sentence.
Why isn’t there an article like “the” or “a” before laut?
Indonesian does not have articles (a, an, the). Definiteness is shown by context or by using words like ini (this) and itu (that) rather than a dedicated article.
What do di and depan mean, and why are they two words instead of one?
di is a preposition meaning in/at/on; depan means front. Together di depan means in front of. Indonesian often uses a preposition + noun/adverb to form locative phrases.
Why is it pantai itu and not pantai ini or just pantai?
itu is the demonstrative that (farther from the speaker), while ini is this (nearer). With pantai itu you say that beach. If it were a nearby beach, you’d say pantai ini. Just pantai is more indefinite, like saying “beach” without pointing to which one.
Why does tenang come at the end, and why isn’t there an “is”?
Indonesian uses a Subject–Predicate order and has no copula (no verb “to be”). You simply state Subject + Adjective. So Laut … tenang literally means “Sea … calm.”
How do you say “very calm” instead of just “calm”?
Insert an intensifier before the adjective. For example:
Laut di depan pantai itu sangat tenang.
Here, sangat = very. You could also use amat (extremely) or cukup (quite).
How would you turn this statement into a question?
Two common ways:
1) Add Apakah at the beginning:
Apakah laut di depan pantai itu tenang?
2) Tag kan at the end for a confirmation question:
Laut di depan pantai itu tenang, kan?
Can you move tenang before laut like “Tenang laut di depan pantai itu”?
No. In Indonesian, adjectives in a predicate come after the subject phrase, not before. Putting tenang first would sound poetic or archaic, and is not normal everyday usage.