Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Lukisan yang paling saya suka menggambarkan langit malam penuh bintang. - The painting I like the most depicts a night sky full of stars.

Yang is a relative pronoun that introduces a clause describing lukisan. It corresponds to “that” or “which” in English and links the noun lukisan to the description paling saya suka.

What does paling do in yang paling saya suka?

Paling is the superlative marker meaning “most.” In yang paling saya suka, it turns the clause into “that I like the most.”

Can I say yang saya paling suka instead of yang paling saya suka?

Yes. Yang saya paling suka is also grammatically correct and means the same thing (“that I like the most”). However, placing paling immediately after yang is the more common and neutral word order.

Is it possible to omit yang and say Lukisan paling saya suka menggambarkan…?

Yes. In informal speech or writing you can drop yang:
Lukisan paling saya suka menggambarkan langit malam penuh bintang.
This still means “The painting I like the most depicts a night sky full of stars,” though using yang is slightly more formal.

Why don’t we need yang before penuh bintang in langit malam penuh bintang?

In Indonesian, adjectives or adjective phrases can directly follow a noun without yang. Langit malam penuh bintang literally means “night sky (that is) full of stars.” You could insert yang (langit malam yang penuh bintang), but it isn’t required.

Why is it langit malam instead of malam langit?

In Indonesian noun phrases, the head noun comes first and the modifier follows. Here langit (sky) is the head, and malam (night) modifies it, so “night sky” becomes langit malam (“sky of night”).

What form is menggambarkan and why not just menggambar?

Menggambarkan is the active-transitive form, built from the root gambar with the prefix meng- and the suffix -kan, meaning “to depict.” Menggambar simply means “to draw,” whereas menggambarkan emphasizes that the painting portrays or depicts the scene.

Could we use saya sukai instead of saya suka here?

Yes. Sukai is a transitive verb form meaning “to like” as well. So you could say lukisan yang paling saya sukai to mean “the painting that I like the most.” It’s a bit more formal, but both are correct.

What is the grammatical role of yang in yang paling saya suka?

In this relative clause, yang functions as a placeholder for lukisan (the object). The clause paling saya suka then tells us what is true about that yang (i.e., it’s what I like the most).

Why doesn’t suka require a preposition before its object?

In Indonesian, transitive verbs like suka attach their object directly without prepositions. So saya suka lukisan becomes in a relative clause lukisan yang saya suka (“the painting that I like”) with no additional preposition.