Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Sepatu itu cocok dengan pakaian biru saya.

itu is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” (or “those” when referring to plural nouns in context). It comes after the noun to specify which shoes you’re talking about: “those shoes.”

Why is cocok dengan used to express “goes well with” instead of cocok untuk?

cocok dengan literally means “matches with” and is used to link two items (e.g., shoes and clothing) that coordinate in style or color.
cocok untuk means “suitable for” or “appropriate for a purpose,” not “matching” in fashion sense.

Why does the possessor saya come after pakaian biru instead of before, like in English?

Indonesian uses post-nominal possession: the possessor follows the noun phrase. So pakaian biru saya is literally “clothes/garment blue my,” i.e., “my blue clothes.”

Is pakaian biru saya different from baju biru saya?

pakaian is a general word for “clothing” or “garment.”
baju specifically means “shirt” or “top.”
You choose baju biru saya if you mean “my blue shirt,” and pakaian biru saya for “my blue outfit/garment” more broadly.

Can we leave out itu and just say Sepatu cocok dengan pakaian biru saya?

Yes. If the context already makes clear which shoes you mean, you can omit itu. It becomes a general statement: “Shoes go well with my blue outfit.”

How do you convey articles like “the” or “a” in Indonesian since they’re missing here?

Indonesian has no direct equivalents of “the” or “a.” Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or added demonstratives (ini = “this,” itu = “that”). If needed, you can say sebuah sepatu (“a shoe”) or sepatu itu (“the/that shoe”).

What tense is implied by cocok? How would you express past or future?

Indonesian verbs aren’t inflected for tense. cocok is neutral time-wise. To indicate time, add time adverbs or auxiliaries:

Past: Kemarin sepatu itu cocok dengan pakaian biru saya.
Future: Nanti sepatu itu akan cocok dengan pakaian biru saya.

Why is it dengan instead of dan between cocok and pakaian?

dengan is a preposition meaning “with,” used to express accompaniment or combination (they match).
dan is a conjunction meaning “and,” used for listing items, not matching or compatibility.

Can I use synonyms like pas dengan or sesuai dengan instead of cocok dengan?

Yes:

pas dengan conveys “perfect fit/match with.”
sesuai dengan means “in accordance with” or “appropriate for.”
But cocok dengan is the most natural for saying things “go well together” in fashion.

Why don’t we say “my blue clothing” as saya pakaian biru?

Because in Indonesian, modifiers and possessors follow the main noun. The order is: Noun + (Adjective) + (Possessor). So pakaian biru saya is correct, not saya pakaian biru.