Pesta kecil itu sangat meriah.

That small party is very lively.

Breakdown of Pesta kecil itu sangat meriah.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• sangat: very
• kecil: small
• pesta: the party
• meriah: lively

Questions & Answers about Pesta kecil itu sangat meriah.

Why is kecil placed after pesta instead of before pesta?

In Indonesian, adjectives almost always follow the noun they modify. So pesta kecil literally means “small party.” Placing kecil before pesta (i.e. kecil pesta) would sound unnatural to native speakers.

What role does itu play in the phrase pesta kecil itu? Could I drop it?

• itu is a demonstrative determiner equivalent to English that.
• pesta kecil alone means “a small party” (indefinite), whereas pesta kecil itu zooms in on “that small party” (definite).
• You can omit itu if you just want to say “a small party was very festive,” but you lose the specific “that” nuance.

Why isn’t there a verb like adalah in the sentence?

Indonesian often omits the copula “to be” in simple statements. Instead of saying pesta kecil itu adalah sangat meriah, you just say pesta kecil itu sangat meriah. The structure [Subject] + [Adverb/Intensifier] + [Adjective] already conveys “was very festive.”

What exactly does meriah mean?

meriah describes an event or atmosphere as lively, festive, vibrant, or full of cheer. In this context, it tells us the party was fun, crowded with energy, decorations, music, etc.

Why use sangat before meriah? Are there other ways to intensify it?

• sangat is a very common intensifier meaning “very.”
• Alternatives include sekali (extremely), amat (very), terlalu (too), and benar-benar (truly).
• For example, you could say pesta kecil itu meriah sekali or pesta kecil itu benar-benar meriah.

Where would sekali go if I used it instead of sangat?

When you use sekali, it usually follows the adjective:
• pesta kecil itu meriah sekali
This order is more natural than sekali meriah.

What’s the difference between pesta kecil ini and pesta kecil itu?

• ini = “this,” referring to something close to the speaker.
• itu = “that,” referring to something more distant (physically or in context).
  So pesta kecil ini would be “this small party” (e.g. one we’re at now), while pesta kecil itu is “that small party” (perhaps one we talked about earlier).

How can I turn the statement into a question?

You have two common options:

1. Add apakah at the start: Apakah pesta kecil itu sangat meriah?
2. Keep the word order and add a question tag or rising intonation: Pesta kecil itu sangat meriah, ya?

Can you break down the sentence word by word?

• pesta = party
• kecil = small
• itu = that
• sangat = very
• meriah = festive/lively