Question 1

What does the word “Menurut” mean, and how do I use it?

Accepted Answer

It means “according to” and is a preposition that takes a noun phrase or pronoun.
- Examples: Menurut saya (according to me/in my opinion), Menurut berita (according to the news), Menurut aturan (according to the rules).
- If you need a clause after it, use a noun-y structure: Menurut apa yang dia katakan (according to what he said).
- Contrast: katanya = “they say/it’s said” (more hearsay), while menurut cites a source or viewpoint.

Question 2

Does “pelanggan lama” mean “old customers” in age?

Accepted Answer

No. Lama here means “long-time.” Pelanggan lama = long-time/longstanding customers. For age, use tua: pelanggan yang sudah tua (elderly customers). For former customers, say mantan pelanggan.

Question 3

Is “pelanggan lama” singular or plural?

Accepted Answer

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default, so it can be either. Add a marker if you need to be explicit:
- Singular: seorang pelanggan lama (a long-time customer)
- Plural (people): para pelanggan lama (long-time customers as a group)
- Quantified: beberapa pelanggan lama, dua orang pelanggan lama, banyak pelanggan lama

Question 4

Why is it “toko itu” and not “itu toko”?

Accepted Answer

As a demonstrative determiner, ini/itu usually follows the noun: toko itu = “that store.”  
Pre-noun itu can occur when itu acts more like a standalone “that” introducing a clause, e.g., Itu toko favorit saya (“That is my favorite store”). For “that store” inside a noun phrase, prefer toko itu.

Question 5

Where is the verb “to be”? Why isn’t there “adalah”?

Accepted Answer

Indonesian uses adjectives as predicates without a copula: kualitas … bagus = “the quality is good.”  
Use adalah mainly to equate two nouns: Dia adalah guru (He is a teacher). Don’t say … adalah bagus before an adjective.

Question 6

Can I say “kualitas barangnya bagus” instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the owner/source is clear from context. Barangnya = “the goods (its/their goods).”  
- Kualitas barang di toko itu bagus explicitly points to that store.  
- Kualitas barangnya bagus is shorter but relies on previous mention of the store/person.

Question 7

Do I need to say “barang-barang” instead of “barang”?

Accepted Answer

No. Barang already covers “goods” generically. Reduplication (barang-barang) can emphasize plurality/variety, but here it’s unnecessary and can sound heavy. Kualitas barang is the natural collocation.

Question 8

What’s the difference between “bagus” and “baik”?

Accepted Answer

- Bagus: good in quality/appearance/usefulness, usually for things. Ex: Film itu bagus, Tasnya bagus.  
- Baik: good in a moral/functional sense; also “well.” For quality statements, kualitasnya baik is also acceptable, but for physical products bagus is very common.  
Rule of thumb here: kualitas barang … bagus/baik both work; bagus is slightly more colloquial for products; baik can sound a bit more formal/neutral.

Question 9

Why is it “di toko itu”? Could I use “ke/dari/pada”?

Accepted Answer

- di = at/in (location): di toko itu (at that store).  
- ke = to (direction): ke toko itu (to that store).  
- dari = from (source): dari toko itu (from that store).  
- pada is more formal and used for time, recipients, or abstract relations; not for physical location here.

Question 10

Should there be a “yang” (e.g., “kualitas barang yang di toko itu …”)?

Accepted Answer

No. Yang introduces a relative clause. You’d use it if you add a verb/explanation:
- Good: kualitas barang yang dijual di toko itu bagus (the quality of the goods that are sold at that store is good).  
- Not good: yang di toko itu without a verb.

Question 11

Are there other natural ways to express the same idea?

Accepted Answer

Yes:
- Menurut pelanggan lama, barang di toko itu berkualitas tinggi.
- Menurut pelanggan lama, mutu barang di toko itu baik.
- Menurut para pelanggan lama, barang di toko itu bagus kualitasnya.
- Menurut pelanggan lama, toko itu menjual barang berkualitas.

Question 12

Is “kualitas” the only word for “quality”?

Accepted Answer

No. Mutu is a near-synonym (often formal/technical). You can also use berkualitas (tinggi) to mean “of (high) quality.”
- mutu barang (product quality)
- barang berkualitas tinggi (high-quality goods)

Question 13

Do I need the comma after “Menurut pelanggan lama”?

Accepted Answer

It’s recommended in writing because the phrase is a fronted adverbial (“According to …”). In casual text you might see it omitted, but the comma improves clarity.

Question 14

Any spelling pitfalls with “di”?

Accepted Answer

Yes:  
- di as a preposition (location) is written separately: di toko.  
- di- as a passive prefix attaches to verbs: dijual, dibeli.  
Your sentence uses the preposition: di toko (with a space).

Question 15

What’s the difference between “pelanggan lama,” “pelanggan tetap,” and “langganan”?

Accepted Answer

- Pelanggan lama: long-time customers (focus on duration).  
- Pelanggan tetap: regular/loyal customers (focus on regularity/loyalty).  
- Langganan: can mean “subscription/regular” or “regular place/person,” e.g., warung langganan saya (my regular stall). As “subscriber,” you might see pelanggan too, depending on context.

Menurut pelanggan lama, kualitas barang di toko itu bagus.

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Master Indonesian — from Menurut pelanggan lama, kualitas barang di toko itu bagus to fluency