Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Tugas itu rumit, tetapi tenggatnya besok pagi. - That assignment is complicated, but the deadline is tomorrow morning.

Tugas means task/assignment; putting itu after the noun makes it definite: tugas itu = “that (specific) assignment” or “the assignment (already known in context).”
Without itu, tugas is more generic/indefinite.
Compare:
- Tugas itu rumit. = That/the assignment is complicated.
- Itu tugas rumit. = That is a complicated assignment. (Here itu is a pronoun “that,” not a post-nominal determiner.)

Why is there no word for “is” in Tugas itu rumit?

Indonesian doesn’t use a copula (“is/are”) before adjectives. You simply put the subject followed by the adjective:

Tugas itu rumit. = The assignment is complicated. Using adalah before an adjective is usually unnatural:
✗ Tugas itu adalah rumit. However, adalah is fine before a noun or certain noun-like phrases:
Tenggatnya adalah besok pagi. (more formal; still, Tenggatnya besok pagi is perfectly natural)

What does the suffix -nya in tenggatnya mean?

-nya can mark third-person possession (“its/his/her”), or make a noun definite (“the/that [known]”). Here it most naturally means “its deadline,” referring back to the assignment:

tenggatnya = its deadline / the (already mentioned) deadline. Other ways to say it:
tenggat tugas itu = the deadline of that assignment (more explicit)
batas waktunya = its time limit/deadline
deadline-nya = its deadline (colloquial; note the hyphen with a loanword)

Is tenggat the standard word for “deadline”? Are there synonyms?

Yes, tenggat is standard Indonesian (also frequently heard as tenggat waktu). Common synonyms:

batas waktu = time limit/deadline
deadline (very common in daily speech/writing)
jatuh tempo (best for payments/invoices, due date) All are understood; choose based on formality and context. In casual settings, deadline or batas waktu are very common.

Why is there a comma before tetapi?

In standard Indonesian punctuation, a comma is used before the contrastive conjunction tetapi when it connects two clauses:

Tugas itu rumit, tetapi tenggatnya besok pagi. You generally don’t put a comma before dan/atau unless needed for clarity, but you do before tetapi.

What’s the difference among tetapi, tapi, namun, and akan tetapi?

tetapi = but/however (neutral–formal; good in writing)
tapi = but (informal, very common in speech)
namun = however (adverb; often starts a sentence/clause: Namun, …)
akan tetapi = however/nevertheless (formal/literary) You can rewrite the sentence as:
Tugas itu rumit, tapi tenggatnya besok pagi. (informal)
Tugas itu rumit; namun, tenggatnya besok pagi. (formal with a semicolon)

Is tugas singular or plural here?

Indonesian typically doesn’t mark plural on nouns. Tugas itu could mean “that assignment” (singular) or, in context, “those tasks.” If you want to mark plural explicitly, use reduplication:

tugas-tugas itu = those tasks.

What’s the nuance of rumit versus sulit, susah, or kompleks?

rumit = complicated/intricate (many interrelated parts; the structure is involved)
sulit = difficult/hard (high effort required)
susah = hard/difficult (colloquial; can also imply bothersome)
kompleks = complex (often technical/formal, similar to “complex” in English) So an assignment can be rumit (intricate) without being sulit (hard), or vice versa.

Is besok pagi the only way to say “tomorrow morning”?

No. Options:

besok pagi (most common)
esok pagi (a bit more formal/literary)
pada besok pagi (possible in very formal writing, but usually unnecessary) Fronting for emphasis is fine:
Besok pagi tenggatnya. = Tomorrow morning is the deadline. Related time slots: besok siang/sore/malam/dini hari.

Can I switch the clause order?

Yes. For emphasis on the deadline, you can say:

Tenggatnya besok pagi, tetapi tugas itu rumit. Both orders are grammatical; the first clause typically carries the main topical focus.

Is Tenggatnya besok pagi grammatical without a verb?

Yes. Indonesian allows nominal or adverbial predicates without a copula:

Tenggatnya besok pagi. = The deadline (is) tomorrow morning. Using adalah here is also acceptable (more formal): Tenggatnya adalah besok pagi.

How would I ask “When is the deadline?” in Indonesian?

Kapan tenggatnya? (neutral)
Tenggatnya kapan? (colloquial, very common)
Kapan batas waktunya? / Kapan deadline-nya? (alternatives)

Do I need itu with tugas? What changes if I drop it?

Tugas itu rumit. = That/the specific assignment is complicated (definite, known in context).
Tugas rumit. = A/assignments are complicated (generic or indefinite; context decides). Use itu when you want to point to a particular, identifiable assignment.

Any pronunciation tips for tenggat and tetapi?

tenggat: the ngg represents [ŋg], like “finger.” Roughly [teng-gat], with a hard g.
tetapi: stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable: te-TA-pi.