Saya suka kue cokelat.

I like chocolate cake.

Breakdown of Saya suka kue cokelat.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• suka: to like
• kue: the cake
• cokelat: chocolate

Questions & Answers about Saya suka kue cokelat.

Can I leave out Saya and just say Suka kue cokelat?

In normal Indonesian, you usually keep the subject, so Saya suka kue cokelat is better.

You can drop Saya only when the context already makes it very clear who the subject is, for example:

• Someone asks: Kamu suka kue cokelat? (Do you like chocolate cake?)
• You reply quickly: Suka! (I do!)

But as a complete sentence, especially in writing or when you’re learning, keep Saya.

What is the difference between saya and aku for I?

Both mean I, but the nuance is different:

• saya
  
  • More formal and neutral
  • Safe in almost any situation: with strangers, at work, in writing, in class
• aku
  
  • More informal and intimate
  • Used with friends, family, people close to you

So:

• Saya suka kue cokelat. – Polite/neutral.
• Aku suka kue cokelat. – Casual, friendly.

As a learner, saya is the safest default.

Does suka mean like or love? How strong is it?

Suka basically means to like, to be fond of, or to enjoy.

• Saya suka kue cokelat. – I like / enjoy chocolate cake.

For a stronger emotion like love, Indonesian usually uses:

• cinta – deep, romantic or very strong love (for people, country, etc.)
• sayang – affection, fondness (for people, pets, family)

You normally wouldn’t say Saya cinta kue cokelat – that sounds exaggerated or joking. For food, suka (or suka sekali, sangat suka) is natural.

Why is it kue cokelat and not cokelat kue? What is the word order?

In Indonesian, the basic pattern is:

noun + description

So:

• kue = cake
• cokelat = chocolate (here, used like an adjective describing the cake)

Therefore: kue cokelat = chocolate cake.

Putting cokelat first (cokelat kue) is not normal Indonesian. Think of it as: cake (that is) chocolate → kue cokelat.

Where is the word for a or the? Why is it just kue cokelat?

Indonesian has no articles like a/an or the. Context usually tells you whether you mean a, the, or chocolate cake in general.

So Saya suka kue cokelat can mean:

• I like chocolate cake.
• I like chocolate cakes.
• I like the chocolate cake.

If you really want to specify one cake, you can use:

• Seekor / Sebuah / Satu for one, depending on the noun.
  For kue, people often say sepotong kue cokelat = a piece of chocolate cake.

How do I say I like chocolate cakes (plural)?

You can still say Saya suka kue cokelat and let context show it’s plural; that’s very normal.

If you really want to emphasize plural, you can use reduplication:

• Saya suka kue-kue cokelat. – I like chocolate cakes (various chocolate cakes).

But in everyday speech, most people just say kue cokelat, even when they mean plural.

Does kue only mean cake, or can it mean other things like cookies and pastries?

Kue is a broad word. It covers many kinds of small sweet (and some savory) baked or steamed snacks:

• cakes
• cookies
• pastries
• traditional Indonesian snacks (kue basah, kue kering, etc.)

In many contexts kue can be translated as cake, but sometimes cookie, pastry, or snack might be better depending on the type.

Here, kue cokelat is naturally understood as chocolate cake.

Why is it spelled cokelat and not coklat or chocolate?

The official Indonesian spelling is cokelat.

You might see:

• cokelat – standard, correct spelling (for both chocolate and the color brown).
• coklat – common informal or nonstandard variant in writing.
• chocolate – English; not used in standard Indonesian sentences.

So for proper Indonesian, stick with cokelat.

Does suka change for past, present, or future like English verbs do?

No. Indonesian verbs, including suka, do not conjugate for tense. Suka stays suka.

You show time by adding time words:

• Dulu saya suka kue cokelat. – I used to like chocolate cake.
• Sekarang saya suka kue cokelat. – I like chocolate cake now.
• Nanti / Besok saya masih suka kue cokelat. – I will (still) like chocolate cake later / tomorrow.

So the base form suka is used for all tenses; context and time expressions do the rest.

How do I say I really like chocolate cake?

You can intensify suka with words like sekali, sangat, or banget (informal):

• Saya sangat suka kue cokelat. – I really like / I like chocolate cake very much.
• Saya suka sekali kue cokelat. – I like chocolate cake very much.
• Saya suka banget kue cokelat. – I really like chocolate cake (very informal, colloquial).

Sangat and sekali are neutral; banget is casual.

How do I say I don’t like chocolate cake? Do I use tidak or bukan?

You use tidak to negate verbs and adjectives, including suka:

• Saya tidak suka kue cokelat. – I don’t like chocolate cake.

Bukan is used to negate nouns (It is not a cake) or to correct information, not here. So Saya bukan suka kue cokelat is wrong.

How do I turn this into a question: Do you like chocolate cake?

You mainly change the subject and use question intonation. Optionally, add apakah. For example:

• Kamu suka kue cokelat? – Do you like chocolate cake? (informal speech; rising intonation)
• Apakah kamu suka kue cokelat? – Do you like chocolate cake? (more formal/clear)

Answers could be:

• Ya, saya suka. – Yes, I do.
• Tidak, saya tidak suka. – No, I don’t.

Is Saya suka kue cokelat polite enough to use with strangers or in a restaurant?

Yes. Using saya makes it polite and neutral.

For example, if someone offers you dessert and asks what you like, saying Saya suka kue cokelat sounds perfectly polite and appropriate.

If you want to be extra polite in a service context, you might add softening phrases, but the sentence itself is already polite.