Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.

I like stories about outer space.

Breakdown of Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.

• sebuah: a
• saya: I
• suka: to like
• cerita: the story
• tentang: about
• luar angkasa: outer space

Questions & Answers about Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.

What exactly does tentang mean here? Is it always translated as about?

In this sentence, tentang links the noun cerita (stories) to the topic luar angkasa (outer space).

So cerita tentang luar angkasa literally means stories about outer space.

Tentang is a preposition that usually corresponds to English about / regarding / concerning when you are talking about the topic of something:

• buku tentang sejarah – a book about history
• film tentang hewan – a movie about animals
• pertanyaan tentang tugas – questions about the assignment

So yes, in most everyday contexts it will be translated as about in English, when referring to what something is about (its subject or theme).

Why is it luar angkasa and not angkasa luar? Are both possible?

The common and natural phrase in Indonesian for outer space is luar angkasa, literally outside (of) the sky/atmosphere.

• luar = outside
• angkasa = sky, atmosphere, space (in an older or more formal sense)

Angkasa luar can appear in some technical or older expressions, but in modern everyday Indonesian you will overwhelmingly see luar angkasa and that’s what sounds natural in this sentence.

So for a learner, you can treat luar angkasa as the fixed expression for outer space.

Is cerita singular or plural here? Does it mean story or stories?

Indonesian nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural. Context decides.

Cerita on its own can mean:

• a story
• the story
• stories (in general)

In Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa, the most natural English translation is I like stories about outer space, because we’re talking about that kind of content in general, not one specific story.

If you want to emphasize plurality, you can use cerita-cerita:

• Saya suka cerita-cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  = I like (lots of) stories about outer space.

But cerita alone is already fine and very common.

Why is there no word like a or the before cerita?

Indonesian does not have articles like English a / an / the. Nouns generally appear without any article:

• buku – book / a book / the book / books (depending on context)
• orang – person / people
• cerita – story / stories

If you need to be very specific, you use other words or context, for example:

• cerita itu – that story / the story
• sebuah cerita – a story (one story; sebuah is a classifier)

But in your sentence, Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa, we’re talking about the type of thing you like in general, so no article is needed.

Can I drop saya and just say Suka cerita tentang luar angkasa?

Yes, in casual conversation you can often omit the subject pronoun when it’s clear from context.

So:

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. – more complete, neutral
• Suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. – sounds casual, often used in speech or informal writing, especially if you’ve already established that you’re talking about yourself.

In very informal situations, many speakers would also say:

• Aku suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.
• Gue suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. (Jakarta slang / colloquial)

But in textbooks and neutral/formal contexts, Saya suka… is the safest form.

What’s the difference between suka, cinta, sayang, and gemar?

All of these can be translated as some kind of like / love, but they’re used differently:

• suka

  • Basic word for to like (things, activities, sometimes people).
  • Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. – I like stories about outer space.
  • Dia suka kopi. – He/She likes coffee.

• cinta

  • Strong romantic or deep love; not used for ordinary preferences.
  • Saya cinta kamu. – I love you (romantically).
  • Not natural to say Saya cinta cerita tentang luar angkasa for simple liking.

• sayang

  • Affectionate love/care (family, close friends, pets).
  • Saya sayang ibu saya. – I love my mother (I care about her).

• gemar

  • More formal or bookish version of really like / be fond of / be keen on.
  • Saya gemar cerita tentang luar angkasa. – I am fond of stories about outer space.
  • Sounds a bit formal; you see it in writing, not so much in everyday speech.

In your sentence, suka is the most natural and neutral choice.

Can I say Saya suka tentang luar angkasa like I like about outer space?

No, Saya suka tentang luar angkasa is not natural Indonesian.

Suka directly takes the thing you like as its object. You don’t use tentang after suka that way.

Correct patterns:

• Saya suka luar angkasa. – I like outer space.
• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. – I like stories about outer space.
• Saya suka belajar tentang luar angkasa. – I like learning about outer space.

So use tentang not after suka, but after a noun or verb that describes an activity or thing, like cerita, buku, pelajaran, belajar, etc.

Is cerita a noun or a verb here? How is it different from bercerita and menceritakan?

In Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa, cerita is a noun meaning story / stories.

Related forms:

• cerita (noun) – story, tale

  • cerita lucu – a funny story
  • cerita sedih – a sad story

• bercerita (verb) – to tell a story / to narrate

  • Dia suka bercerita. – He/She likes telling stories.
  • Nenek bercerita tentang masa mudanya. – Grandma tells stories about her youth.

• menceritakan (verb) – to tell (something), to relate (something)

  • Dia menceritakan pengalamannya. – He/She tells (about) his/her experience.
  • Often takes an object: what is being told.

Compare:

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  I like stories about outer space. (noun)

• Saya suka bercerita tentang luar angkasa.
  I like telling stories / talking about outer space. (verb)

How would I say I like talking about outer space, not I like stories about outer space?

For I like talking about outer space, you’d normally use a verb like berbicara or bercerita:

• Saya suka berbicara tentang luar angkasa.
  = I like talking about outer space.

You could also say:

• Saya suka bercerita tentang luar angkasa.
  = I like telling stories / talking (in a storytelling way) about outer space.

Your original sentence:

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  = I like stories about outer space. (the noun cerita, not the activity of talking)

Can I put tentang luar angkasa before cerita, like Saya suka tentang luar angkasa cerita?

No, that word order is not natural in Indonesian.

The usual pattern is:

[noun] + tentang + [topic]

So you say:

• cerita tentang luar angkasa – stories about outer space
• buku tentang hewan – a book about animals
• film tentang perang – a movie about war

You do not normally say tentang luar angkasa cerita.

So the correct word order in your sentence is:

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.

How would I make the sentence more clearly plural, like I like lots of stories about outer space?

You can use reduplication to emphasize plurality:

• Saya suka cerita-cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  = I like (many) stories about outer space.

Reduplication (cerita-cerita) often suggests various / many stories. Note that even without it, cerita on its own can already be understood as plural from context, but cerita-cerita makes it more explicit.

How could I make the sentence sound more formal or more casual?

Neutral / standard (what you have):

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.

More formal:

• Saya gemar membaca cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  (I am fond of reading stories about outer space.)
• Saya sangat menyukai cerita tentang luar angkasa.
  (I really like stories about outer space.)

More casual / spoken:

• Aku suka cerita tentang luar angkasa.
• Gue suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. (Jakarta slang)

The structure [pronoun] suka [noun phrase] stays the same; you mostly change the pronoun or add other words to adjust formality.

Do I need akan anywhere in this sentence? I’ve seen akan used for about or future.

You do not need akan in this sentence.

In modern Indonesian:

• akan is mainly used to mark future tense (similar to will):
  
  • Saya akan pergi. – I will go.

Older or more formal Indonesian sometimes used akan in ways that overlap with about / regarding, but in current standard usage, that role is filled by words like tentang, mengenai, perihal.

For your sentence, the correct and natural preposition is tentang, not akan:

• Saya suka cerita tentang luar angkasa. ✅
• Saya suka cerita akan luar angkasa. ❌ (wrong in modern usage)