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Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan.

Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan.
That movie about ancient animals is scary.
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Questions & Answers about Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan.

What does tentang mean, and how does the phrase film tentang hewan purba work grammatically?

Tentang means about / concerning / regarding.

  • film = film / movie
  • tentang = about
  • hewan purba = prehistoric animals

So film tentang hewan purba literally means “a film about prehistoric animals.”
Structurally, tentang hewan purba is a prepositional phrase (“about prehistoric animals”) that describes film, just like in English “a film about X.”

Why is it hewan purba and not purba hewan? Where do adjectives normally go in Indonesian?

In Indonesian, descriptive words that correspond to adjectives in English usually come after the noun, not before it.

  • hewan purba = “prehistoric animal(s)”
    • hewan = animal
    • purba = ancient / prehistoric

If you said purba hewan, it would sound wrong or at least very odd. The normal pattern is:

noun + adjective
hewan purba, rumah besar, mobil merah, buku baru, etc.

So hewan purba is exactly like saying “ancient animal(s)” in meaning, just with the order reversed.

In English we say “prehistoric animals” (plural). Here we just see hewan purba (singular “animal”). How do we know it can mean “prehistoric animals”?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural with an ending like English -s. A bare noun can mean “animal” or “animals,” depending on context.

  • hewan can mean animal or animals
  • buku can mean book or books
  • orang can mean person or people

If you really need to be explicit, you can:

  • add a number: tiga hewan purba (three prehistoric animals)
  • add a quantifier: banyak hewan purba (many prehistoric animals)
  • or use reduplication: hewan-hewan purba (prehistoric animals – more clearly plural)

In this sentence, a “film about prehistoric animals” is natural, so hewan purba is interpreted as plural in meaning.

What exactly does itu refer to in Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan? The film, or the animals?

In Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan, the itu refers to the film, not the animals.

The structure is:

  • Film tentang hewan purba itu = that film about prehistoric animals
  • menakutkan = is scary

So we group it as:

[Film tentang hewan purba itu] menakutkan.
That film about prehistoric animals is scary.

This word order is common: a noun (film) + a description (tentang hewan purba) + a pointing word (itu) all form one noun phrase: that film about prehistoric animals.

Could I also say Film itu tentang hewan purba. Film itu menakutkan.? Is that the same?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural.

  • Film itu tentang hewan purba. = That film is about prehistoric animals.
  • Film itu menakutkan. = That film is scary.

Your original sentence compresses both ideas into one clause:

Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan.

The meaning is effectively the same; the version with two sentences just makes the structure clearer for a learner.

Why is there no word like “is” (a copula) before menakutkan? Why not Film … adalah menakutkan?

Indonesian usually does not need a separate word for “is/are” when linking a subject to an adjective.

  • Film itu menakutkan.
    Literally: “That film scary/frightening.” → “That film is scary.”

You generally do not say adalah before an adjective:

  • ❌ Film itu adalah menakutkan. (unnatural / wrong)
  • ✅ Film itu menakutkan.

Adalah is mostly used before nouns or noun phrases:

  • Film itu adalah dokumenter. = That film is a documentary.
  • Dia adalah guru. = He/She is a teacher.

So with adjectives like menakutkan, just put them directly after the subject.

Is menakutkan a verb or an adjective in this sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t always draw a sharp line between verbs and adjectives the way English does, but here menakutkan functions like an adjective / stative verb meaning “scary, frightening.”

  • Film … menakutkan.
    Interpreted as “The film is scary.”

However, the same form menakutkan can also behave like a verb meaning “to frighten (someone)”:

  • Film itu menakutkan saya. = That film frightened me.

So:

  • predicate with no object → “is scary” (adjectival feeling)
  • predicate with an object → “frightens X” (verbal feeling)
What’s the difference between takut, menakutkan, and menakuti?

All three are related to the idea of fear, from the root takut (afraid).

  1. takut

    • Basic word: “afraid, scared” (like an adjective).
    • Saya takut. = I’m afraid.
    • Anak itu takut. = That child is scared.

  2. menakutkan

    • Formed from takut
      • me-
        • -kan.
    • Means “frightening, scary” or “to frighten (someone).”
    • Film itu menakutkan. = The film is scary.
    • Film itu menakutkan saya. = The film frightened me.

  3. menakuti

    • From takut
      • me-
        • -i.
    • More like “to scare (repeatedly) / to intimidate / to spook.”
    • Often used when the subject actively scares someone:
      • Dia menakuti adiknya. = He/She scares his/her younger sibling (e.g. as a prank).

In everyday speech, takut (afraid) and menakutkan (scary / frighten) are by far the most common around this sentence pattern.

How would I say “The film scared me” instead of “The film is scary”?

You can use menakutkan with an object:

  • Film itu menakutkan saya. = The film scared me / frightened me.

Compare:

  • Film itu menakutkan. = The film is scary. (no object)
  • Film itu menakutkan saya. = The film scared me. (object = saya, “me”)

You could also say more colloquially:

  • Saya takut sekali waktu menonton film itu. = I was really scared when I watched that film.
Can I add degree words like “very” or “a bit” with menakutkan, and where do they go?

Yes. You can use degree adverbs before or after menakutkan, depending on the word:

Common patterns:

  • sangat menakutkan = very scary
  • menakutkan sekali = extremely / really scary
  • cukup menakutkan = quite / fairly scary
  • agak menakutkan = a bit / rather scary

Examples:

  • Film itu sangat menakutkan. = That film is very scary.
  • Film itu menakutkan sekali. = That film is really scary.

In your original sentence, you could say:

  • Film tentang hewan purba itu sangat menakutkan.
    That film about prehistoric animals is very scary.
How do we know if this sentence is in the past, present, or future? Could it mean “was scary” as well?

Indonesian verbs/adjectives do not change form for tense, so:

  • Film tentang hewan purba itu menakutkan.

by itself could mean:

  • That film about prehistoric animals is scary.
  • That film about prehistoric animals was scary.
  • That film about prehistoric animals will be scary.

Context (or added time words) tells you the time:

  • Kemarin, film … itu menakutkan. = Yesterday, the film … was scary.
  • Nanti malam film … itu pasti menakutkan. = Tonight that film will surely be scary.

So the basic form menakutkan is time-neutral; tense comes from context.

Are there other common words for “scary” I could use instead of menakutkan here?

Yes, there are several natural alternatives, each with a slightly different nuance:

  • seram = spooky, creepy

    • Film tentang hewan purba itu seram.

  • menyeramkan = frightening, horrifying (from seram)

    • Film tentang hewan purba itu menyeramkan.

  • mengerikan = terrifying, horrible (stronger, often used for disturbing things)

    • Film tentang hewan purba itu mengerikan.

  • bikin takut (colloquial) = makes (you) scared

    • Film tentang hewan purba itu bikin takut.

Your original menakutkan is neutral and very common; the others just give different shades of “scary.”