Patung itu indah sekali.

to be

Breakdown of Patung itu indah sekali.

• itu: that
• indah: beautiful
• sekali: very

Questions & Answers about Patung itu indah sekali.

Why is there no word like “is” in the Indonesian sentence?

Indonesian usually does not use a verb like “to be” (is/are/am) before adjectives.
So instead of saying “The statue is very beautiful”, Indonesian simply says:

• Patung itu indah sekali. → literally “That statue very beautiful.”

Here, indah functions as a predicate adjective, and that’s enough to make a complete sentence in Indonesian. No extra linking verb is needed.

What exactly does “itu” mean here? Is it “that” or “the”?

Literally, itu means “that” (as in “that one over there”).
However, Indonesian doesn’t have a separate word for “the”, so itu often also works like “the” when you’re talking about a specific thing already known in the context.

So:

• Patung itu indah sekali.
  can be translated as:
  • “That statue is very beautiful.” or
  • “The statue is very beautiful.”

Both are acceptable translations, depending on context.

Why does “itu” come after “patung”, not before, like in English (“that statue”)?