Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Patung itu indah sekali.

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”)?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually follow the noun:

patung itu = that/the statue
buku ini = this/the book

So the normal pattern is:

noun + demonstrative → patung itu, rumah ini, orang itu, etc.

Putting it before the noun (itu patung) is not the standard way to say “that statue”; it sounds more like “that (is a) statue” in some contexts.

Can “patung itu” mean “those statues” (plural), or is it only singular?

On its own, patung itu is grammatically neutral about number. Indonesian does not mark singular/plural on the noun itself:

patung can mean statue or statues, depending on context.
patung itu can mean that/the statue or those/the statues.

If you specifically want to make it clearly plural, you might say:

patung-patung itu = those statues
(reduplication often indicates plural)

But in everyday speech, people often just say patung itu, and context tells you whether it’s one or more.

What’s the difference between “indah” and other words like “cantik” or “bagus”?

All three can relate to beauty or goodness, but they’re used in slightly different ways:

indah: “beautiful” in a somewhat elevated or poetic sense; common for scenery, art, music, language, views.
- pemandangan indah = beautiful scenery
- lagu yang indah = a beautiful song
cantik: usually “pretty/beautiful” for people (especially women), also for things that look cute or attractive.
- wanita cantik = a pretty woman
- baju cantik = a pretty dress
bagus: more like “good / great / nice”, often about quality or how good something is, not purely visual beauty.
- filmnya bagus = the movie is good
- ide yang bagus = a good idea

For a statue, indah suggests it’s artistically beautiful, not just “nice” or “good.”

What does “sekali” mean here, and where does it go in the sentence?

In this sentence, sekali means “very” (as an intensifier), not “once.”

indah sekali = very beautiful

When sekali means “very”, it comes after the adjective:

indah sekali = very beautiful
mahal sekali = very expensive
lelah sekali = very tired

If sekali is used in the sense of “once”, it usually appears in a different context (e.g. satu kali “once,” sekali sehari “once a day”), and it doesn’t directly follow an adjective like this.

Can I say “sangat indah” instead of “indah sekali”? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Patung itu sangat indah.
This also means “That statue is very beautiful.”

Differences in nuance:

sangat + adjective: more formal / neutral; often used in writing, speeches, polite conversation.
adjective + sekali: also standard, slightly more natural in everyday speech.
adjective + banget: very informal / colloquial (Jakarta and popular speech).
- indah banget = super casual “very beautiful.”

In most situations, indah sekali and sangat indah are interchangeable.

Can I combine them and say “Patung itu sangat indah sekali”?

In standard Indonesian, you generally should not stack sangat and sekali together. Using both is like saying “very extremely beautiful”, which is redundant.

Natural: Patung itu indah sekali.
Natural: Patung itu sangat indah.
Avoid (in standard use): Patung itu sangat indah sekali.

In casual speech some people may say it for extra emphasis, but it sounds exaggerated and non-standard.

Is it possible to drop “itu” and just say “Patung indah sekali”?

You can say Patung indah sekali, but the nuance changes:

Patung itu indah sekali.
→ Refers to a specific, known statue: “That/The statue is very beautiful.”
Patung indah sekali.
→ Sounds more like a general statement: “Statues are very beautiful” / “A statue is very beautiful (in general).”

Without itu, it loses the sense of pointing to a particular statue. In most real-life situations where you’re looking at one statue, patung itu is more natural.

Can I change the word order, like “Indah sekali patung itu”?

Yes, that is possible and grammatical, but it changes the emphasis:

Patung itu indah sekali.
→ Neutral statement: focus on “the statue” as the topic.
Indah sekali patung itu.
→ Emphasis on how beautiful it is: roughly like saying
“How very beautiful that statue is.”

The second feels a bit more expressive or dramatic.
However, Patung itu indah sekali is the most common, neutral order.

How do you pronounce “patung itu indah sekali”, especially “ng” in patung?

Pronunciation tips:

patung: /PA-tung/
- ng at the end is a single nasal sound, like -ng in English “song”, not like “n” + “g”.
itu: /EE-too/
- “i” like ee in “see.”
indah: /IN-dah/
- final h is lightly audible, like a small breath.
sekali: /sə-KA-lee/ (schwa-like “e” in se-; stress on -KA-)

Rough stress pattern: PA-tung EE-tu IN-dah sə-KA-li.