Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat. - I like eating fried chicken with tomato sauce.

Saya means I / me and is the standard, neutral, polite form used in most situations (talking to strangers, at work, in writing, in class).

Aku also means I / me, but it’s:

more informal / intimate
common with friends, family, or in songs, poetry, social media

Very roughly:

To a teacher / in a formal email: saya
To a close friend: aku

The rest of the sentence doesn’t change when you switch:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
Aku suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.

Why is it suka makan and not something like suka untuk makan to mean “like to eat”?

In Indonesian, when one verb is followed by another, the second verb usually comes directly after it, with no word like to in between.

So:

suka makan = like eat → “like to eat / like eating”
You do not say suka untuk makan in this sentence; it sounds unnatural here.

Other examples:

Saya mau tidur. = I want to sleep.
Dia bisa berenang. = He/She can swim.

The base pattern is [verb] + [base verb], without an extra linking word.

Is makan here “to eat” or “eating”? How should I think about it?

The Indonesian word makan is a base verb and doesn’t change form.
Its meaning in English depends on context:

Saya suka makan…
→ can be translated as “I like to eat…” or “I like eating…”

Indonesian doesn’t mark this infinitive/gerund distinction. So you just remember:

makan = eat / to eat / eating depending on the English sentence.

Can I change the word order, like Saya suka ayam goreng makan dengan saus tomat?

No, that word order is incorrect and confusing in Indonesian.

Standard order is:

Subject: Saya
Verb 1 (feeling): suka
Verb 2 (action): makan
Object: ayam goreng
Extra information: dengan saus tomat

So:

✅ Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
❌ Saya suka ayam goreng makan dengan saus tomat. (ungrammatical)

You can, however, omit parts:

Saya suka ayam goreng. = I like fried chicken (as a thing).
Saya suka makan ayam goreng. = I like to eat fried chicken.

The main order (Subject – Verb – Object – Extras) stays the same.

Why is it ayam goreng and not goreng ayam?

In Indonesian, describing words (adjectives or modifiers) usually come after the noun.

ayam = chicken
goreng = fried

So:

ayam goreng = fried chicken (chicken that is fried)
goreng ayam would sound like an instruction: fry the chicken (a verb + object), not a noun phrase.

Other examples:

kopi panas = hot coffee
baju merah = red shirt
mobil baru = new car

Does ayam goreng mean “fried chicken” in general, or one specific piece? How do you show plural?

Ayam goreng on its own is number-neutral. It can mean:

fried chicken (in general)
fried chicken meat
some fried chicken / pieces of fried chicken

Indonesian normally doesn’t mark singular/plural unless it’s important from context:

To be more specific, you can add numbers or classifiers:

satu potong ayam goreng = one piece of fried chicken
dua potong ayam goreng = two pieces of fried chicken
beberapa potong ayam goreng = several pieces of fried chicken

But in your sentence:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.

it’s just a general statement: “I like eating fried chicken (with ketchup).”

What is the difference between suka, mau, and ingin?

They all relate to feelings or desires, but they’re different:

suka = to like (preference)
- Saya suka ayam goreng. = I like fried chicken.
mau = to want (often for immediate or near-future action)
- Saya mau makan ayam goreng. = I want to eat fried chicken.
ingin = to want / to wish (a bit more formal or thoughtful)
- Saya ingin makan ayam goreng. = I want to eat fried chicken / I’d like to eat fried chicken.

In your sentence, suka is correct because you’re stating a general liking, not a current wish.

What does dengan mean here, and can I replace it with something else?

Dengan literally means with. In this sentence:

dengan saus tomat = with tomato sauce / with ketchup

It shows that the fried chicken is eaten together with that sauce.

You can sometimes replace it with:

pakai saus tomat = with ketchup / using ketchup (more casual, very common in speech)
sama saus tomat (colloquial, especially in some regions)

So you might hear:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng pakai saus tomat. (natural and quite common in conversation)

But dengan is the standard, “safe” choice and works in both spoken and written Indonesian.

What exactly is saus tomat? Does it mean ketchup or tomato sauce?

Saus tomat literally means tomato sauce, but in everyday Indonesian it often corresponds to ketchup (the sweet bottled tomato sauce used as a condiment).

So in this sentence, the natural English translation is usually:

I like to eat fried chicken with ketchup.

If you needed to be very literal, you could say “with tomato sauce,” but context in Indonesia normally suggests ketchup-type sauce.

Why isn’t it saus tomatnya? What does adding -nya do?

The ending -nya can make a noun more specific or definite, a bit like “the”, “that”, or “its” depending on context.

saus tomat = ketchup / tomato sauce (in general)
saus tomatnya = the ketchup / that ketchup / its ketchup

For example:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
= I like to eat fried chicken with ketchup (general statement about preference).
Saya mau ayam gorengnya dengan saus tomatnya.
= I want the fried chicken with the ketchup (specific items in a specific situation, e.g., ordering).

In your sentence, we’re talking about a general habit or preference, so no -nya is needed.

How do I say this in the past or future? Indonesian doesn’t show tense in the verb, right?

Correct: Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense. Makan stays makan for past, present, and future.
You show time with time words (adverbs) instead.

Using your sentence:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
= I like to eat fried chicken with ketchup. (general, timeless)

To be clearly past (used to like / liked):

Dulu saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
= In the past I liked to eat fried chicken with ketchup.

To talk about the future (will like / will enjoy):

Saya akan tetap suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat.
= I will still like to eat fried chicken with ketchup.

Often Indonesians rely on context and don’t explicitly say dulu or akan unless needed.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? How would it change in casual speech?

Saya suka makan ayam goreng dengan saus tomat. is neutral and polite. You can safely use it:

in class
in writing
with people you don’t know well

In casual speech with friends, it might change slightly:

Aku suka makan ayam goreng pakai saus tomat.
- aku instead of saya (more informal)
- pakai instead of dengan (colloquial “with”)

Even more relaxed, depending on region:

Aku suka makan ayam goreng sama saus tomat.

But your original sentence is perfectly natural and widely acceptable.

What is the difference between Saya suka makan ayam goreng and Saya suka ayam goreng?

Both are correct but have slightly different focus:

Saya suka makan ayam goreng.
- Literally: I like to eat fried chicken.
- Emphasizes the activity of eating it.
Saya suka ayam goreng.
- Literally: I like fried chicken.
- Emphasizes the thing / food itself as something you like.

In everyday conversation, both can often be translated simply as “I like fried chicken,” but:

If you want to be parallel to English “I like to eat fried chicken,” use suka makan.