Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.

musisi itu can be understood as:
- that musician (specific, maybe mentioned before or visible)
- the musician (a particular one the speaker assumes you know)

Context decides whether you translate it as that or the in English, but the Indonesian form is the same.

Why is itu placed after musisi? Why not itu musisi?

In Indonesian, when itu means that/the as a determiner, it usually comes after the noun:

musisi itu = that/the musician
buku itu = that/the book
rumah itu = that/the house

When itu comes before something, it usually works more like a pronoun or a topic marker:

Itu musisi terkenal. = That (person) is a famous musician.

So:

musisi itu = that/the musician (noun phrase)
itu musisi = more like that is a musician (a whole clause)

Can I leave out itu and just say Musisi terkenal di kota kami?

You can say Musisi terkenal di kota kami, but the meaning changes:

Musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.
= That/the (specific) musician is famous in our city.
Musisi terkenal di kota kami.
= Musicians are famous in our city. / Musicians are well-known in our city in general.
(Sounds more generic, not about one particular musician.)

So itu is what makes it clear you’re talking about one specific musician, not musicians in general.

Is terkenal an adjective or a verb? Why don’t we need something like is or adalah?

Terkenal is an adjective meaning famous, but in Indonesian, adjectives can function as the predicate of a sentence without any verb “to be”.

So:

Musisi itu terkenal.
Literally: That musician famous.
Natural English: That musician is famous.

No adalah is needed. In fact:

Musisi itu adalah terkenal.

is usually unnatural in this simple sentence. Adalah is used more before nouns or in formal definitions:

Dia adalah musisi terkenal. = He/She is a famous musician.
(adalah + noun phrase)

What does the ter- in terkenal mean? Is it like a prefix?

Yes, ter- is a very common prefix in Indonesian. It has several functions, but in terkenal it’s part of a stative adjective:

terkenal = famous / well-known

Historically it’s related to kenal (to know / to be acquainted with), but you should treat terkenal as a fixed word meaning famous, not as ter- + kenal in everyday use.

Other common ter- adjectives:

terbuka = open
tertidur = asleep
terlambat = late

But the exact meaning of ter- depends on the word, so you usually learn it word by word.

Why is di used here? Does di mean in or at in di kota kami?

Di is a general location preposition that can be translated as in, at, or on depending on context.

In this sentence:

di kota kami = in our city

Some examples:

di rumah = at home / in the house
di sekolah = at school
di meja = on the table

So English has to choose between in/at/on, but Indonesian usually just uses di for location.

What is the difference between kami and kita? Why is it kota kami, not kota kita?

Both kami and kita can mean we / us / our, but:

kami = we (excluding the listener)
kita = we (including the listener)

So:

kota kami = our city (not including you)
kota kita = our city (including you)

In this sentence, kota kami suggests the speaker is talking about their city, and the listener is an outsider (not from that city). If the listener is also from that city, kota kita would sound more natural.

How would I say “The musicians are famous in our city” (plural) in Indonesian?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark plural unless it needs to be clear from context. Several options are possible:

Rely on context:
- Musisi terkenal di kota kami.
  = Musicians are famous in our city. (understood as plural from context)
Make plural explicit:
- Para musisi terkenal di kota kami.
  (para is a plural marker often used with people, more formal/polite.)
- Musisi-musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.
  (reduplication for plural + itu for specific the musicians)

All are grammatically correct; which one you choose depends on style and how explicit you want to be.

Can I change the word order to Di kota kami, musisi itu terkenal?

Yes. Both are correct:

Musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.
Di kota kami, musisi itu terkenal.

The second version puts more emphasis on “in our city”, like:

In our city, that musician is famous (maybe not elsewhere).

It’s a normal and natural word-order change in Indonesian.

Is this sentence talking about the present, past, or general time? There’s no tense marker.

Indonesian verbs and adjectives do not change form for tense. Terkenal stays the same for present, past, or general statements.

Musisi itu terkenal di kota kami can mean:

That musician is famous in our city. (now)
That musician was famous in our city. (with past context)
That musician is/was generally known as famous in our city. (timeless fact)

If you need to be explicit, you add time words:

Dulu, musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.
= In the past, that musician was famous in our city.
Sekarang, musisi itu terkenal di kota kami.
= Now, that musician is famous in our city.