Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menurut saya, warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil. - In my opinion, that red lipstick color is too bright for a small family party.

menurut saya = in my opinion / according to me
- Slightly more neutral/formal.
- Sounds a bit like you’re giving a personal assessment.
saya pikir = I think (that)
- More direct, like English I think.
- Can sound a little more casual or straightforward.
saya rasa = I feel / I think
- Often used for softer, more subjective opinions or impressions.

In this sentence, Menurut saya makes the opinion sound polite and not too forceful, which fits a social context (talking about someone’s lipstick at a family party).

Can menurut saya appear in the middle or at the end of the sentence?

Yes. Indonesian word order is flexible for these “opinion” expressions.

All of these are possible and natural:

Menurut saya, warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.
Warna lipstik merah itu, menurut saya, terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.
Warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil, menurut saya.

The beginning position (the original sentence) is the most common; moving it to the middle or end just changes the emphasis slightly, like in English.

Why is it warna lipstik merah itu and not itu warna lipstik merah?

In Indonesian noun phrases, the demonstrative itu (that) usually comes after the whole noun phrase, not before it like English that.

Structure here:

warna = color (head noun)
lipstik merah = red lipstick (modifier phrase)
itu = that (demonstrative, referring to the whole NP)

So:

warna lipstik merah itu ≈ that red lipstick color / the color of that red lipstick
itu warna lipstik merah is grammatical but sounds more like “that is the color of red lipstick” (a full sentence with itu as a subject).

So for “that red lipstick color”, you keep itu at the end of the noun phrase.

Do we really need the word warna here? Could we just say Lipstik merah itu terlalu terang?

You don’t strictly need warna. Both are possible, with a nuance difference:

Menurut saya, lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.
= In my opinion, that red lipstick is too bright for a small family party.
(Commenting on the lipstick itself.)
Menurut saya, warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.
= In my opinion, the color of that red lipstick is too bright for a small family party.
(Focusing more specifically on the color.)

In everyday speech, many Indonesians would simply say lipstik merah itu terlalu terang. Adding warna sounds slightly more descriptive or precise.

In warna lipstik merah itu, what exactly is red: the lipstick or the color? Is this phrase ambiguous?

The natural reading is:

lipstik merah = red lipstick
warna lipstik merah = the color of (the) red lipstick
warna lipstik merah itu = the color of that red lipstick

So the lipstick is red, and you’re talking about its color. There is a bit of redundancy (red lipstick → its color), but it’s acceptable and understandable.

If you wanted to be very explicit that the color itself is red, you might say:

warna merah dari lipstik itu = the red color of that lipstick

Why is merah placed after lipstik, instead of before it like in English (red lipstick)?

In Indonesian:

Adjectives normally come after the noun they modify.

So:

lipstik merah = lipstick red (literally) = red lipstick
pesta kecil = party small = small party
keluarga kecil = family small = small family

Putting merah before lipstik (like merah lipstik) would be ungrammatical or would sound very strange in standard Indonesian.

What is the nuance of terlalu terang? Is it just very bright, or does it mean too bright?

Terlalu means too / excessively, not just very.

terlalu terang = too bright (more than appropriate)
sangat terang = very bright (strong brightness, no clear negative judgment)
cukup terang = bright enough / quite bright

So terlalu terang carries a negative or “not suitable” nuance: the brightness is more than what is appropriate for a small family party.

Could we replace terang with other words like cerah or mencolok? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can, and each choice adds a different nuance:

terang
- Basic “bright” (referring to light or color intensity).
- Neutral word, just “too bright.”
cerah
- “Bright / vivid / cheerful.”
- Often used for weather (cuaca cerah) or bright, lively colors.
- terlalu cerah = too bright/vivid; often sounds a bit more positive or soft.
mencolok
- “Striking / flashy / stands out a lot.”
- Clear negative / critical tone.
- terlalu mencolok = too flashy / too showy.

So:

terlalu terang = too bright (in intensity)
terlalu cerah = too bright/vivid, maybe too “cheerful” or light for the context
terlalu mencolok = too attention-grabbing, too showy

How is untuk functioning in this sentence, and what’s the difference between untuk, buat, and bagi?

Here, untuk means “for (the purpose of / suitable for)”:

terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil
= too bright for a small family party
(not suitable for that kind of event)

Rough differences:

untuk
- Neutral, standard, works in spoken and written Indonesian.
- Common for purpose, suitability, or target:
  - sepatu untuk olahraga = shoes for sports
buat
- More informal / colloquial in many regions.
- Often interchangeable with untuk in speech:
  - terlalu terang buat pesta keluarga kecil (very natural in casual conversation).
bagi
- More formal / literary; often “for (someone)” in the sense of “from someone’s point of view”:
  - bagi saya, warna itu terlalu terang = for me, that color is too bright.

In this sentence, untuk is the most natural neutral choice.

In pesta keluarga kecil, is the party small, or is the family small? How do Indonesians usually interpret this?

Literally, the phrase can be parsed as:

pesta keluarga = family party
keluarga kecil = small family

So pesta keluarga kecil can be understood as a family party involving a small family or a small-scale family party. In real usage, many speakers will just read it as:

a small family party (both: the family isn’t big, and the event is not big either).

If you wanted to clearly say the party itself is small in scale (not many guests), you might say:

pesta keluarga yang kecil
pesta keluarga kecil-kecilan (informal: a small, low-key family party)

Is there a difference between pesta keluarga kecil and pesta kecil keluarga?

Yes, there is a difference in feel and focus.

pesta keluarga kecil
- The more natural order.
- Primary idea: it’s a family party; kecil is tied to keluarga or the scale of the family event.
pesta kecil keluarga
- Grammatically possible, but sounds less usual.
- Feels more like “a small party (that is a) family (party)”, with more focus on pesta kecil first, then keluarga describing the type.

In everyday speech, pesta keluarga kecil is the more idiomatic phrase.

Why is there a comma after Menurut saya? Is it required?

The comma marks a natural pause after the introductory phrase Menurut saya.

In written Indonesian, it’s good style to put a comma after such introductory adverbials (similar to English In my opinion,).
In informal writing (texts, chats), people often drop the comma:
- Menurut saya warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.

So it’s not absolutely required in casual writing, but it is correct and standard in more careful writing.

Can we change saya to aku or use menurutku instead? How does that affect the tone?

Yes, you can:

Menurut saya… → neutral / polite, standard.
Menurut aku… → casual, friendly; used with close friends or people your age.
Menurutku… = menurut
- -ku (my); very common in speech and informal writing.

Example variants:

Menurutku, warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.
Menurut aku, warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang untuk pesta keluarga kecil.

Tone differences:

saya = safer in formal or mixed settings (people you don’t know well, older people, work).
aku / -ku = more intimate, relaxed, used with friends, family, or peers.

The overall sentence with saya is neutral and slightly polite; with aku / -ku, it becomes more informal and personal.

Is it okay to drop itu and just say warna lipstik merah terlalu terang?

Yes, you can drop itu; it just changes how specific you are:

warna lipstik merah itu terlalu terang
= that red lipstick color is too bright
(referring to a particular lipstick that both speakers know).
warna lipstik merah terlalu terang
= red lipstick color is too bright / the color of red lipstick is too bright
(more general statement about red lipstick colors).

So use itu when you’re talking about a specific, already-known lipstick; omit it when you’re making a general comment.