Questions & Answers about Saya suka sampul buku itu.
Word-by-word:
- Saya = I
- suka = like / to like
- sampul = cover (e.g., of a book, notebook)
- buku = book
- itu = that / that one
So the whole sentence is “I like that book cover” or more naturally “I like the cover of that book.”
In Indonesian:
- suka ≈ “like” / “to be fond of”
- Used for things, people, activities: Saya suka kopi (I like coffee).
- cinta ≈ “to love (deeply)”
- Usually for romantic love or very deep affection: Saya cinta kamu (I love you).
- sayang = affection / to care about, often for family, close people, pets.
For a book cover, cinta would sound exaggerated or odd. Saya suka sampul buku itu is the natural way to say “I like that book cover.”
Yes, Saya menyukai sampul buku itu is grammatically correct, but it feels more formal or written.
- suka functions like a verb or adjective in everyday speech:
- Saya suka kopi. (very common)
- menyukai is the derived verb (with me- prefix) meaning “to like, to have a liking for”:
- Saya menyukai desainnya. (sounds more formal, written, or careful speech)
In normal conversation, people overwhelmingly say Saya suka …, not Saya menyukai ….
sampul buku itu can be understood both as:
- “that book cover”, or
- “the cover of that book.”
Structure:
- sampul = the head noun (“cover”)
- buku = noun modifying sampul (“book cover”)
- itu = demonstrative after the noun phrase, pointing to a specific one
In Indonesian, putting itu at the end of the noun phrase usually refers to the whole phrase, so it’s “that (specific) book cover / the cover of that book we’re talking about.”
No. That word order is ungrammatical.
Key rules:
- The main noun comes first, modifiers follow.
- So it must be sampul buku itu (cover + book + that).
- You cannot say buku itu sampul for “that book’s cover.”
Compare:
- sampul buku itu = that book’s cover
- buku itu = that book
- buku merah itu = that red book (literally: book red that)
Word order in Indonesian noun phrases is much stricter than in English.
You can drop Saya in casual conversation if the subject is clear from context:
- (Saya) suka sampul buku itu.
Without Saya, it’s still grammatical, but:
- It relies more on context to know who likes the cover.
- For learners, it’s safer to keep Saya until you’re comfortable with when subjects can be omitted.
Indonesian often drops pronouns when they’re obvious from context, especially in informal speech.
Indonesian has no separate words for “a/an” or “the.” Definiteness is expressed by:
- Context: Saya suka sampul buku. could be “I like a book cover” or “I like the book cover,” depending on context.
- Demonstratives:
- itu = that / that … (often works like “that/the … we both know”)
- ini = this / this … (near the speaker)
In sampul buku itu, adding itu makes it clearly a specific book cover: “that book cover / the cover of that book.”
Just change itu to ini:
- Saya suka sampul buku ini.
= I like this book cover / I like the cover of this book.
Pattern:
- … itu = that …
- … ini = this …
You can intensify suka in several common ways:
- Saya sangat suka sampul buku itu. (neutral, polite)
- Saya suka sekali sampul buku itu. (also neutral; sekali comes after suka)
- Colloquial: Saya suka banget sampul buku itu. (informal, slangy)
All mean roughly “I really like that book cover.”
You can show plurality with repetition or just rely on context:
- Saya suka sampul buku-buku itu.
= I like the covers of those books.
(buku-buku = books [plural])
You could also say:
- Saya suka sampul-sampul buku itu.
= I like the various covers of that book (e.g., different editions).
Indonesian doesn’t have to mark plurals; often context is enough. itu itself can mean “that” or “those,” depending on context, but buku-buku makes “books” explicit.
The verb suka itself does not change for tense. You show past time with time words or context:
- Tadi saya suka sampul buku itu.
= Just now I liked the cover of that book. - Dulu saya suka sampul buku itu.
= I used to like the cover of that book. - Kemarin saya suka sampul buku itu.
= Yesterday I liked the cover of that book.
So the form suka stays the same; you add a time expression to indicate past, present, or future.
Saya is neutral–polite and safe almost everywhere (to strangers, at work, in writing).
Informal options:
- Aku suka sampul buku itu. (informal, friendly)
- Gue suka sampul buku itu. (Jakarta slang, very informal)
The rest of the sentence doesn’t need to change; only the pronoun changes formality/region. Indonesian pronouns do not change for gender, so Saya can be “I” for any gender.
Yes, many people say cover buku itu, especially in casual speech or design/publishing contexts.
Nuance:
- sampul = standard Indonesian for cover (books, notebooks, etc.).
- cover (sometimes spelled kover) = English loanword, very commonly used and understood.
So:
- Saya suka sampul buku itu.
- Saya suka cover buku itu.
Both are natural, with sampul sounding slightly more “standard Indonesian.”