Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Awan oranye di belakang puncak gunung membuat pemandangan pagi itu istimewa. - The orange clouds behind the mountain peak made the scenery that morning special.

The sentence context decides which is more natural in English. Here, English would usually say “The orange clouds…”, even though Indonesian just says awan.

If you really want to show plurality, you can say:

beberapa awan = several clouds
awan-awan = clouds (reduplication, more informal/literary feel)

Why is it awan oranye and not oranye awan?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun:

awan oranye = orange cloud(s)
gunung tinggi = tall mountain
pemandangan indah = beautiful view

So the pattern is NOUN + ADJECTIVE, unlike English adjective + noun.

What’s the difference between awan oranye and awan yang oranye?

Both can mean “the orange cloud(s)”, but the nuance is different:

awan oranye – simple noun + adjective; neutral description.
awan yang oranye – sounds more like “the cloud(s) that are orange”, slightly more specific/contrastive, as if distinguishing them from other clouds.

In this sentence, awan oranye is more natural and concise.

What does di belakang puncak gunung literally mean?

Word by word:

di = at / in / on
belakang = back / behind
puncak = peak / summit
gunung = mountain

So di belakang puncak gunung literally is:

“at the back (behind) of the mountain peak”
→ natural English: “behind the peak of the mountain” or “behind the mountain peak”

Why is it puncak gunung and not puncak dari gunung?

In Indonesian, when one noun describes another (like “mountain peak”), you usually just place the two nouns together:

puncak gunung = the mountain’s peak / mountain peak
kaki gunung = foot of the mountain
atap rumah = house roof / roof of the house

puncak dari gunung is grammatical, but it sounds more wordy and less natural in this context. For simple “of”-relationships, NOUN + NOUN is preferred.

What does pemandangan mean, and how is it formed?

Pemandangan means “view”, “scenery”, or “landscape.”

It comes from the root pandang (to look, to gaze):

mem
- pandang → memandang = to look at, to gaze at
pe
- pandang
  - -an → pemandangan = what is looked at → view/scenery

So pemandangan pagi itu = that morning’s view / the view that morning.

Why is it pemandangan pagi itu, not itu pemandangan pagi?

Indonesian demonstratives (itu = that, ini = this) usually come after the noun phrase:

rumah itu = that house
pagi itu = that morning
pemandangan pagi itu = that morning’s view / the view that morning

itu pemandangan pagi would be more like “that is (a) morning view” (with itu acting as “that is”), which is a different structure.

What exactly does itu do in pagi itu and pemandangan pagi itu?

Itu has two main roles:

As a demonstrative: that
- pagi itu = that morning
- pemandangan pagi itu = the view of that morning / the view that morning
As a definiteness marker (like “the”), based on context:
- It often refers to something already known in the context or story.

In this sentence, pagi itu suggests a specific, previously mentioned or clearly defined morning, not just “any morning.”

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in the Indonesian sentence?

Indonesian doesn’t have articles like “the” or “a/an.” Nouns are “bare,” and definiteness is shown by:

context
demonstratives (ini = this, itu = that)
sometimes word order or added words

So:

awan oranye can be “an orange cloud” or “the orange clouds”
pemandangan pagi itu is clearly definite because of itu (“that morning’s view” / “the view that morning”)

How does the part membuat pemandangan pagi itu istimewa work grammatically?

Structure:

membuat = to make / to cause
pemandangan pagi itu = object (“that morning’s view”)
istimewa = adjective (“special”)

Pattern: VERB + OBJECT + ADJECTIVE meaning:

“make/cause [object] to be [adjective].”

So membuat pemandangan pagi itu istimewa =
“made that morning’s view special.”

This is like English: “make something beautiful / interesting / special.”

Could we use menjadi or menjadikan instead of membuat here?

Possible variants:

… membuat pemandangan pagi itu istimewa.
→ very natural and common.
… menjadikan pemandangan pagi itu istimewa.
→ also correct, a bit more formal/literary.
… membuat pemandangan pagi itu menjadi istimewa.
→ also possible; menjadi adds an explicit “become,” but often feels a bit heavier.

Everyday speech would most often use membuat … istimewa here.

Why is it pagi itu, not itu pagi?

With nouns, Indonesian normally uses:

NOUN + itu/ini
- pagi itu = that morning
- hari ini = this day / today
- gunung itu = that mountain

Itu pagi would usually be interpreted as “that is morning” (itu as a pronoun “that,” not as a modifier), so it changes the structure and meaning.

Can we say di belakang gunung instead of di belakang puncak gunung?

You can say di belakang gunung, but the meaning changes:

di belakang puncak gunung = behind the peak/summit of the mountain
di belakang gunung = behind the mountain (more generally, no focus on the peak)

The original sentence emphasizes the peak as the landmark in front of the clouds.

Is oranye the usual word for the color “orange”? Are there alternatives?

Yes, oranye is a common word for the color orange, borrowed from Dutch oranje.

There is also:

jingga = orange (more “pure” Indonesian, often used in formal or poetic language)

In this sentence, both would be understood:

awan oranye – very common in everyday speech
awan jingga – sounds a bit more literary/poetic