Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.

That performance is enjoyable.

Breakdown of Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• pertunjukan: the performance
• menyenangkan: enjoyable

Questions & Answers about Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.

What does each word in “Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan” correspond to in English?

Roughly:

• Pertunjukan = show / performance
• itu = that / the (a specific one)
• menyenangkan = fun / enjoyable / pleasant (literally: causing happiness)

So the whole sentence is like saying: “That show was enjoyable / The show was fun.”

Why is “itu” after “pertunjukan” instead of before, like English “that show”?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like itu (that / the) usually come after the noun:

• pertunjukan itu = that show / the show
• buku itu = that book / the book
• orang itu = that person / the person

Putting itu after the noun is the normal pattern; you almost never put it before, so “itu pertunjukan” would sound odd in this context.

Is “menyenangkan” an adjective (like “fun”) or a verb (like “to please”)?

It can work as both, depending on context. Indonesian doesn’t strictly separate adjectives and stative verbs the way English does.

• As an adjective-like predicate:

  • Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.
    → The show is/was fun / enjoyable.

• As a verb (“to please / to make someone happy”):

  • Film itu menyenangkan penonton.
    → That movie pleases the audience / makes the audience happy.

Grammatically, menyenangkan comes from:

• senang = happy, pleased
• meN- … -kan → menyenangkan = to cause happiness, to make (someone) happy / pleasant / enjoyable

Where is the word for “is/was” in “Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan”?

It’s not expressed. Indonesian normally omits “to be” (is, am, are, was, were) when linking a noun to an adjective or stative word.

• Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.
  Literally: That show fun/pleasing.
  Interpreted as: That show is/was fun.

The tense (present vs past) is understood from context, or from time markers like tadi, kemarin, besok, etc.

How do I show present, past, or future time with this sentence?

You usually add a time word, not change the verb form:

• Present / general:

  • Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.
    → That show is fun / That kind of show is fun.

• Past (add a past time expression):

  • Pertunjukan itu tadi malam menyenangkan.
    → The show last night was fun.
  • Pertunjukan itu kemarin menyenangkan.
    → The show yesterday was fun.

• Future:

  • Pertunjukan itu besok pasti menyenangkan.
    → That show tomorrow will surely be fun.

The form menyenangkan itself doesn’t change for tense.

What is the difference between “senang” and “menyenangkan”?

They are related but used differently:

• senang

  • Basic meaning: happy, pleased, glad
  • Often describes a person’s feeling.
  • Example: Saya senang. = I’m happy.

• menyenangkan

  • From senang
    • meN- … -kan
  • Means: to make (someone) happy / pleasing / enjoyable.
  • Often describes a thing or event that causes happiness.
  • Example: Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan. = The show is/was enjoyable.

You can think:

• senang = how someone feels
• menyenangkan = what something is like (it gives that feeling)

Could I say “Pertunjukan itu sangat menyenangkan”? What does “sangat” do?

Yes, that’s very natural.

• sangat = very

So:

• Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.
  → The show was fun / enjoyable.

• Pertunjukan itu sangat menyenangkan.
  → The show was very fun / really enjoyable.

You can put sangat before many adjectives/stative words:
sangat bagus, sangat menarik, sangat mahal, etc.

Is “pertunjukan itu” the subject of the sentence?

Yes.

Word order:

• Pertunjukan itu = subject (that show / the show)
• menyenangkan = predicate (fun / enjoyable / makes (people) happy)

So the structure is:

[Subject] [Predicate]
Pertunjukan itu – menyenangkan.
That show – is fun / was fun.

Can I drop “itu” and just say “Pertunjukan menyenangkan”?

You can, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.
  → Refers to a specific show that both speaker and listener know about:
  That show / the show was fun.

• Pertunjukan menyenangkan.
  → More general: Shows are fun / A show is (generally) fun, or sounds a bit incomplete without more context.

In actual conversation, to refer to one particular show, people almost always include itu (or something similar like ini for “this”).

What’s the difference between “Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan” and “Saya senang dengan pertunjukan itu”?

Both are positive, but they focus on different things:

• Pertunjukan itu menyenangkan.

  • Focus: the show itself.
  • You’re describing the show as an enjoyable event.

• Saya senang dengan pertunjukan itu.

  • Focus: your feeling.
  • Literally: I am happy with that show.
  • Emphasizes your reaction rather than the objective quality of the show.

Often they could be used in similar situations, but the viewpoint is slightly different.

Are there more casual ways to say that a show was fun?

Yes. In informal speech, people often use:

• seru = exciting, awesome

  • Pertunjukan itu seru banget.
    → That show was really exciting / so fun.

• asik / asyik = fun, enjoyable, cool

  • Pertunjukan itu asik.
    → The show was fun / cool.

• keren = cool, great

  • Pertunjukan itu keren.
    → That show was cool / awesome.

Menyenangkan is neutral and a bit more standard/formal, while seru, asik, keren are very common in everyday conversation.