Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menurut saya, bentuk patung kayu itu indah. - In my opinion, the shape of that wooden statue is beautiful.

Menurut saya = “according to me / in my opinion”
It sounds a bit like you are giving a considered viewpoint, sometimes slightly more formal or neutral.

Compared to:

Saya pikir… = “I think (that)…”
This sounds more like your immediate thought or belief. Very common and neutral.
Saya rasa… = “I feel (that)…”
Often used similarly to saya pikir, but can sound a bit more subjective or emotional (though in everyday speech they overlap a lot).

In most everyday situations, menurut saya, saya pikir, and saya rasa are all acceptable ways to introduce your opinion. The nuance difference is small in casual conversation.

Is the comma after Menurut saya necessary?

In Indonesian, commas are used in a similar way to English to separate introductory phrases, so:

Menurut saya, bentuk patung kayu itu indah.

is standard and clear.

However, in informal writing or text messages, people sometimes skip the comma:

Menurut saya bentuk patung kayu itu indah.

It’s still understandable. For careful writing (essays, formal texts), keep the comma.

Why is there no word like “is” (such as adalah) in bentuk patung kayu itu indah?

Indonesian often omits a verb like “to be” when linking a noun to an adjective or another noun.

bentuk patung kayu itu indah
literally: “the shape of that wooden statue beautiful”

This is a standard equational sentence in Indonesian:
[subject] + [adjective] (no linking verb needed).

You can sometimes insert adalah, but it’s more natural before a noun phrase, not an adjective:

bentuk patung kayu itu adalah karya seni.
“The shape of that wooden statue is a work of art.”

Using adalah before indah is possible but sounds stiff or bookish:

bentuk patung kayu itu adalah indah → grammatically possible, but unnatural in normal conversation.

So: no “is” is needed; the sentence is complete as it is.

Why is the adjective indah placed after the noun phrase, not before it?

In Indonesian, most adjectives come after the noun:

rumah besar = “big house”
patung kayu = “wooden statue”
bentuk indah = “beautiful shape”

In your sentence:

bentuk patung kayu itu = “the shape of that wooden statue” (subject)
indah = “beautiful” (adjective / predicate)

So the structure is:

[bentuk patung kayu itu] [indah]
subject + complement

If you say indah bentuk patung kayu itu, it sounds poetic or very unusual; normal everyday Indonesian keeps indah after the subject like in the original.

How is bentuk patung kayu itu structured? Which word modifies which?

Breakdown:

bentuk = shape / form
patung = statue
kayu = wood
itu = that

Structure (right to left):

patung kayu = wooden statue (“statue [made of] wood”)
patung kayu itu = that wooden statue
bentuk patung kayu itu = the shape/form of that wooden statue

So bentuk is the main noun, and patung kayu itu is a noun phrase that follows, acting like “of that wooden statue” in English. Indonesian often expresses “of X” simply as [noun 1] [noun 2] without any preposition.

Why is there no word like “of” (e.g., “shape of the wooden statue”) in bentuk patung kayu itu?

Indonesian usually doesn’t need a separate word like “of” for this kind of possessive or descriptive relationship. It often uses noun + noun directly:

warna mobil = color of the car
harga tiket = price of the ticket
bentuk patung kayu itu = shape of that wooden statue

If you use dari (“from, of”) here:

bentuk dari patung kayu itu

it is still understandable and sometimes used, but it can be more wordy or slightly more formal. In many cases, native speakers just say bentuk patung kayu itu.

What exactly does itu refer to here: bentuk or patung kayu?

Grammatically, itu attaches to the closest noun phrase, which is patung kayu:

patung kayu itu = that wooden statue

So itu makes patung kayu definite and specific (“that one” instead of “a” or “some”).
The overall phrase bentuk patung kayu itu is then understood as:

“the shape of that wooden statue”

In practice, the whole phrase is definite, but structurally itu modifies patung kayu rather than bentuk.

Could I say Menurut saya, patung kayu itu indah instead? What’s the difference in meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Menurut saya, patung kayu itu indah.
= “In my opinion, that wooden statue is beautiful.”

Difference:

bentuk patung kayu itu indah
Focuses specifically on the shape/form of the statue as beautiful.
patung kayu itu indah
Treats the entire statue as beautiful (overall impression: maybe shape, color, carving details, etc.).

So it’s a matter of what you’re praising: just the shape vs the whole statue.

What’s the difference between indah, cantik, and bagus?

All three can translate as “beautiful / good / nice”, but their usage differs:

indah
Often used for things that are aesthetically beautiful, sometimes a bit poetic or elevated:
- scenery: pemandangan indah (beautiful view)
- art, architecture: bangunan yang indah (beautiful building)
- music, language, atmosphere
cantik
Common for physical attractiveness, especially people (women) and some objects:
- perempuan cantik (beautiful woman)
- baju yang cantik (pretty dress)
bagus
Very general “good, nice, great”:
- film itu bagus (that movie is good)
- ide yang bagus (a good idea)
- can also mean “good-quality” or “well-done.”

In your sentence, indah fits well because you’re talking about the form/shape of a statue as something artistically beautiful. bagus would be okay but more generic; cantik is less typical for bentuk (though not impossible).

Can I replace saya with aku in menurut saya? Does it change the politeness?

Yes, grammatically you can:

Menurut saya…
Menurut aku…

Both mean “in my opinion.”

Difference:

saya
More formal and polite, safe in almost any situation (with strangers, older people, at work, in writing).
aku
More informal / intimate, used with friends, family, people of the same age in casual contexts.

So:

Talking to a teacher, boss, or someone you don’t know well:
→ Menurut saya…
Chatting with close friends:
→ Menurut aku… is natural.

Can I put menurut saya at the end of the sentence instead of the beginning?

Yes. Both word orders are possible:

Menurut saya, bentuk patung kayu itu indah.
Bentuk patung kayu itu indah, menurut saya.

Differences:

At the beginning: sounds a bit more structured, like you’re clearly marking something as your opinion from the start.
At the end: sounds a bit more casual/conversational, similar to English “That statue’s shape is beautiful, I think.”

Both are common; choose based on style and emphasis.

How would I say “the shapes of those wooden statues are beautiful, in my opinion”?

You need plurals and “those”:

Menurut saya, bentuk-bentuk patung-patung kayu itu indah.

Breakdown:

bentuk-bentuk = shapes (plural of bentuk)
patung-patung kayu itu = those wooden statues
(literally: “the wooden statues that are being talked about” – Indonesian often doesn’t mark plural explicitly if context is clear.)

In practice, native speakers often don’t repeat every word with a hyphen; they might just say:

Menurut saya, bentuk patung-patung kayu itu indah.
or even
Menurut saya, bentuk patung kayu itu indah.

and let context show whether it’s singular or plural. Explicit plural (bentuk-bentuk, patung-patung) is most important when you really need to avoid ambiguity or in more formal / written language.

Is patung kayu a fixed compound like “wooden statue”, or could kayu mean something else here?

Here, patung kayu is understood as:

patung (statue) + kayu (wood)
→ “wooden statue” / “statue made of wood”

This noun + material pattern is very common:

meja kayu = wooden table
rumah batu = stone house
gelas plastik = plastic cup

So in this context, kayu clearly indicates the material of the statue. It’s not a fixed idiom; it’s just a productive pattern in Indonesian.

Is the whole sentence formal or informal, and in what contexts is it natural?

The sentence:

Menurut saya, bentuk patung kayu itu indah.

is neutral in tone and slightly leaning towards polite/formal because of saya and the complete, clear structure.

You could naturally use it:

in a class discussing art or design
in a museum talking to a guide
in a presentation about sculpture
in polite everyday conversation

To make it more casual, you might say:

Menurut aku, bentuk patung kayu itu bagus banget.
(“I think the shape of that wooden statue is really good / nice.”)

But as given, the original sentence is perfectly normal in most real-life situations.