Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini.

Tambahkan comes from the root tambah, which means add or increase.

The ending -kan often makes the verb sound more like add something to something. In commands, tambahkan is very common when you are telling someone to add an object.

• tambah = add / increase
• tambahkan = add it / add something

So in this sentence, Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini means Add a little sugar to this coffee.

You may also hear Tambah sedikit gula... in casual speech, but tambahkan sounds more complete and standard here.

Yes. This is an imperative sentence, meaning it gives an instruction or command.

Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Add a little sugar to this coffee.

By itself, it sounds like a normal instruction. It is not automatically rude, but it is fairly direct. If you want to make it more polite, you can add words like:

• Tolong tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Please add a little sugar to this coffee.
• Mohon tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Please add a little sugar to this coffee. / Kindly add a little sugar...

Because sedikit gula means a little sugar.

In Indonesian, quantity words often come before the noun:

• sedikit gula = a little sugar
• banyak orang = many people
• beberapa buku = several books

So the order is natural:

• sedikit gula = little sugar

This is different from English only in surface order, since English also says a little sugar, with the quantity expression before the noun.

Sedikit can be used for both uncountable and countable nouns, depending on context.

• sedikit gula = a little sugar
• sedikit orang = a few people

So it is a flexible word meaning a small amount or a small number.

In your sentence, because gula is a substance noun, sedikit gula is understood as a little sugar.

Here, ke shows the idea of movement or direction: to / into this coffee.

So:

• ke kopi ini = to this coffee

In context, it means the sugar is being added to the coffee.

A more explicit version is:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke dalam kopi ini.

Here, ke dalam means into and makes the idea of putting something inside the coffee even clearer.

So:

• ke kopi ini = to this coffee
• ke dalam kopi ini = into this coffee

Both can work, but ke dalam is more explicit.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So:

• kopi ini = this coffee
• rumah itu = that house
• buku ini = this book

This is a very important word-order pattern in Indonesian.

So kopi ini literally looks like coffee this, but it means this coffee.

Usually, if you mean this coffee, the normal form is kopi ini.

Ini kopi is possible, but it usually means something more like:

• This is coffee
• This one is coffee

So the meaning and structure are different.

Compare:

• kopi ini = this coffee
• ini kopi = this is coffee / this one is coffee

That is why the sentence uses kopi ini.

Indonesian nouns usually do not show singular/plural the way English does.

So gula just means sugar, and context tells you how to understand it.

In this sentence, it naturally means sugar as a substance, not sugars as separate countable items.

Indonesian often leaves number unspecified unless it needs to be clear.

Yes, but the original order is the most straightforward:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini.

Some variations are possible:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke dalam kopi ini.
  More explicit: into this coffee

• Ke kopi ini, tambahkan sedikit gula.
  This puts emphasis on this coffee, but sounds more marked or formal.

A version like Tambahkan gula sedikit ke kopi ini is less natural for the meaning a little sugar. The normal grouping is sedikit gula.

So for learners, the safest pattern is:

• verb + quantity + noun + destination

Sometimes, but the nuance is different.

• tambahkan = add
• masukkan = put in / insert

So:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Add a little sugar to this coffee.
• Masukkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Put a little sugar into this coffee.

Both can make sense, but tambahkan is the better choice when the focus is on adding an ingredient.

The original sentence is already good and understandable. But depending on context, everyday speakers might also say:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke dalam kopi ini.
• Tambah sedikit gula ke kopi ini.
• Kasih sedikit gula ke kopi ini.
  Very colloquial; kasih literally means give, but often means add/put

If you want a clear, standard learner-friendly version, the original sentence is perfectly fine:

• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

tam-BAH-kan

And the whole sentence can be roughly broken up as:

tam-BAH-kan se-DI-kit GU-la ke KO-pi i-ni

A few helpful notes:

• g in gula is always a hard g, like in go
• k in sedikit and kopi is clearly pronounced
• Indonesian spelling is generally very regular, so words are usually pronounced much as they are written

You could say:

• Tambahkan gula ke kopi ini. = Add sugar to this coffee.
• Tambahkan sedikit gula ke kopi ini. = Add a little sugar to this coffee.

The version with sedikit is more specific: it tells you the amount should be small.

Without sedikit, the sentence simply says to add sugar, without stating how much.