Ibu menyaring kuah itu dengan saringan kecil agar sup lebih enak.

Not always. Ibu can mean:

• mother / mom
• Mrs. / ma’am
• a respectful way to address an adult woman

In this sentence, if the meaning shown to the learner is Mother strains..., then Ibu is being used as mother. But out of context, Ibu could also refer respectfully to a woman.

Menyaring comes from the root saring, which means to filter / strain.

The prefix meN- is often added to make an active verb. When meN- attaches to a root beginning with s, the s usually disappears, and meN- becomes meny-.

So:

• saring → root
• meN- + saring → menyaring

This is a very common pattern in Indonesian.

Indonesian does not normally use articles like English a, an, and the.

So a noun can often stand alone:

• ibu = mother / the mother
• sup = soup / the soup
• saringan kecil = a small strainer / the small strainer

Context tells you which meaning is intended. In this sentence, itu helps make kuah itu more definite, like that broth or the broth in question.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• kuah itu = that broth
• sup ini = this soup
• rumah itu = that house

This is the normal word order in Indonesian, even though English puts this/that before the noun.

They are related, but not exactly the same.

• kuah refers to the liquid part of a dish: broth, gravy, sauce-like liquid
• sup refers to the whole soup dish

So the idea is that she strains the broth/liquid, and as a result the soup as a whole tastes better.

That is why both words can appear in the same sentence naturally.

This is an instrumental phrase.

• dengan = with / by means of / using
• saringan = strainer / filter
• kecil = small

So dengan saringan kecil means with a small strainer or using a small strainer.

It tells you how the action is done.

Because saring is the root related to the action to strain / filter, while saringan is a noun meaning a strainer / filter.

The suffix -an often forms a noun from a root, and it can refer to a tool or something related to the action.

So:

• saring = strain, filter
• saringan = strainer, filter device

This is another very common pattern in Indonesian word formation.

Because in Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• saringan kecil = small strainer
• rumah besar = big house
• anak pintar = smart child

This is the normal noun + adjective order.

Agar introduces a purpose clause: so that, in order that.

So:

• agar sup lebih enak = so that the soup is more delicious / tastes better

Yes, agar and supaya are very similar in meaning. In many situations, they can be used interchangeably. Agar can feel a little more formal or written, while supaya is often very natural in everyday speech, but both are common.

Lebih means more.

So:

• enak = tasty / delicious / pleasant
• lebih enak = tastier / more delicious

It works like English more + adjective, although in natural English we often translate it simply as better when talking about food.

Because Indonesian usually does not need a verb like to be in simple statements with adjectives.

So:

• sup lebih enak literally looks like soup more tasty
• but it means the soup is tastier / the soup tastes better

This is completely normal in Indonesian. The language often leaves out is / am / are where English requires them.

Yes. Menyaring here is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object.

So:

• Ibu menyaring kuah itu = Mother strains that broth

That structure is very normal:

• subject: Ibu
• verb: menyaring
• object: kuah itu

The meN- active verb form often appears in this kind of active sentence with a direct object.

Yes. Indonesian often allows both active and passive versions.

An active version is:

• Ibu menyaring kuah itu...

A passive-style version could be:

• Kuah itu disaring Ibu...

This shifts focus onto kuah itu. The original sentence is active and straightforward, which is very common in everyday Indonesian.

No. Enak is broader than English delicious.

It can mean:

• tasty
• delicious
• nice
• pleasant
• comfortable

For food, enak usually means tasty / delicious. In this sentence, that is clearly the intended meaning.