Satenya sedikit gosong.

The satay is slightly burnt.

Breakdown of Satenya sedikit gosong.

• sedikit: slightly
• gosong: burnt
• sate: the satay

Questions & Answers about Satenya sedikit gosong.

What does satenya mean exactly?

Satenya is sate + -nya.

In this sentence, -nya most naturally makes the noun feel definite, so satenya means something like:

• the satay
• that satay
• the satay in question

So the whole sentence is understood as The satay is a little burnt.

Depending on context, -nya can also sometimes mean his/her/their, but here a learner should first understand it as a definite marker.

What is the function of -nya here?

In Indonesian, -nya has several uses. Here, it is commonly used to make the noun more specific or definite.

So:

• sate = satay
• satenya = the satay / that satay

This is very common in everyday Indonesian. It often points to something already known in the conversation.

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?