Itu masalah umum.

Here, itu means that and points to something already mentioned or understood from context.

So Itu masalah umum is structurally like That [is a] common problem.

A useful note: itu can also appear after a noun and then often works more like the/that in English, for example:

• masalah itu = that problem / the problem

But in Itu masalah umum, itu stands on its own at the beginning, so it is functioning as a pronoun: that.

Indonesian often leaves out the verb to be when connecting a subject with a noun, adjective, or phrase.

So:

• Itu masalah umum literally looks like That common problem
• but it naturally means That is a common problem

This is very normal in Indonesian.

You can add adalah in some contexts:

• Itu adalah masalah umum

That is also correct, but it sounds more formal, more explicit, or slightly more emphatic. In everyday speech, leaving it out is very common.

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• masalah umum = common problem
• literally: problem common

This is one of the most important word-order differences from English.

More examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• orang baik = good person
• buku baru = new book

So masalah umum follows the normal Indonesian pattern.

By itself, it most naturally means a common problem or simply common problem, depending on context.

Indonesian does not use articles like a, an, and the the way English does. That means you often infer the exact English article from context.

So Itu masalah umum could be translated as:

• That is a common problem
• sometimes That’s a common issue

In another context, a translator might choose the, but a common problem is the most natural default here.

Yes. Umum has a broader sense of general, common, or sometimes public, depending on context.

For example:

• secara umum = in general
• rumah sakit umum = public hospital / general hospital

In masalah umum, the best meaning is usually common or general.

So the sentence is not saying the problem belongs to the public; it means the problem is widespread or not unusual.

Yes, absolutely.

• Itu masalah umum = natural, everyday, concise
• Itu adalah masalah umum = also correct, often a bit more formal or explanatory

In many simple identification sentences, adalah is optional.

Learners should know, though, that adalah is more commonly used before nouns or noun phrases than before plain adjectives.

Here it works well because masalah umum is a noun phrase.

The difference is mainly that vs this:

• itu = that
• ini = this

So:

• Itu masalah umum = That is a common problem
• Ini masalah umum = This is a common problem

In actual conversation, ini and itu can also depend on discourse, not just physical distance. Something just mentioned or more distant in the conversation may be referred to with itu.

By itself, masalah does not explicitly mark singular or plural. Indonesian nouns usually do not change form for number.

So masalah can mean:

• problem
• problems

depending on context.

In this sentence, because itu points to one thing, the most natural reading is singular:

• That is a common problem

If you wanted to make plurality clearer in another sentence, you might use reduplication:

• masalah-masalah = problems

But in normal speech, context often does the job.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

• ee-too mah-sah-LAH oo-MOOM

A few helpful notes:

• i in itu sounds like ee in see
• u sounds like oo in food
• masalah has three syllables: ma-sa-lah
• the final h in masalah is pronounced lightly
• umum has two u vowels, both like oo

Indonesian pronunciation is usually quite regular, so once you know the vowel sounds, reading gets easier.

Not if you want the same simple meaning.

The normal structure here is:

• Itu = subject/pronoun
• masalah umum = noun phrase

So:

• Itu masalah umum is natural
• Umum masalah itu is not the normal way to say this

Also, because adjectives usually follow nouns, umum masalah is not the standard order for common problem.

A related but different phrase is:

• masalah itu umum = that problem is common

That sentence is also grammatical, but now masalah itu is the subject (that problem) and umum is the predicate adjective (common). So it has a slightly different emphasis.

It is neutral and very natural. It works well in everyday Indonesian and is not especially formal or especially slangy.

• Itu masalah umum. = normal, natural
• Itu adalah masalah umum. = a bit more formal or written
• Itu problem umum. = possible in some speech, but masalah is the standard Indonesian word

So the original sentence is a good standard model for learners.