Air terjun itu sangat cantik.

Air terjun is a common Malay compound noun.

• air = water
• terjun = to dive, jump down, or fall downward

Together, air terjun means waterfall. This is very normal in Malay: many compound nouns are made from two everyday words.

Itu usually means that, but in sentences like this it can also feel a lot like the, because it points to a specific thing already known in the conversation.

So air terjun itu means something like:

• that waterfall
• or the waterfall, depending on context

A useful pattern to remember is that Malay demonstratives usually come after the noun:

• rumah itu = that house
• air terjun itu = that waterfall

Malay often omits the verb to be when describing something with an adjective.

So instead of saying a word-for-word version of The waterfall is very beautiful, Malay naturally says:

• Air terjun itu sangat cantik

This is completely normal. English needs is, but Malay usually does not in this kind of sentence.

Here, cantik is an adjective used as the predicate of the sentence.

The sentence structure is basically:

• Air terjun itu = the subject
• sangat cantik = the description

So the sentence means That waterfall is very beautiful.

This is different from a noun phrase like a beautiful waterfall, where the adjective is part of the noun phrase. In Malay, that would usually be:

• air terjun cantik
• or air terjun yang cantik

But in Air terjun itu sangat cantik, the speaker is making a full statement about the waterfall.

Sangat means very. It usually goes before the adjective or adverb it modifies.

So:

• sangat cantik = very beautiful

This is the most standard order. In everyday speech, you may also hear:

• cantik sangat

That also means very beautiful, often with a slightly more conversational or emphatic feel.

Yes, cantik can definitely be used for things, places, and scenery, not just people.

It can mean beautiful, pretty, or lovely, depending on context. So using cantik for a waterfall is perfectly natural.

For natural scenery, Malay speakers might also use indah, which can sound a bit more poetic or elevated:

• Air terjun itu sangat indah = That waterfall is very beautiful

Both are good; cantik is common and easy to use.

Yes.

• ini = this
• itu = that

So:

• Air terjun ini sangat cantik = This waterfall is very beautiful
• Air terjun itu sangat cantik = That waterfall is very beautiful

Use ini for something closer or more immediate, and itu for something farther away or already mentioned.

If you remove itu, the sentence becomes less clearly tied to one specific waterfall:

• Air terjun sangat cantik

This can still be understood in context, but itu helps make the reference more definite and natural when you mean that particular waterfall.

So for a clear beginner pattern, air terjun itu is a very useful structure to remember.

Not explicitly. Malay usually does not mark tense the way English does.

So Air terjun itu sangat cantik can be understood as present-time by default if the context is about now. If you want to make the time clearer, you usually add a time word, such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• dulu = before / in the past

For example:

• Semalam, air terjun itu sangat cantik. = Yesterday, the waterfall was very beautiful.
• Sekarang, air terjun itu sangat cantik. = Now, the waterfall is very beautiful.