Pengantara meredakan pertikaian itu.

Pengantara means mediator, intermediary, or go-between.

It is built from the idea of antara, which means between or among, with the noun-forming prefix peng-. So pengantara is literally something like a person who is in between, which fits the idea of a mediator.

In this sentence, pengantara is the subject.

The meN- prefix is a very common Malay verb prefix used for active verbs, especially when the subject is doing something to an object.

Here, the base idea is reda, which means to subside, to calm down, or to lessen.
With meN- ... -kan, it becomes meredakan, meaning to calm something down, to ease, or to defuse.

So:

• reda = to subside / become calm
• meredakan = to calm something down / to reduce / to defuse

In this sentence, the mediator is actively doing something to the dispute, so meredakan is the correct active transitive form.

The suffix -kan often makes a verb more clearly transitive, meaning it acts on an object.

Here, it helps give the sense of:

• causing something to become calm, or
• doing something to the dispute so that it subsides

So meredakan pertikaian means something like:

• to calm the dispute
• to ease the conflict
• to defuse the quarrel

Without getting too technical, -kan helps turn the idea of becoming calm into making something calm.

Pertikaian means dispute, quarrel, or conflict.

It comes from the root tikai / pertikai, which is related to arguing, disputing, or challenging something. The pattern per- ... -an often forms a noun referring to:

• an action,
• a process, or
• the result/state of that action.

So pertikaian is a noun meaning a dispute or an argument/conflict.

In this sentence, it is the object of the verb meredakan.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that / the) usually come after the noun, not before it.

So Malay says:

• pertikaian itu = that dispute / the dispute

not something like itu pertikaian for normal noun phrases.

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

It can mean either, depending on context.

Malay itu often works like:

• that, when pointing something out, or
• the, when referring to something already known in context

So pertikaian itu could be understood as:

• that dispute
• the dispute

In many learning contexts, both are acceptable translations unless the wider context makes one more natural.

The sentence follows normal Malay Subject-Verb-Object order:

• Pengantara = subject
• meredakan = verb
• pertikaian itu = object

So the structure is:

Mediator + calmed/defused + the dispute

This is very similar to standard English word order, which makes sentences like this relatively easy to follow.

Yes. Pengantara meredakan pertikaian is possible.

Without itu, the noun phrase is less specific. It can sound more like:

• a dispute
• disputes in a general sense
• a less specifically identified conflict

With itu, the sentence points to a particular dispute already known or understood in context.

So:

• pertikaian = dispute / a dispute
• pertikaian itu = that dispute / the dispute

It is closest to calm, ease, reduce, or defuse.

That matters because meredakan does not always mean the dispute is fully solved. It often suggests that the tension, anger, or intensity is reduced.

So a mediator who meredakan pertikaian may:

• calm things down,
• reduce hostility,
• defuse the conflict,

but not necessarily resolve everything completely.

If you wanted a stronger sense of solve/settle, another verb might be more appropriate depending on context.

A natural passive version would be:

Pertikaian itu diredakan oleh pengantara.

That means The dispute was calmed/defused by the mediator.

Compare:

• Pengantara meredakan pertikaian itu. = active
• Pertikaian itu diredakan oleh pengantara. = passive

This is useful because Malay often switches between active meN- forms and passive di- forms.

Both can refer to someone in the middle, but they are not always identical in tone.

• pengantara is a more formal or official word for mediator/intermediary
• orang tengah literally means middle person and is more everyday

Depending on context, orang tengah can mean:

• mediator
• middleman
• intermediary
• broker

In a sentence about resolving conflict, pengantara sounds neat and appropriate, especially in formal or written Malay.