Istana itu sangat besar.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be when linking a subject to an adjective.

So:

• Istana itu = the/that palace
• sangat besar = very big

Malay does not need a separate word for is here.
A literal structure would be something like:

• Palace that/the very big

But in natural English, we translate it as The palace is very big.

This is very common in Malay:

• Rumah itu besar = The house is big
• Dia cantik = She/He is beautiful

Itu usually means that, but in many sentences it also helps mark something as specific or known, so it can feel like the in English.

In Istana itu sangat besar, itu can be understood as:

• that palace
• or more naturally in many contexts, the palace

Malay does not have exact articles like English a/an/the, so words like ini and itu often help do some of that work.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun.

So Malay says:

• istana itu = that palace / the palace
• rumah ini = this house
• buku itu = that book

This is different from English, where this and that come before the noun.

Sangat means very.

It is an intensifier, and it comes before the adjective:

• sangat besar = very big
• sangat cantik = very beautiful
• sangat mahal = very expensive

So in this sentence, sangat strengthens besar.

Yes, besar is an adjective meaning big or large.

A useful thing for English speakers is that Malay adjectives do not change for:

• singular/plural
• gender
• person

So besar stays besar in all these kinds of situations.

Examples:

• rumah besar = big house
• rumah-rumah besar = big houses
• istana itu besar = the palace is big

No endings like -s, no gender changes, and no agreement changes.

The structure is:

• Istana itu = subject noun phrase
• sangat besar = predicate adjective phrase

So the pattern is roughly:

• Noun + itu + sangat + adjective

More generally, you can think of it as:

• Subject + description

Examples:

• Kereta itu sangat laju = That car is very fast
• Bilik ini sangat kecil = This room is very small

Not in normal standard Malay for this meaning.

Malay does not usually put the adjective first in this kind of sentence.
The normal form is:

• Istana itu sangat besar

If you want to use besar directly with the noun inside a noun phrase, it still usually comes after the noun:

• istana besar = a big palace
• istana itu besar = the palace is big

So besar generally follows the noun or appears in the predicate after the subject.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Malay itu literally points to something more like that, but in many real sentences it also works like a definiteness marker, making the noun sound like the.

So:

• Istana itu sangat besar may be translated as That palace is very big
• but in many contexts, The palace is very big sounds more natural in English

Context decides which translation is better.

Yes.

• istana itu = that palace / the palace
• istana ini = this palace

So:

• Istana ini sangat besar = This palace is very big
• Istana itu sangat besar = That palace is very big

The position stays the same: the demonstrative still comes after the noun.

It is a very standard and natural way.

You may also hear other intensifiers in speech, such as:

• amat besar = very big (more formal/literary)
• besar sekali = very big / extremely big
• besar sangat = often heard in conversation, with a slightly different feel or emphasis

For a learner, sangat besar is a safe and standard choice.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• Istana: ees-TAH-nah
• itu: EE-too
• sangat: SAH-ngat
• besar: buh-SAHR

A rough full pronunciation:

• ees-TAH-nah EE-too SAH-ngat buh-SAHR

A few tips:

• Malay spelling is fairly regular.
• The r in besar is usually pronounced, not silent.
• Stress is generally not as strong or dramatic as in English.

It is neutral and standard.

Istana itu sangat besar is perfectly normal Malay and would be understood in formal writing, teaching materials, and everyday speech.

It is not slangy, and it is not unusually stiff either.
That makes it a good model sentence for learners.

Yes, but the meaning becomes less specific.

Compare:

• Istana itu sangat besar = The/that palace is very big
• Istana sangat besar = Palaces are very big or A palace is very big or a less specific statement, depending on context

Without itu, the noun phrase is less clearly definite.
So adding itu helps point to a particular palace.

Yes, very easily. This is one of the most useful basic patterns in Malay.

Pattern:

• [noun] + itu/ini + sangat + [adjective]

Examples:

• Rumah itu sangat besar = The house is very big
• Buku ini sangat menarik = This book is very interesting
• Kereta itu sangat mahal = That car is very expensive
• Taman ini sangat cantik = This park is very beautiful

So once you understand this sentence, you can build many others in the same way.