Perjalanan itu lancar.

Perjalanan is a noun meaning journey, trip, or travel, depending on context.

It comes from the root jalan (road, way, or to walk/go) and the pattern per-...-an, which often turns a root into a noun.

So perjalanan itu lancar can describe:

• a journey
• a trip
• the travel process

English chooses the most natural word from context, but in Malay perjalanan covers all of these quite comfortably.

Itu usually means that, but in many sentences like this it works more like the in English.

So:

• perjalanan itu = that journey / the journey

Malay does not have a direct word for the, so itu is often used to make something definite or already known in the conversation.

In this sentence, it suggests the speaker is talking about a specific journey that both speaker and listener know about.

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

So:

• perjalanan ini = this journey
• perjalanan itu = that journey

This is normal Malay word order.
English says that journey, but Malay says journey that.

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

So:

• Perjalanan itu lancar literally looks like The journey smooth
• but it naturally means The journey was smooth or The journey is smooth, depending on context

This is very common in Malay. You do not need a separate word for is/was here.

Lancar means smooth, without problems, going well, or running smoothly.

In the sentence Perjalanan itu lancar, it means the journey went smoothly:

• no major delays
• no major problems
• no interruptions

Lancar is also used in other situations, for example:

• Dia bercakap dengan lancar. = He/She speaks fluently.
• Majlis itu berjalan lancar. = The event went smoothly.

So lancar is broader than just physical smoothness.

Here, lancar functions like an adjective.

It describes the noun phrase perjalanan itu.

Malay adjectives often come after the noun they describe when used inside a noun phrase, but in a sentence like this they can appear after the subject as the predicate:

• Perjalanan itu lancar. = The journey was smooth.

So in this sentence, lancar is the descriptive part of the sentence.

Yes, but it changes the feel a little.

• Perjalanan itu lancar = the/that journey was smooth
• Perjalanan lancar = travel/journey was smooth or a more general/less specific statement

Without itu, the sentence sounds less definite. It may feel more general, less tied to a particular journey already known to both people.

In everyday speech, dropping itu can be possible if the context is obvious, but perjalanan itu is clearer and more complete.

Malay often does not mark tense directly, so the time is understood from context.

So Perjalanan itu lancar could mean:

• The journey was smooth
• The journey is smooth

In real use, was smooth is often the most natural translation if someone is talking about a completed trip.

If you want to make time clearer, Malay can add time words, for example:

• Semalam perjalanan itu lancar. = Yesterday the journey was smooth.
• Setakat ini perjalanan itu lancar. = So far the journey is smooth.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

per-ja-LA-nan EE-too LAN-char

A few helpful points:

• j sounds like the j in jam
• c in lancar sounds like ch in chair
• r is usually tapped or lightly rolled
• Malay pronunciation is generally quite regular compared with English

So lancar sounds like LAN-char, not like English lan-kar.

Yes, and that is actually very common.

• Perjalanan itu lancar. = The journey was smooth.
• Perjalanan itu berjalan lancar. = The journey went smoothly.

Berjalan lancar is a common expression meaning to go/run smoothly.
It sounds a little more explicit because berjalan adds the idea of the process unfolding.

Both are correct, but:

• Perjalanan itu lancar is shorter and simpler
• Perjalanan itu berjalan lancar is a bit fuller and very natural in everyday Malay

It is natural and correct Malay.

Perjalanan itu lancar is simple, standard, and easy to understand. It works in:

• everyday conversation
• written reports
• casual summaries of a trip

In speech, people might also say things like:

• Perjalanan tadi lancar. = The trip earlier went smoothly.
• Trip tu lancar. = The trip was smooth.
  (tu is a spoken form of itu.)

So the sentence is fully normal, though actual spoken Malay may sometimes sound a little more casual.