Babi itu besar.

In Malay, you often do not need a verb like is / am / are when linking a subject to an adjective.

So:

• Babi itu besar = That pig is big / The pig is big

Malay commonly uses this zero copula pattern:

• Rumah itu besar = That house is big
• Dia cantik = She is beautiful

So even though English needs is, Malay usually does not in sentences like this.

Itu usually means that, but in many contexts it can also feel like the in English.

So Babi itu besar can mean:

• That pig is big
• The pig is big

A very important thing for English speakers to notice is that Malay puts itu after the noun:

• babi itu = that pig / the pig

Not:

• itu babi for this meaning

Because Malay demonstratives usually come after the noun.

Compare:

• babi ini = this pig
• babi itu = that pig

This is different from English, where we say this pig and that pig.

So the pattern is:

• noun + ini
• noun + itu

Examples:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang ini = this person

Because besar is the predicate adjective here: it tells you something about babi itu.

Structure:

• Babi itu = the subject
• besar = the description

So the sentence pattern is basically:

• [subject] + [adjective]

This is very normal in Malay:

• Anjing itu kecil = The dog is small
• Kereta ini mahal = This car is expensive

Usually, yes. In Malay, adjectives commonly come after the noun.

For example:

• babi besar = big pig
• rumah besar = big house

That means besar can appear after a noun in two slightly different ways:

1. As part of a noun phrase

   • babi besar = big pig

2. As the main description in a sentence

   • Babi itu besar = That pig is big

So even though the word order may look similar, the grammar function is different.

This is a very useful question.

• Babi itu besar = That pig is big

  • This is a full sentence.

• Babi besar itu = that big pig

  • This is usually just a noun phrase, not a complete sentence by itself.

So:

• babi itu = that pig
• babi besar itu = that big pig

If you want a full sentence with babi besar itu, you need to add more:

• Babi besar itu lapar = That big pig is hungry

Babi primarily means pig.

It can also refer to pork in some contexts, especially in everyday usage, but if you want to be very clear:

• babi = pig / pork (depending on context)
• daging babi = pork literally, pig meat

In Babi itu besar, it clearly means pig, because it is being described as big.

Yes, it can be.

Literally, babi is just the normal word for pig, so in a basic sentence like Babi itu besar, it is neutral.

But in conversation, babi can also be used as an insult or as part of swearing, depending on tone and context. So learners should be careful using it around people unless they are clearly talking about the animal or food.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• babi ≈ bah-bee
• itu ≈ ee-too
• besar ≈ buh-sar

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

• bah-bee ee-too buh-sar

A few notes:

• Malay pronunciation is usually quite regular.
• The r in besar is typically pronounced, unlike in many English accents.
• Stress is generally not as strong or dramatic as in English.

Yes. In many contexts, both are possible.

Malay does not have articles exactly like English a and the, so words like itu often help show that something is specific. Because of that, babi itu can be understood as:

• that pig
• the pig

Which translation sounds better depends on the context.

Usually, no.

Seekor is a classifier used for animals:

• seekor babi = a pig
• seekor anjing = a dog

But in a sentence like Babi itu besar, adding seekor is usually unnecessary unless you have a specific reason to be more explicit.

Natural everyday Malay would normally just say:

• Babi itu besar

You may see classifiers more often when counting or introducing something:

• seekor babi = one pig / a pig
• dua ekor babi = two pigs