Angin lintang sangat kuat.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptive sentences.

So:

• Angin lintang = crosswind
• sangat kuat = very strong

Together, Angin lintang sangat kuat naturally means The crosswind is very strong.

Adding adalah here would usually sound unnatural. In everyday Malay, adjective predicates like kuat often stand on their own without a copula.

A simple breakdown:

• angin = wind
• lintang = cross / transverse / sideways
• sangat = very
• kuat = strong

Structure:

• angin lintang = a noun phrase meaning crosswind
• sangat kuat = a descriptive phrase meaning very strong

So the whole sentence is:

• [Subject] angin lintang
• [Description] sangat kuat

Yes, it functions as a set phrase meaning crosswind.

Even though angin means wind and lintang has a broader sense related to crossways or across, together they are understood as a specific type of wind: a wind blowing across a direction of travel.

So it is best to learn angin lintang as a vocabulary item, not just as two random words.

In Malay, modifiers often come after the noun.

So where English says:

• crosswind

Malay says:

• angin lintang

This is very common in Malay noun phrases. The main noun often comes first, and the word describing or specifying it comes after.

Because sangat is an intensifier meaning very, and in Malay it usually comes before the adjective or descriptive word it modifies.

So:

• sangat kuat = very strong
• sangat besar = very big
• sangat cepat = very fast

This is the normal and standard position.

Yes, you often can, especially in speech.

• sangat kuat = standard, neutral, common in both speech and writing
• kuat sangat = also common, often a bit more conversational or emphatic

Both mean very strong, but the feel can be slightly different.

So:

• Angin lintang sangat kuat = very standard
• Angin lintang kuat sangat = also natural, especially in spoken Malay

Usually, no.

Malay does not use articles like English a and the in the same way. Context usually tells you whether something is definite or indefinite.

So angin lintang could mean:

• a crosswind
• the crosswind
• crosswind in a general sense

In a full context, listeners understand which meaning is intended.

Yes. Kuat is the normal general word for strong.

It can describe:

• physical strength
• force
• intensity

So it works well for wind:

• angin kuat = strong wind
• angin lintang sangat kuat = the crosswind is very strong

You may also hear kencang for wind, which often means something like strong, fast, or forceful in weather contexts. But kuat is completely understandable and correct.

Yes. Adding itu makes it more clearly that/the crosswind.

Compare:

• Angin lintang sangat kuat = Crosswind is very strong / The crosswind is very strong
• Angin lintang itu sangat kuat = That crosswind is very strong / The crosswind is very strong

So itu helps make the noun phrase more specific.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• angin ≈ AH-ngin
• lintang ≈ LEEN-tang
• sangat ≈ SAH-ngat
• kuat ≈ KOO-at

A rough full reading:

• AH-ngin LEEN-tang SAH-ngat KOO-at

A few notes:

• ng is like the sound in sing
• a is usually a clear ah sound
• kuat has two vowel sounds, roughly ku-at

Yes. It is short, complete, and natural.

Malay often allows very compact sentences, especially when the meaning is straightforward. A noun phrase followed by an adjective phrase is enough to form a full sentence.

So Angin lintang sangat kuat is a perfectly normal way to say that the crosswind is very strong.