Telefon itu milik dia.

That phone belongs to him/her.

Breakdown of Telefon itu milik dia.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• telefon: the phone
• milik dia: his/hers

Questions & Answers about Telefon itu milik dia.

Where is the verb “is” in Telefon itu milik dia?

Malay often leaves out the verb “to be” (like is/are) in simple present sentences.

• Telefon itu milik dia literally lines up as:
  
  • Telefon = phone
  • itu = that
  • milik = property / belonging
  • dia = he / she

So it’s like saying: That phone (is) his/her property.
The “is” is just understood from context; it doesn’t need to be written.

You could add adalah to make it: Telefon itu adalah milik dia, but in everyday speech adalah is usually omitted here.

What does itu mean here? Is it “that” or “the”?

Itu primarily means “that” (as opposed to ini = this).

• Telefon itu = that phone (the one further away or already known in the conversation).

However, Malay doesn’t have a strict “the” like English, and itu often plays the role of pointing to a specific, known thing. Depending on context, telefon itu might be translated as “the phone” or “that phone.”

What exactly does milik mean? Is it a verb like “owns”?

Milik is more like a noun meaning “ownership / property / possession.”

In Telefon itu milik dia, the structure is:

• Telefon itu = that phone
• milik dia = his/her property

So the idea is “That phone is the property of him/her.”
It doesn’t literally mean “he/she owns” as a verb; it’s more like “belonging” or “ownership” as a concept.

In other sentences you might see:

• Ini milik saya. = This is mine / This belongs to me.
• Tanah itu milik kerajaan. = That land is government property.

Could I say Telefon dia instead of Telefon itu milik dia? What’s the difference?

Yes, Telefon dia is very common and perfectly correct.

Telefon dia

• Literally: his/her phone
• Very natural and common in everyday speech.
• Short and neutral.

Telefon itu milik dia

• Literally: That phone is his/hers.
• Sounds a bit more explicit and slightly more formal or careful in tone.
• Often used when you’re clarifying ownership of a specific phone (e.g., among several phones).

So:

• Telefon dia = describing the phone that belongs to him/her.
• Telefon itu milik dia = making a full statement that that particular phone belongs to him/her.

Can I say Telefon itu dia punya? How is that different from Telefon itu milik dia?

Yes, Telefon itu dia punya is very common in spoken Malay.

• Telefon itu dia punya = That phone is his/hers.
• punya here is a casual way of saying belongs to / possession of.

Difference in tone:

• Telefon itu milik dia

  • Sounds a bit more formal / standard.
  • More likely in writing or careful speech.

• Telefon itu dia punya

  • Sounds colloquial / informal.
  • Very common in daily conversation.

Both mean the same thing, but milik is more formal, dia punya more casual.

Can dia mean both “he” and “she”? How do I know which one it is?

Yes, dia is gender-neutral: it can mean he or she, and also him / her.

• Telefon itu milik dia could be That phone is his or That phone is hers.
• The gender is understood from context, not from the word itself.

If you must clarify gender, you usually do it by naming the person:

• Telefon itu milik Ali. = That phone is Ali’s.
• Telefon itu milik Siti. = That phone is Siti’s.

Is Telefon itu milik dia formal, or can I use it in everyday conversation?

You can use it in conversation; people will understand you. But in terms of feeling:

• Telefon itu milik dia
  
  • Feels a bit formal / written, or like you are making a clear, explicit statement.

More common everyday alternatives:

• Itu telefon dia.
• Telefon dia. (if the context is clear)
• Telefon itu dia punya. (informal, spoken)

So, Telefon itu milik dia isn’t wrong in speech, but it sounds slightly more textbook or formal.

Can I drop itu and just say Telefon milik dia?

Yes, Telefon milik dia is grammatically correct.

• Telefon itu milik dia = That phone / the specific phone is his/hers.
• Telefon milik dia = A phone that belongs to him/her (more general, less specific).

In real use, people normally specify the phone they’re talking about with itu or ini, or just say Telefon dia.

• Telefon ini milik dia. = This phone is his/hers.
• Telefon itu milik dia. = That phone is his/hers.

What about miliknya? Is Telefon itu miliknya correct?

Yes, Telefon itu miliknya is correct and natural.

• milik dia = his/her property
• miliknya = his/her property (using the possessive suffix -nya)

They mean the same thing; -nya attaches directly to milik:

• Telefon itu milik dia.
• Telefon itu miliknya.

Both can be translated That phone is his/hers.
miliknya is quite common and sounds a bit smoother and more compact.

How would I make this sentence plural, like “Those phones are theirs”?

You can make both the noun and the pronoun plural:

• Telefon-telefon itu milik mereka.
  
  • telefon-telefon = phones (reduplication for plural)
  • itu = those
  • milik = property / belonging
  • mereka = they / them

In everyday Malay, you can often skip the repeated plural and just say telefon itu when context shows it’s plural:

• Telefon itu milik mereka. = Those phones are theirs.

Malay doesn’t always mark plurals explicitly; context does a lot of the work.

Could I add adalah here: Telefon itu adalah milik dia? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say: Telefon itu adalah milik dia.

• adalah is like “is/are” in formal contexts, especially before nouns.
• It doesn’t change the meaning; it just sounds more formal, like written language, announcements, or careful speech.

Nuance:

• Telefon itu milik dia.
  
  • Standard, acceptable in both speech and writing.
• Telefon itu adalah milik dia.
  
  • More formal, “proper” written style (e.g., reports, official texts).

How would I ask “Whose phone is that?” related to this sentence?

You can ask:

• Telefon itu milik siapa?
  
  • Literally: That phone belongs to who?

or more colloquially:

• Itu telefon siapa?

Both mean “Whose phone is that?” and they line up nicely with the answer Telefon itu milik dia.