Penyanyi itu sangat popular.

to be

Breakdown of Penyanyi itu sangat popular.

• itu: that
• sangat: very
• penyanyi: the singer

Questions & Answers about Penyanyi itu sangat popular.

Where is the word “is” in this sentence? Why doesn’t Malay use it?

Malay often doesn’t use a separate verb like “is / am / are” when linking a noun and an adjective.

In Penyanyi itu sangat popular:

• penyanyi itu = that / the singer
• sangat popular = very popular

Malay simply puts the parts together without a linking verb:

• Penyanyi itu sangat popular = That/The singer is very popular.

A linking word like adalah can sometimes be used, but not in this kind of simple noun + adjective sentence in everyday speech.
You would not normally say Penyanyi itu adalah sangat popular in standard modern Malay; it sounds awkward or too bookish.

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

Literally, itu means that (as a demonstrative, like “that one”).

In real usage, itu often works like “that” or a kind of definite “the”, referring to something known in context:

• Penyanyi itu
  
  • can be that singer (physically there or previously mentioned), or
  • can function like the singer (the one we both know about).

Malay doesn’t have a separate word that only means “the”, so itu often covers that role in context.