Learn Hardcore Malay: Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut, tetapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah. - Those green grapes are sweet in the mouth, but their skin is rather sour on the tongue.

Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut, tetapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah.

Those green grapes are sweet in the mouth, but their skin is rather sour on the tongue.

Breakdown of Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut, tetapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah.

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Questions & Answers about Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut, tetapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah.

What does itu mean in anggur hijau itu? Is it the or that?

Itu is a demonstrative that usually means that (as in that one / those), but in many contexts it also works like the in English.

Anggur hijau = green grapes
Anggur hijau itu = those green grapes / the green grapes (that we’re talking about, or that are visible/known)

So itu points to specific grapes that the speaker assumes the listener can identify (from context or situation).

Why is the adjective hijau placed after anggur, not before it, like in English?

In Malay, descriptive adjectives almost always come after the noun:

anggur hijau = grapes green → green grapes
baju merah = shirt red → red shirt
rumah besar = house big → big house

So anggur hijau is the normal, correct order; saying hijau anggur would be wrong in this context.

Is anggur hijau itu singular or plural? Does it mean grape or grapes?

Malay nouns generally don’t change form for singular vs. plural. Anggur can mean grape or grapes, depending on context.

Here, because you normally eat grapes in groups, anggur hijau itu is naturally understood as those green grapes / the green grapes (plural).

If you wanted to be explicitly plural, you could say:

anggur-anggur hijau itu
or
buah anggur hijau itu

But in everyday speech, just anggur hijau itu is enough.

Where is the verb “to be” in Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut? Why is there no word like “is”?

Malay normally does not use a separate verb “to be” (like is/are) before adjectives.

Pattern:

[Noun] + [Adjective] = “[Noun] is [adjective]”

Examples:

Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
Makanan ini sedap. = This food is tasty.
Anggur hijau itu manis. = Those green grapes are sweet.

So in Anggur hijau itu manis di mulut, the structure is:

Anggur hijau itu = those green grapes
manis = are sweet
di mulut = in the mouth

Literally: Those green grapes sweet in the mouth.
Natural English: Those green grapes are sweet in the mouth.

What exactly does di mulut and di lidah mean? Is it literal “in/on the mouth/tongue” or more figurative like “to the taste”?

Literally:

di mulut = in the mouth
di lidah = on the tongue

In this sentence, they are physically literal but also naturally imply how they taste when you eat them:

manis di mulut → sweet in the mouth → tastes sweet when first eaten
masam di lidah → sour on the tongue → the skin tastes sour on the tongue

You could think of both as: how it feels/tastes in those parts of your mouth. This kind of expression is common and sounds natural in Malay.

What does -nya mean in kulitnya? Why not just kulit?

The suffix -nya is a third-person possessive marker: his / her / its / their, depending on context.

kulit = skin / peel
kulitnya = its skin / their skin / the skin of it/them

In this sentence:

kulitnya agak masam = its skin is rather sour

Here, -nya refers back to anggur hijau itu (the green grapes). So kulitnya means the skin of those green grapes.

You could say kulit anggur itu agak masam (the skin of those grapes is rather sour), but kulitnya is shorter and very natural once the referent is clear.

What is the function of agak before masam? Does it mean “a bit”, “quite”, or “rather”?

Agak is a degree adverb meaning something like:

rather, somewhat, quite, a bit

It softens or moderates the adjective:

masam = sour
agak masam = rather sour / somewhat sour / a bit sour

So kulitnya agak masam di lidah suggests the skin is noticeably sour, but not extremely so. The nuance is moderate sourness, not very strong.

What is the difference between tetapi and the shorter form tapi?

Both mean but, however.

tetapi – more formal or neutral; used in writing, speeches, and also in careful spoken Malay
tapi – more informal / conversational; very common in everyday speech

In this sentence, either is grammatically fine:

… manis di mulut, tetapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah.
… manis di mulut, tapi kulitnya agak masam di lidah.

The choice is more about tone than meaning. The given sentence sounds slightly more formal or neutral because of tetapi.

Could you say masam pada lidah instead of masam di lidah? What’s the difference between di and pada here?

Both di and pada can translate roughly as at / in / on, but their usage differs:

di is used mainly for physical locations and is very common:
- di rumah (at home), di meja (on the table), di mulut (in the mouth), di lidah (on the tongue)
pada is more abstract and used for:
- time: pada pukul tiga (at three o’clock)
- people: pada saya (to me / in my opinion)
- some set expressions

For body parts as physical locations, di is the normal, natural choice:

di lidah sounds natural
pada lidah is technically understandable but sounds awkward/unnatural in this context

So masam di lidah is the correct, idiomatic phrase here.

Does masam ever mean “rotten” like “the fruit has gone bad,” or is it only “sour”?

Masam primarily means sour (acidic taste), like:

limau masam = sour lime
yogurt yang masam = sour yogurt

For rotten / spoiled, Malay usually uses:

basi – for stale/spoiled food (not fresh, gone off)
busuk – smelly/rotten (e.g. rotten fruit, garbage smell)

So in kulitnya agak masam di lidah, masam clearly means sour, not rotten.