Learn Hardcore Malay: Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.

Itu is a demonstrative that usually means "that".
In this kind of sentence, though, it often works like English "the" by making the noun specific.

Burung itu = that bird / the bird (the specific bird we both know about)
burung (without itu) = a bird / birds (in general, not specific)

Whether you translate itu as "the" or "that" depends on context and emphasis, not on a strict rule.

Why is there no word for "is" in this sentence?

Malay normally does not use a verb like "to be" (is/am/are) when you are:

stating a location, or
linking a noun with a location/prepositional phrase.

So:

Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.
Literally: Bird that at behind wall glass.
Natural English: The bird is behind the glass wall.

The "is" is simply understood from the structure; you don’t add any word for it.

Can I omit itu and just say Burung di belakang dinding kaca?

You can, but the meaning changes slightly.

Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.
→ The/that bird is behind the glass wall. (a specific bird)
Burung di belakang dinding kaca.
→ A bird is behind the glass wall / Bird(s) are behind the glass wall.
(non‑specific; we haven’t identified which bird)

So yes, the sentence is still grammatical without itu, but it sounds more general or indefinite.

What exactly does di belakang mean, and why do we need di?

Belakang by itself means "back" or "rear" (a noun).
Di is a preposition meaning "at / in / on" (for location).

When you combine them:

di belakang = "at the back of / behind"

Malay usually needs di before a location word to form a prepositional phrase:

di depan – in front (of)
di dalam – inside
di atas – on, above
di belakang – behind

So di is required here; burung itu belakang dinding kaca would be ungrammatical.

What is the difference between belakang and di belakang?

Belakang alone is a noun: "back" / "rear".
Example: belakang rumah – the back of the house.
Di belakang is a full prepositional phrase: "behind / at the back of".
Example: di belakang rumah – behind the house / at the back of the house.

In a full sentence expressing location, you normally use di belakang, not just belakang.

How does dinding kaca work? Is it "glass wall" or "wall of glass"?

Dinding kaca is a noun + modifier structure:

dinding – wall
kaca – glass

Together: dinding kaca = glass wall / wall made of glass.

Malay often uses Noun + Noun to express:

material: pintu kayu – wooden door (door of wood)
type: baju tidur – sleepwear (clothes for sleeping)
purpose: beg sekolah – school bag

So dinding kaca is naturally understood as a wall whose material is glass.

Is kaca functioning as an adjective here?

Grammatically, kaca is still a noun meaning "glass", but in a noun + noun compound like dinding kaca, it behaves like an English noun used to modify another noun (as in chicken soup, glass door).

Malay does not need a special adjective form here; you just place the "material" noun after the main noun:

meja kayu – wooden table
cawan plastik – plastic cup
dinding kaca – glass wall

Why is it dinding kaca and not kaca dinding?

Malay basic pattern is:

Head noun + describing word(s)

So:

main thing: dinding (wall)
description: kaca (glass → what kind of wall? A glass one.)

Hence dinding kaca.
Kaca dinding would sound like "glass of wall" or "wall glass" in a strange order and is not normal Malay for this meaning.

What is the difference between dinding and tembok?

Both can be translated as "wall", but usage differs slightly (and varies by region):

dinding
- Common for interior walls of a building, partitions, thin walls.
- Natural in dinding kaca (glass wall / glass partition).
tembok
- Often suggests a thicker, solid wall, like an exterior wall or boundary wall.
- E.g. tembok batu – stone wall (like a fence or fort wall).

In your sentence, dinding kaca is the more natural choice for a glass wall separating spaces (like in a zoo or aquarium).

How would I say "The bird is in front of the glass wall"?

Just replace di belakang with di depan:

Burung itu di depan dinding kaca.
= The bird is in front of the glass wall.

How do I say "The birds are behind the glass wall"? How do I show plural?

Malay does not always mark plural explicitly; context often shows it.

Neutral, could be singular or plural:
- Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.
  → The bird is behind the glass wall / The birds are behind the glass wall (depending on context).
Clearly plural (general):
- Burung-burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.
  → The birds are behind the glass wall.
  Reduplication (burung-burung) marks plural.
Some birds:
- Beberapa ekor burung di belakang dinding kaca.
  → Several birds are behind the glass wall.
  (ekor is a common classifier for animals.)

If I want to say "The bird is behind the glass" (like behind a single pane of glass, not necessarily a wall), can I still use this sentence?

You can still say:

Burung itu di belakang kaca.

This is understood as The bird is behind the glass, and is fine in many contexts (e.g. looking at a bird through a window).

If you want to emphasize "on the other side of the glass", Malay also sometimes uses:

Burung itu di sebalik kaca.

Di belakang kaca tends to feel more literal "behind the glass (in a back position relative to it)",
di sebalik kaca can sound more like "on the other side of the glass" or "beyond the glass".

Is the word order Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca fixed, or can I move things around?

The core order [Subject] + [Location phrase] is fairly fixed:

Subject: Burung itu
Location phrase: di belakang dinding kaca

You cannot normally move the location phrase before the subject without changing the style or needing extra elements.

So:

✔ Burung itu di belakang dinding kaca.
❌ Di belakang dinding kaca burung itu. (possible in very specific contexts but sounds marked/poetic, not basic learner-friendly order)

Within the location phrase, the order di + belakang + dinding + kaca is also fixed for the intended meaning: you can’t reorder those words.