Learn Hardcore Malay: Ramalan itu penting untuk petani di sawah. - That forecast is important for farmers in the rice field.

So the structure is roughly: forecast that important for farmer(s) in rice field(s) → “That forecast is important for farmers in the rice fields.”

Where is the word “is” in this Malay sentence?

Malay does not use a separate verb like “is/are” between a subject and an adjective or noun in simple present tense statements.

Ramalan itu = that forecast / the forecast
penting = important

Put together: Ramalan itu penting literally “That forecast important,” which is understood as “That forecast is important.”

No extra verb is needed. Malay simply places the predicate (penting) after the subject (Ramalan itu).

What exactly does ramalan mean? Is it only for the weather?

Ramalan comes from the root ramal and means prediction / forecast / prophecy in general. It can be used for:

ramalan cuaca = weather forecast
ramalan ekonomi = economic forecast
ramalan nasib = fortune-telling / prediction of fate

In your sentence, if the learner already knows the meaning, it’s most naturally understood as “forecast”, and in context it usually means weather forecast, even though cuaca (weather) is not mentioned explicitly.

What is the function of itu after ramalan? Is it like “the” or “that”?

Itu is a demonstrative that usually means “that”, but in many contexts it also works like “the” in English, referring to something specific or known.

ramalan = a forecast / forecasts (general, non-specific)
ramalan itu = that forecast / the forecast (specific, already known or mentioned)

So Ramalan itu penting = “That forecast / The forecast is important.”

It implies that both speaker and listener can identify which forecast is being talked about (for example, the forecast they just heard on the radio).

Could we leave out itu and just say Ramalan penting untuk petani di sawah?

Yes, you can say:

Ramalan penting untuk petani di sawah.

This sounds more general: “Forecasts are important for farmers in the rice fields.”

Nuance:

Ramalan itu penting… = that/the specific forecast is important…
Ramalan penting… = (in general) forecasts are important…

So itu changes the meaning from a general statement to a specific one.

How do we know whether petani means “farmer” (singular) or “farmers” (plural)?

In Malay, petani can be singular or plural, depending on context. There is no ending like -s for plural.

petani = a farmer / the farmer / farmers / the farmers

If you really need to make it clearly plural, you can say:

para petani = (all) the farmers / the group of farmers
petani-petani = farmers (reduplication shows plurality, more informal/common in some styles)

In your sentence, because “farmers in the rice fields” makes sense contextually, petani is naturally understood as plural.

What does untuk do here, and is it the same as bagi?

Untuk is a preposition that means “for” and often indicates:

purpose: buku untuk belajar = a book for studying
beneficiary: hadiah untuk kamu = a present for you

In the sentence:

penting untuk petani di sawah = important for farmers in the rice fields

Bagi can also mean “for”, especially in the sense of “from the point of view of / in relation to”:

Bagi petani di sawah, ramalan itu penting.
= For farmers in the rice fields, that forecast is important.

Both are acceptable in many cases, but in this position (penting untuk X), untuk is more common and neutral.

What is the difference between di sawah and di ladang?

Both di sawah and di ladang describe places where farming happens, but they are different types of fields:

sawah = paddy field, i.e., flooded rice fields, usually with irrigation, where rice is grown in water.
- di sawah = in the paddy fields / in the rice fields (wet-rice cultivation).
ladang = dry field or plantation, used for crops like corn, cassava, oil palm, rubber, etc., not flooded.
- di ladang = in the (dry) fields / on the plantation / on the farm (non-rice crops).

In this sentence, di sawah focuses specifically on rice farmers working in paddy fields.

Why is the word order Ramalan itu penting, and can we put penting somewhere else?

Standard Malay word order is:

Subject + Predicate

Here:

Ramalan itu = subject
penting = predicate (adjective)

So Ramalan itu penting = “That forecast is important.”

You cannot freely move penting in front the way you might in some poetic English:

❌ Penting ramalan itu (sounds marked/odd; could occur in special emphasis or poetic contexts, but not as normal speech here)

The neutral, natural order is:

Ramalan itu penting untuk petani di sawah.

Why do we use di before sawah, and can we ever say pada sawah?

Di is the usual preposition for physical location: in / at / on.

di sawah = in the paddy field / in the rice fields
di rumah = at home
di sekolah = at school

Pada is more for abstract locations, time, or specific targets, e.g.:

pada hari Isnin = on Monday
pada pendapat saya = in my opinion
marah pada dia = angry at him/her

For a simple place like sawah, you almost always say di sawah, not pada sawah. Pada sawah would sound unnatural in this context.

How do we express past or future tense here? How would we say “was important” or “will be important”?

The base sentence Ramalan itu penting untuk petani di sawah is tenseless in form and usually understood as present/general unless context says otherwise.

To show tense more clearly, you add time words:

Dulu, ramalan itu penting untuk petani di sawah.
= In the past, that forecast was important for farmers in the rice fields.
Esok, ramalan itu akan penting untuk petani di sawah.
= Tomorrow, that forecast will be important for farmers in the rice fields.

You can also use akan as a future marker:

Ramalan itu akan penting… = that forecast will be important…

For past, Malay often just relies on context or time adverbs like dulu, semalam, tadi, tahun lepas, etc., without any extra verb.

Is penting an adjective (like “important”) or a verb (like “matters”)?

Penting is primarily an adjective, meaning “important”.

ramalan penting = an important forecast
Ramalan itu penting. = The forecast is important.

Malay adjectives can function predicatively (as the part after the subject) without a linking verb:

Dia tinggi. = He/She is tall.
Filem itu menarik. = That movie is interesting.
Ramalan itu penting. = That forecast is important.

So grammatically, penting is an adjective, not a verb, though in English you could sometimes translate the idea more verb-like (“The forecast really matters to farmers”), depending on style.

Could Ramalan itu penting untuk petani di sawah also be translated as “That prediction is important to the farmers in the rice fields”?

Yes. Both are acceptable translations:

“That forecast is important for farmers in the rice fields.”
“That prediction is important to the farmers in the rice fields.”

Subtleties:

forecast usually suggests something like a weather forecast, which fits well with sawah and farming.
prediction is more general and could be about anything (harvest, economy, weather, etc.).

The Malay sentence itself does not force a specific type of prediction—context will decide. The structure penting untuk petani di sawah comfortably covers both “important for” and “important to” in English.

If I want to say “Weather forecasts are important for rice farmers,” how could I say that in Malay based on this sentence?

You can modify the sentence slightly:

Ramalan cuaca penting untuk petani di sawah.
= Weather forecasts are important for farmers in the rice fields.

Or, if you want to show clearly that it’s plural farmers:

Ramalan cuaca penting untuk para petani di sawah.
= Weather forecasts are important for the farmers in the rice fields.