Learn Hardcore Malay: Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. - He/She likes that funny television program.

Dia is a third‑person singular pronoun that can mean he, she, or even they (singular, gender‑neutral) depending on context. Malay does not mark gender in pronouns, so:

Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu.
can be:
- He likes that funny TV show.
- She likes that funny TV show.

If the gender matters, you infer it from context or add something like:

Dia (lelaki) suka… – He (male) likes…
Dia (perempuan) suka… – She (female) likes…

But in most normal conversation, just dia is used and understood from context.

Does suka mean like or love? How strong is it?

Suka usually means to like, to be fond of, or to enjoy.

Its strength depends on context and tone:

Everyday preferences:
- Saya suka kopi. – I like coffee.
- Dia suka lagu itu. – He/She likes that song.
People:
- Dia suka kamu. – He/She likes you.
  (Depending on tone/context, this can also suggest having a crush.)

For stronger, more emotional love, Malay often uses:

cinta – deep romantic love
sayang – affectionate love (family, partner, even pets)

So Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. is best taken as:

He/She likes that funny TV show.
He/She enjoys that funny TV show.

Why is there no word like to or for after suka? Should it be suka akan rancangan…?

In modern everyday Malay, suka normally takes its object directly, with no extra preposition:

Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – He/She likes that funny TV show.
Saya suka makanan pedas. – I like spicy food.

You might see suka akan or suka kepada in very formal, literary, or old‑fashioned styles:

Dia suka akan kebebasan. – He/She has a liking for freedom.

But in normal speech and writing, just use suka + noun.
So:

Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu.
is the most natural version.

What exactly does rancangan televisyen mean? Is it the same as TV show?

Yes, rancangan televisyen corresponds closely to TV programme or TV show.

rancangan – plan / programme / show (a scheduled piece of content)
televisyen – television

Together:

rancangan televisyen – a TV programme/show

You will also hear:

rancangan TV – more casual (using TV instead of televisyen)
program TV – also common, from English program

All of these can refer to shows like sitcoms, dramas, game shows, etc.
In your sentence, it’s natural to translate as:

that funny TV show.

Why is lucu (funny) placed after rancangan televisyen, not before it?

In Malay, descriptive adjectives normally come after the noun they describe, not before like in English.

Pattern:

noun + adjective

Examples:

rumah besar – big house
kucing hitam – black cat
rancangan lucu – funny show

In your sentence:

rancangan televisyen lucu
literally: programme television funny

Natural English: funny TV programme / TV show

So the word order rancangan televisyen lucu itu is perfectly normal:

noun: rancangan
classifier/descriptor: televisyen
adjective: lucu
demonstrative: itu

Does lucu only mean funny, or can it also mean cute?

Lucu mainly means funny / amusing / comical.

For example:

Cerita itu sangat lucu. – That story is very funny.
Dia memang lucu bila marah. – He/She is really funny when angry.

However, in some contexts (especially informal speech, or influenced by Indonesian and local usage), lucu can also carry a nuance of:

adorably funny
cute in a funny way

But if you want cute in the usual sense, Malay more commonly uses:

comel – cute (esp. for babies, animals, people, cute things)

So in your sentence, lucu is best understood as funny, not cute:

that funny TV show, not that cute TV show.

What is the function of itu at the end? Does it mean that or the?

Itu is a demonstrative that basically means that (as opposed to this = ini).

Placed after a noun phrase, it can indicate:

Physical or contextual distance (that)
- rancangan televisyen lucu itu
  = that funny TV show (over there / that we mentioned)
Definiteness (the)
Malay doesn’t have articles like the/a, so ini / itu often act like this/that or sometimes the.

So:

Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu.
can be translated naturally as:
- He/She likes that funny TV show.
- He/She likes the funny TV show.

Which English version sounds better depends on the context.

Can rancangan televisyen lucu itu also mean those funny TV shows (plural)?

Malay usually does not mark plural on nouns unless it needs to be emphasized. So rancangan by itself can mean programme / programmes, depending on context.

In your sentence:

rancangan televisyen lucu itu could theoretically be:
- that funny TV show
  or
- those funny TV shows

However, many speakers would still first interpret it as singular (one show) unless the context clearly indicates several shows.

If you want to explicitly show plural, you can:

Reduplicate the noun (more formal/written):
- rancangan‑rancangan televisyen lucu itu – those funny TV programmes
Add a plural word/quantifier:
- semua rancangan televisyen lucu itu – all those funny TV shows
- beberapa rancangan televisyen lucu itu – several of those funny TV shows

So without extra markers, that funny TV show is the most straightforward reading.

Could the sentence also mean He/She liked / will like that funny TV show? There’s no tense marker.

Yes. Malay verbs, including suka, do not change form for tense. There’s no equivalent of English likes/liked/will like; the base form suka is used for all.

The time reference comes from:

context, or
time words/markers (e.g. semalam yesterday, nanti later, akan will)

So Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. can mean:

He/She likes that funny TV show. (general habit / present)
He/She liked that funny TV show. (if you’re clearly talking about the past)
He/She will like that funny TV show. (less common, but possible with context)

To make it explicitly future or past, you can add:

Dia akan suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – He/She will like that funny TV show.
Dia dulu suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – He/She used to like that funny TV show.
Semalam, dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – Yesterday, he/she liked that funny TV show.

Is dia polite enough, or should I use beliau?

Dia is neutral and widely used for most people in everyday situations.

Beliau is a more respectful third‑person pronoun used mainly for:

respected people (teachers, leaders, elders, public figures)
formal writing (news articles, official documents, speeches)

So:

Talking about a friend, family member, colleague, etc.:
Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – perfectly fine.
Talking formally about, say, the prime minister or a senior figure:
Beliau suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu. – more respectful/formal.

Using dia for someone of higher status in a very formal context might feel too casual, but in everyday conversational Malay it’s normal.

Can I leave out dia and just say Suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu?

You can drop dia in some conversational contexts if it’s crystal clear from context who you’re talking about, but:

The neutral, full sentence is:
Dia suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu.

If you say only:

Suka rancangan televisyen lucu itu.

it can sound:

like a note or headline (kind of telegraphic style), or
like an incomplete sentence, unless the subject is strongly implied.

So for learners, it’s better to keep dia unless you’re imitating very casual spoken style where subjects are often dropped when obvious.

Are there more natural or shorter ways to say TV show here, like people really say in conversation?

Yes. In everyday spoken Malay, people often shorten or mix with English:

Instead of rancangan televisyen, you will hear:

rancangan TV – very common
program TV – also common
Just the title of the show, or show itself in English, in bilingual speech

Possible natural alternatives:

Dia suka rancangan TV lucu itu.
Dia suka program TV lucu itu.

All still mean He/She likes that funny TV show.
Your original sentence is perfectly correct; the versions above just sound a bit more colloquial.