Premium insurans ini tinggi.

Malay often leaves out the verb to be in simple descriptions.

So the structure is:

Premium insurans ini + tinggi
= This insurance premium + high

That is a complete sentence in Malay.
You do not need a separate word for is here.

You may sometimes see adalah, but it is usually not used before adjectives like tinggi in this kind of sentence.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun or noun phrase they describe.

So:

• premium insurans ini = this insurance premium
• rumah ini = this house
• kereta itu = that car

This is different from English, where this comes before the noun.

Malay noun phrases often put the main noun first, followed by the noun that modifies it.

Here, the main thing is the premium, and insurans tells you what kind of premium it is.

So:

• premium insurans = insurance premium
• literally, something like premium of insurance

This is a very common pattern in Malay. English often does the reverse.

Yes, tinggi literally means high or tall, depending on context.

In this sentence, it means high in the sense of a high amount or rate. That is why it fits naturally with things like:

• harga tinggi = a high price
• gaji tinggi = a high salary
• premium tinggi = a high premium

So even if the English meaning shown to the learner is something like expensive, the Malay wording uses the idea of high.

Sometimes, but tinggi is usually the more natural choice for amounts, rates, fees, and premiums.

A useful rough guide:

• tinggi = high in amount/rate/level
• mahal = expensive

For premium insurans, tinggi sounds more idiomatic because a premium is an amount or rate.

So:

• Premium insurans ini tinggi = very natural
• Premium insurans ini mahal = understandable, but less typical

The sentence has two main parts:

Premium insurans ini = the noun phrase
tinggi = the predicate adjective

So the pattern is:

[Noun phrase] + [adjective]

Breaking it down:

• premium = premium
• insurans = insurance
• ini = this
• tinggi = high

Malay often uses this simple pattern to describe something, without adding a verb like is.

Yes, ini makes the noun phrase specific.

premium insurans ini refers to a particular premium: this insurance premium.

Malay does not have articles exactly like English a and the, so words like ini and itu often help show that something is specific.

Compare:

• Premium insurans tinggi = insurance premiums are high / the insurance premium is high, depending on context
• Premium insurans ini tinggi = this insurance premium is high

Because ini is present, the sentence specifically points to this premium.

So the most direct meaning is:

This insurance premium is high.

Without ini, the sentence would be more general or more dependent on context.

For example:

• Premium insurans tinggi.
  This could mean Insurance premiums are high or The insurance premium is high, depending on the situation.

But with ini, the reference is clearly specific.

The most direct opposite is:

Premium insurans ini rendah.

Here, rendah means low.

So:

• tinggi = high
• rendah = low

This pair is very common for prices, rates, levels, and amounts.

Yes, insurans is a borrowed word, originally from insurance.

A simple pronunciation guide is roughly:

in-su-rans

Malay pronunciation is usually more regular than English spelling, so learners often find it easier once they know the syllables.

Also, many modern Malay words in business, law, and finance are borrowed or adapted from English, so premium and insurans are not unusual at all.