Lakonan dia hebat.

Lakonan means acting, performance, or the act of acting.

In this sentence, it refers to someone's acting ability or performance in a film, drama, play, and so on. So lakonan dia means his/her acting.

It comes from the root lakon, which is related to acting or playing a role.

In Malay, possession usually works like this:

noun + possessor

So:

• lakonan dia = his/her acting
• literally, something like acting of him/her

This is different from English, where the possessor usually comes first:

• his acting
• her acting

So lakonan dia is the normal Malay word order.

Yes. Dia can mean either he or she.

Malay third-person pronouns usually do not show gender, so you understand it from context. If you do not already know who is being talked about, dia could refer to a man or a woman.

Malay often does not use a word like is in simple sentences with adjectives.

So:

• Lakonan dia hebat.
• literally: His/her acting great.

But in natural English, you translate it as His/Her acting is great.

This is very normal in Malay. The adjective can directly follow the subject without needing a separate verb meaning to be.

Hebat is an adjective meaning things like:

• great
• excellent
• impressive
• amazing
  depending on context

In Lakonan dia hebat, hebat describes lakonan dia.

So the structure is:

• Lakonan dia = the subject
• hebat = the description/predicate

Not exactly, though the idea is very similar.

Lakonan dia hebat focuses on the person's acting/performance as a thing:

• His/Her acting is great

If you want to focus more on the action to act, Malay might use a verbal structure instead, such as:

• Dia berlakon dengan hebat. = He/She acts brilliantly
• Dia berlakon dengan baik. = He/She acts well

So your sentence is more about evaluating the acting itself, not just describing the action.

Yes, very often.

Lakonannya hebat is a natural alternative. Here, -nya can mean his/her in context, so:

• lakonannya = his/her acting

This form can sound a bit more compact and smooth than lakonan dia, but both are understandable and common.

Very roughly:

• lakonan dia = his/her acting
• lakonannya = his/her acting

In many situations, they mean the same thing.

Because that is not the normal Malay structure for this meaning.

You want to say that the acting is great, so the thing being talked about first is:

• lakonan dia = his/her acting

Then you describe it:

• hebat = great

So the natural pattern is:

[subject noun phrase] + [adjective]

That gives:

Lakonan dia hebat.

If you start with dia, you would usually be talking directly about the person, not specifically about their acting. For example:

• Dia hebat. = He/She is great.

That sentence praises the person in general, not specifically the acting.

Usually, yes.

• baik = good
• hebat = great / impressive / excellent

So:

• Lakonan dia baik. = His/Her acting is good.
• Lakonan dia hebat. = His/Her acting is great / impressive.

Hebat sounds stronger and more enthusiastic.

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

A Malay speaker could definitely say:

• Lakonan dia hebat.

It sounds like a normal comment about someone's acting in a movie, show, or play.

Depending on style and context, you might also hear:

• Lakonannya hebat.
• Dia memang hebat berlakon. = He/She is really great at acting.
• Dia berlakon dengan sangat baik. = He/She acts very well.

But your original sentence is perfectly natural.

A simple English-friendly guide is:

la-KO-nan

More roughly:

• la as in luck without the final ck
• ko like core but shorter
• nan like nun with an a sound closer to nahn

The stress in Malay is not as strong or fixed as in English, but saying la-KO-nan will be close enough for a learner.