Pencemaran itu teruk.

In Malay, you often do not need a copula like is/am/are when the predicate is an adjective.

So:

• Pencemaran itu teruk = That pollution is severe / The pollution is bad

This is completely normal Malay sentence structure:

• [noun phrase] + [adjective]

Other examples:

• Rumah itu besar = That house is big
• Cuaca hari ini panas = The weather today is hot

Malay can use words like ialah or adalah, but not in simple adjective sentences like this. So Pencemaran itu teruk is the natural form.

Itu usually means that, but in many sentences it also works a bit like the when referring to something already known or already mentioned.

So pencemaran itu can mean:

• that pollution
• the pollution (the one we’re talking about)

Important point: in Malay, itu comes after the noun:

• pencemaran itu = that/the pollution

Compare:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang itu = that person

So unlike English, you do not put it before the noun.

Pencemaran means pollution or contamination, depending on context.

It comes from the root cemar, which relates to being polluted, stained, or contaminated. The form peN-...-an often creates a noun related to a process, condition, or phenomenon.

So:

• cemar = polluted/contaminated, dirty in a broader sense
• pencemaran = pollution, contamination

Examples:

• pencemaran udara = air pollution
• pencemaran air = water pollution
• pencemaran bunyi = noise pollution

Teruk means severe, serious, bad, or terrible, depending on context.

In Pencemaran itu teruk, it means the pollution is:

• serious
• severe
• really bad

It is a very common adjective in Malay and can describe many kinds of unpleasant situations:

• Kemalangan itu teruk = The accident was severe
• Keadaannya teruk = The condition is bad
• Jalan sesak teruk = The road is very badly congested / The traffic is terrible

So here, teruk does not mean only “injured badly”; it has a broad meaning.

In Pencemaran itu teruk, teruk is the predicate adjective. It is telling you something about pencemaran itu.

Structure:

• Pencemaran itu = subject
• teruk = predicate adjective

So the sentence means:

• The pollution is severe

This is different from a noun phrase like pencemaran yang teruk, which means:

• severe pollution

That is a phrase, not a full sentence.

So compare:

• Pencemaran itu teruk. = That pollution is severe.
• pencemaran yang teruk = severe pollution

Malay word order is different from English.

The normal order here is:

• Subject + predicate
• Pencemaran itu + teruk

So:

• Pencemaran itu teruk = That pollution is severe

Putting teruk first would usually not be the normal neutral structure for this sentence.

Also, itu stays after the noun:

• pencemaran itu, not itu pencemaran in this meaning

So the sentence follows standard Malay order.

Yes. Depending on context, teruk can be translated in several natural ways:

• The pollution is severe
• The pollution is bad
• The pollution is terrible
• That pollution is really bad

The best English translation depends on tone and context. If the situation is formal, severe may fit best. In everyday speech, bad or terrible may sound more natural.

Yes. That would mean:

• This pollution is severe

The difference is:

• ini = this
• itu = that

Both come after the noun:

• pencemaran ini = this pollution
• pencemaran itu = that pollution

So if the pollution is near you, immediate, or currently being discussed more directly, ini may fit better. If it is more distant, previously mentioned, or conceptually “that one,” use itu.

Sometimes, yes, but the meaning and style change.

• Pencemaran itu teruk = That/The pollution is severe
• Pencemaran teruk can sound incomplete in normal conversation, or it may be interpreted differently depending on context

In headlines, notes, or very informal speech, Pencemaran teruk might work like:

• Severe pollution
• Pollution is severe

But as a full standard sentence, Pencemaran itu teruk is clearer.

You would say:

• Pencemaran itu tidak teruk.

Use tidak to negate adjectives and verbs.

So:

• teruk = severe
• tidak teruk = not severe

This is important because learners often wonder whether to use bukan. Here, bukan is not correct, because teruk is an adjective.

Use:

• tidak for verbs and adjectives
• bukan mainly for nouns and identity-type statements

Yes. You can add intensifiers such as:

• Pencemaran itu sangat teruk. = The pollution is very severe.
• Pencemaran itu teruk sekali. = The pollution is extremely bad.
• Pencemaran itu terlalu teruk. = The pollution is too severe.

Common choices:

• sangat = very
• sekali = very/extremely
• terlalu = too

So if you want a stronger version, sangat teruk is a very natural choice.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation is:

• pen-che-ma-ran

More roughly:

• pən-che-ma-ran

And the whole sentence:

• Pencemaran itu teruk
• pen-che-ma-ran ee-too te-rook

A few helpful notes:

• c in Malay sounds like ch in chair
• u in teruk sounds like oo in book/food depending on accent, but learners often approximate it as oo
• Stress in Malay is usually not as strong or dramatic as in English

Pencemaran itu teruk is neutral standard Malay. It is perfectly fine in everyday speech and writing.

It is not especially slangy, and it is not overly formal either. You could use it in:

• conversation
• schoolwork
• news-style discussion
• environmental topics

If you wanted a more formal tone, you might choose a more formal adjective than teruk, depending on context, but teruk itself is very common and natural.

A common way is:

• pencemaran yang teruk

This means:

• severe pollution
• pollution that is severe

Why yang? Because it links the noun to its description in a very standard way.

Compare:

• Pencemaran itu teruk. = The pollution is severe.
• pencemaran yang teruk = severe pollution

Learners often confuse these two, so it helps to remember:

• full sentence: noun phrase + adjective
• describing noun inside a phrase: often noun + yang + adjective