Kenaikan pangkat itu belum tentu.

That promotion is not yet certain.

Breakdown of Kenaikan pangkat itu belum tentu.

• itu: that
• belum: not yet
• tentu: certainly; of course
• kenaikan pangkat: the promotion at work

Questions & Answers about Kenaikan pangkat itu belum tentu.

Why does itu come after kenaikan pangkat instead of before it?

In Malay, demonstratives like ini and itu normally come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• rumah itu = that house
• orang ini = this person
• kenaikan pangkat itu = that promotion

So Malay structure is closer to promotion that, even though the natural English translation is that promotion. In context, itu can also make the noun phrase feel more definite, like the promotion.

What exactly is kenaikan pangkat made of?

It is a noun phrase built from two parts:

• kenaikan = increase / rise
• pangkat = rank, grade, or position

More specifically, kenaikan comes from the root naik (to go up / rise) with the circumfix ke-...-an, which often forms nouns.

So:

• naik = go up
• kenaikan = a rise / an increase

Together, kenaikan pangkat literally means a rise in rank, which is the standard way to say a promotion.

Is the usual way to say at work?