Panggilan itu penting.

In Malay, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• panggilan itu = that call / the call
• buku ini = this book

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

Also, in many contexts, itu can sound like the, not only that, so panggilan itu penting can mean either that call is important or the call is important, depending on context.

Malay often leaves out the present-tense verb to be when linking a subject to an adjective or description.

So:

• Panggilan itu penting. = The call is important.

Literally, it is more like:

• call that important

This is completely normal in Malay. You do not need to add a word meaning is here.

A similar pattern:

• Rumah itu besar. = The house is big.
• Dia sibuk. = He/She is busy.

Penting is an adjective, meaning important.

In this sentence, it works as the predicate:

• Panggilan itu = the subject
• penting = what is being said about it

So the structure is:

• Subject + adjective

Examples:

• Kerja itu susah. = The work is difficult.
• Makanan ini sedap. = This food is tasty.

Panggilan most commonly means call, but the exact meaning depends on context. It can refer to:

• a phone call
• a summons
• a calling or vocation
• a form of address or title

In everyday conversation, one very common meaning is phone call.

So Panggilan itu penting could mean:

• That phone call is important
• That summons is important
• That calling is important

The surrounding context tells you which meaning is intended.

Yes. Panggilan comes from the root panggil, which means to call.

The ending -an often turns a root into a noun. So:

• panggil = to call
• panggilan = a call / calling / appellation

This is a very useful pattern in Malay, although the exact meaning of the derived noun can vary from word to word.

Yes. Although itu literally means that, in natural Malay it is often used to make a noun specific, which can sound like English the.

So:

• panggilan itu can be understood as that call
• but in many contexts it may sound more natural in English as the call

Malay does not have a direct article system like English a/an/the, so words like itu often help express definiteness.

The basic order is:

• Subject + predicate

Here:

• Panggilan itu = subject
• penting = predicate adjective

So the full pattern is:

• [Noun phrase] + [adjective]

This is a very common Malay sentence pattern.

Compare:

• Orang itu baik. = That person is kind.
• Soalan ini mudah. = This question is easy.

A simple English-friendly approximation is:

• pahng-GEE-lan EE-too pen-TING

A few notes:

• ng in panggilan is like the ng in sing
• g is a hard g, as in go
• i is usually like ee in see
• stress in Malay is generally not as strong or dramatic as in English, but the last or second-last syllable often sounds slightly more prominent

A rough syllable breakdown:

• pang-gi-lan
• i-tu
• pen-ting

Usually, panggilan itu penting is understood as that/the call is important, so singular is the most likely reading.

However, Malay nouns do not always mark singular vs. plural the way English does, and context matters a lot. If you specifically wanted to show plural, you would often use reduplication:

• panggilan-panggilan itu penting = those calls are important

Still, in many real situations, Malay leaves number unmarked unless it needs to be clear.

Not with the same meaning.

• Panggilan itu penting = That/The call is important
• Itu panggilan penting would mean something more like That is an important call

So changing the word order changes the structure of the sentence.

In the original sentence, panggilan itu is the thing being talked about. In Itu panggilan penting, itu is the subject meaning that.

Yes, it is perfectly natural and usable. It is simple, neutral Malay.

A speaker might say it in many situations, for example:

• talking about a phone call from work
• saying a summons or official call matters
• emphasizing that a particular call should not be ignored

It is neither especially formal nor especially casual—it is just a normal, standard sentence.