HaloBahasa

Adjectives go after the noun

The word order is the reverse of English, and it is the same reversal you already met with possession.

a1Lesson 27 of 434 min

By the end of this lesson

  • Put an adjective in the right place
  • Describe something without a verb

The order

The adjective follows the noun.

rumah besar ‘big house’, literally ‘house big’
kopi panas ‘hot coffee’

This is the same reversal you met in nama saya ‘my name’, literally ‘name my’. Indonesian puts the thing first and its description second, consistently, everywhere.

No verb needed

As with ini and itu, a description needs no equivalent of “is”.

Rumah ini besar. ‘This house is big.’
Kopinya enak. ‘The coffee is tasty.’

Three words, no verb, complete sentence.

Very

Sangat besar ‘very big’ is correct and formal, and it goes before.

In speech, banget goes after and is far more common.

Besar banget! ‘Really big!’
Enak banget! ‘So tasty!’

What the book says: Makanan ini sangat enak. What you’ll hear: Enak banget!

A word worth its own paragraph

Enak covers tasty, but also comfortable, pleasant, and anything that feels good. A chair can be
enak, a job can be enak, sleep can be enak.

It is one of the highest-frequency words in the language and one of the first that will start arriving in your head before its English equivalent does.

Words from this lesson

besarbig
kecilsmall
bagusgood, niceFor things. Baik is more for people and behaviour.
enaktasty, pleasantAlso used for anything comfortable or agreeable.
sangatveryFormal. Banget after the adjective in speech.