Refining Descriptions
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use words like 'sangat', 'sekali', and 'agak' to move beyond basic descriptions and express precise levels of intensity.
- Use 'sangat' BEFORE the adjective for 'very' (e.g., sangat besar).
- Use 'sekali' AFTER the adjective for 'very' (e.g., besar sekali).
- Use 'agak' before an adjective to mean 'somewhat' or 'a bit' (e.g., agak mahal).
Meanings
Refining descriptions involves using specific adverbs (intensifiers) to modify the strength or degree of an adjective, allowing for more nuanced communication.
High Intensity
To express that a quality is very strong using 'sangat', 'sekali', or 'amat'.
“Dia sangat pintar.”
“Mobil itu cepat sekali.”
Moderate Intensity
To express a medium or sufficient degree using 'cukup' or 'lumayan'.
“Kopi ini cukup panas.”
“Nilai ujiannya lumayan bagus.”
Low Intensity
To express a slight degree or 'a bit' using 'agak' or 'sedikit'.
“Saya agak lelah hari ini.”
“Sup ini sedikit asin.”
Excessive Degree
To express that something is 'too much' using 'terlalu'.
“Sepatu ini terlalu kecil.”
“Harga tiketnya terlalu mahal.”
Common Intensifier Patterns
| Intensifier | Position | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sangat | Before Adjective | Very | Sangat besar |
| Sekali | After Adjective | Very | Besar sekali |
| Agak | Before Adjective | Somewhat / A bit | Agak dingin |
| Terlalu | Before Adjective | Too | Terlalu mahal |
| Cukup | Before Adjective | Quite / Enough | Cukup baik |
| Lumayan | Before Adjective | Quite / Fairly | Lumayan enak |
| Kurang | Before Adjective | Less / Not enough | Kurang bersih |
| Benar-benar | Before Adjective | Really / Truly | Benar-benar indah |
Informal / Slang Forms
| Standard | Informal | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Sangat / Sekali | Banget | Enak banget (Very delicious) |
| Terlalu | Keterlaluan | Itu keterlaluan! (That's too much!) |
| Agak | Dikit / Sedikit | Pedas dikit (A bit spicy) |
Reference Table
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative (High) | Sangat + Adj | Sangat pintar |
| Affirmative (High) | Adj + Sekali | Pintar sekali |
| Affirmative (Mid) | Cukup + Adj | Cukup pintar |
| Affirmative (Low) | Agak + Adj | Agak pintar |
| Negative (Excessive) | Terlalu + Adj | Terlalu pintar (Too smart) |
| Negative (Insufficient) | Kurang + Adj | Kurang pintar (Not smart enough) |
| Emphasis | Benar-benar + Adj | Benar-benar pintar |
| Question | Apakah + Adj + ? | Apakah mahal? |
正式程度
Makanan ini sangat lezat. (Dining)
Makanannya enak sekali. (Dining)
Makanannya enak banget. (Dining)
Makanannya mantul (mantap betul)! (Dining)
The Spectrum of Intensity
High
- Sangat / Sekali Very
Medium
- Cukup / Lumayan Quite
Low
- Agak / Sedikit A bit
Negative
- Terlalu Too
- Kurang Less
Sangat vs. Sekali
Choosing an Intensifier
Is it 'too much'?
Is it 'very'?
Is it 'a little'?
Register and Tone
Formal
- • Amat
- • Sungguh
- • Sangat
Neutral
- • Sekali
- • Cukup
- • Agak
Informal
- • Banget
- • Dikit
- • Lumayan
Examples by Level
Saya sangat lapar.
I am very hungry.
Mobil itu tidak besar.
That car is not big.
Kopi ini panas.
This coffee is hot.
Dia sangat baik.
He/she is very kind.
Rumah ini besar sekali.
This house is very big.
Baju itu terlalu mahal.
That shirt is too expensive.
Hari ini dingin sekali.
Today is very cold.
Masakan ini enak sekali.
This food is very delicious.
Ujiannya agak sulit hari ini.
The exam was somewhat difficult today.
Hotelnya cukup nyaman untuk keluarga.
The hotel is quite comfortable for families.
Saya merasa lumayan capek setelah bekerja.
I feel quite tired after working.
Jalannya agak macet sore ini.
The road is a bit congested this afternoon.
Penjelasan guru itu kurang jelas bagi saya.
The teacher's explanation was not clear enough for me.
Rencana ini sudah cukup matang untuk dijalankan.
This plan is already mature enough to be implemented.
Suaranya terdengar agak ragu-ragu saat menjawab.
His/her voice sounded somewhat hesitant when answering.
Kondisi ekonominya benar-benar memprihatinkan.
The economic condition is truly concerning.
Sungguh luar biasa pencapaian tim kita tahun ini.
Truly extraordinary is our team's achievement this year.
Betapa malangnya nasib anak-anak di daerah konflik.
How unfortunate is the fate of children in conflict zones.
Keputusan itu amat sangat disayangkan oleh banyak pihak.
That decision was very much regretted by many parties.
Pemandangan dari puncak gunung itu tiada tara indahnya.
The view from the mountain peak is matchlessly beautiful.
Fenomena ini mencerminkan betapa rapuhnya sistem kita.
This phenomenon reflects how fragile our system is.
Karya sastranya sarat akan makna yang amat mendalam.
His literary work is full of very deep meaning.
Kebijakan tersebut dinilai kurang tepat sasaran.
The policy is considered to be not quite on target.
Keindahannya sungguh memukau setiap pasang mata.
Its beauty truly mesmerizes every pair of eyes.
Easily Confused
Learners often mix up the position or try to use both at once.
Both mean 'a bit', but they are used differently.
Learners use 'terlalu' when they just mean 'very'.
常见错误
Sekali besar
Besar sekali
Saya adalah sangat senang
Saya sangat senang
Sangat sekali bagus
Sangat bagus / Bagus sekali
Tidak sangat lapar
Tidak terlalu lapar
Terlalu banyak besar
Terlalu besar
Cukup sekali enak
Cukup enak
Sedikit capek
Agak capek
Kurang sekali bersih
Kurang bersih
Sangat lumayan
Lumayan
Agak terlalu mahal
Terlalu mahal / Agak mahal
Amat sangat sekali indah
Amat sangat indah
Sentence Patterns
Saya merasa ___ ___ hari ini.
Makanan ini ___ ___ tapi ___ ___.
Kota ini ___ ___ karena ___ ___.
Meskipun ___ ___, saya tetap ___ ___.
Real World Usage
Drivernya sangat ramah dan motornya bersih sekali.
Otw ya, jalannya macet banget nih.
Saya sangat tertarik untuk belajar hal baru di perusahaan ini.
Tolong sambalnya agak sedikit saja ya.
Pemandangan di Bali sungguh mempesona.
Kondisi lalu lintas pagi ini terpantau sangat padat.
The 'Kurang' Trick
Avoid Redundancy
Embrace 'Banget'
Agak vs Sedikit
Smart Tips
Swap 'tidak' for 'kurang'. It softens the blow significantly.
Use 'banget' at the end of your adjective. It's the most natural way to show excitement.
Check if 'sekali' means 'once' instead of 'very'.
Use 'agak' to avoid sounding too extreme or dramatic.
发音
Emphasis on Sekali
When using 'sekali', the stress often falls on the last syllable of the adjective to show intensity.
Glottal stop in Agak
The 'k' in 'agak' is a soft glottal stop, not a hard 'k'.
Rising intensity
Sangat... sangat... BESAR!
Conveys increasing excitement or scale.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember: 'Sangat' starts the show (comes before), 'Sekali' seals the deal (comes after).
Visual Association
Imagine a volume knob. 'Agak' is at 2, 'Cukup' is at 5, 'Sangat' is at 9, and 'Terlalu' is when the speakers start smoking at 11!
Rhyme
Sangat before, Sekali behind; use them right to speak your mind!
Story
Budi went to a restaurant. The soup was 'agak' cold, so he asked for it to be 'sangat' hot. But the chef made it 'terlalu' hot, and Budi said it was 'pedas sekali'!
Word Web
挑战
Look around your room. Describe 5 objects using a different intensifier for each (e.g., 'Buku ini sangat tebal', 'Lampu itu terang sekali').
文化笔记
Indonesians often use 'kurang' (less) instead of 'tidak' (not) to be more polite. Saying 'kurang enak' is softer than 'tidak enak'.
In Jakarta, 'banget' is the king of intensifiers. You will hear it in almost every sentence among young people.
In formal oratory (pidato), 'amat' and 'sungguh' are preferred to create a sense of gravity and importance.
Most Indonesian intensifiers are of Austronesian origin. 'Sangat' and 'Sekali' have been part of the language for centuries.
Conversation Starters
Bagaimana cuaca di kotamu hari ini?
Apa pendapatmu tentang film horor Indonesia?
Bagaimana pengalamanmu belajar bahasa Indonesia sejauh ini?
Menurutmu, apakah harga rumah di Jakarta sudah terlalu mahal?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Rumah itu ___.
Kopi ini ___ panas.
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya adalah sangat senang.
Mobil itu sangat mahal.
Pilih kalimat yang paling sopan:
A: Apakah makanannya pedas? B: Tidak, cuma ___ pedas.
Buku ini sangat tebal sekali.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
练习题
8 exercisesRumah itu ___.
Kopi ini ___ panas.
Find and fix the mistake:
Saya adalah sangat senang.
Mobil itu sangat mahal.
Pilih kalimat yang paling sopan:
A: Apakah makanannya pedas? B: Tidak, cuma ___ pedas.
Buku ini sangat tebal sekali.
Match the following:
Score: /8
常见问题 (8)
In formal Indonesian, no. It's redundant. In very casual speech, people sometimes do it for extreme emphasis, but it's better to avoid it as a learner.
'Agak' is used with adjectives (agak panas), while 'sedikit' is usually for nouns/quantity (sedikit air). However, in casual speech, you might hear 'sedikit' used with adjectives too.
No, 'banget' is very informal. Use it with friends or on social media, but use 'sangat' or 'sekali' in professional settings.
'Terlalu' always goes BEFORE the adjective. For example: 'terlalu mahal' (too expensive).
The most natural way is to say 'tidak terlalu' (not too) or 'kurang' (less/not quite).
It can mean both! 'Cukup besar' can mean 'big enough' or 'quite big' depending on the context.
'Amat' is a formal version of 'sangat'. You will see it in books or hear it in formal speeches.
Indonesian grammar doesn't require a linking verb (copula) between a subject and an adjective. 'Saya lapar' is a complete sentence.
In Other Languages
very, too, somewhat
Word order flexibility (before vs. after).
muy, demasiado, un poco
Indonesian has no gender/number agreement.
très, trop, un peu
No agreement and the existence of 'sekali' (post-modifier).
sehr, zu, etwas
Indonesian is much simpler grammatically (no declensions).
totemo, sugiru, chotto
Japanese uses suffixes for 'too much', Indonesian uses a prefix 'terlalu'.
jiddan (جداً)
Arabic 'jiddan' and Indonesian 'sekali' share the same post-adjective position.
hěn (很), tài (太)
Indonesian intensifiers are always for emphasis, not just grammatical fillers.
