"Gula itu manis."

Translation: Sugar is sweet.

[lucysmith94]

Should "gula itu manis" not translate to "that sugar is sweet"?

[duolingotfek]

It's a matter of context

That sugar is sweet : that particular sugar is sweet

Sugar is sweet: generally, sugar is sweet. Any sugar

For both context, the translation would be: Gula itu manis.

So, maybe you want to keep in mind, that the word "itu" is not used only to describe something out of reach, but also to point out general truth.

Bumi itu bulat
(Earth is round)

Garam itu asin
(Salt is salty)

Olahraga itu baik untuk kesehatan
(Exercising is good for health)

[Origin5world5_]

Could 'itu' then mean something the like of the Spanish equivalent of 'ser'? In Spanish there are two ways of saying that something 'is'; 'estar' is to describe a changeable situation, an emotion etc, and 'ser' is to describe unchangeable truths.

[Fghsses]

"Ser" does not necessarly describe something unchangeable, but also something that goes on for an extended period, i.e. "ser profesor" = to be a teacher. It can change, but your profession is a characteristic of your life that doesn't usually change overnight.

[blakekimmj]

Can you also say Gula adalah manis?

[PhonyBelon]

I agree

[YdWin]

In this context the word "itu" is just an emphasize of "is", so it's like "Sugar IS sweet"

[c3trash]

What role does itu play in this sentence? I thought itu meant that. So, wouldn't this be That sugar is sweet.

[YdWin]

It plays emphasize of "is", as in Sugar IS (indeed) sweet

[Lims41]

Would "gula manis" also be acceptable?

[duolingotfek]

"Gula manis" is translated into "sweet sugar".

[ibs707524]

So frustrating

[Dana994546]

So maybe the itu is a place holder to show that you mean to say "sugar is sweet" and not say "sweet sugar". Thanks for the explanations above!

[ElinorGaul]

Wow, who would have thunk it.