The 2019 version of tex is missing a config file needed by fmtutil to generate format files.
So you have to reconstruct this file in this manner:
First: open a terminal for the following command:
sudo nano /usr/share/texmf-dist/web2c/fmtutil.cnf
This will open a new empty file.
Second: Copy and paste this content into this newly opened file (I have taken this from the tex2018 package where this file was not missing):
#Generated by /home/texlive/karl/Master/bin/i386-linux/tlmgr on Sun May 15 03:17:09 2016
#$Id: fmtutil-hdr.cnf 37176 2015-05-04 02:06:19Z preining $
#Originally written by Thomas Esser, 1998. Public domain.
#
#As of TeX Live 2015, fmtutil reads *all* fmtutil.cnf files found.
#Consequently, any manual edits of this file (fmtutil.cnf in the
#TEXMFDIST tree) will be lost on update. So don't do that.
#
#For guidance on how to achieve local configurations, see the man
#page of fmtutil, or the output of fmtutil --help.
#
#The format of the table is:
#
#format engine pattern-file arguments
#
#The last "argument" must be the name of the file on which to run
#the ini-engine (such as initex). If the ini-engine is e-TeX, and the
#e-TeX extensions should be enabled, the filename must be prefixed with
#a * character; this is essentially equivalent to the -etex option.
#
#fmtutil always passes the -ini option to the engine.
#If no pattern-file is desired, use -.
#Either spaces or tabs can be used as separators.
#
#Other notes:
#1) tex and amstex just load hyphen.tex. No customization.
#You can have your own customized (via babel's hyphen.cfg)
#formats on top of plain by using "bplain.tex" instead of
#plain.tex (e.g., bplain.ini file for bplain format).
#
#2) etex-based formats load language.def, not language.dat.
#
#3) The symbolic link to the right engines (e.g. bplain -> tex)
#is generated by the "texlinks" script.
#
#4) usual comments start with "# ", whereas disabled configurations
#start with "#! " in this file.
#
#
#from amstex:
amstex pdftex - -translate-file=cp227.tcx *amstex.ini
#
#from context:
cont-en pdftex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-en.mkii
cont-en xetex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-en.mkii
#! cont-fr pdftex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-fr.mkii
#! cont-it pdftex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-it.mkii
#! cont-nl pdftex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-nl.mkii
#! cont-ro pdftex cont-usr.tex -8bit *cont-ro.mkii
#
#from cslatex:
cslatex pdftex - -etex cslatex.ini
pdfcslatex pdftex - -etex cslatex.ini
#
#from csplain:
csplain pdftex - -etex -enc csplain-utf8.ini
pdfcsplain pdftex - -etex -enc csplain-utf8.ini
pdfcsplain xetex - -etex csplain.ini
pdfcsplain luatex - -etex csplain.ini
#
#from eplain:
eplain pdftex language.dat -translate-file=cp227.tcx *eplain.ini
#
#from jadetex:
jadetex pdftex language.dat *jadetex.ini
pdfjadetex pdftex language.dat *pdfjadetex.ini
#
#from latex-bin:
latex pdftex language.dat -translate-file=cp227.tcx *latex.ini
pdflatex pdftex language.dat -translate-file=cp227.tcx *pdflatex.ini
dvilualatex luatex language.dat,language.dat.lua dvilualatex.ini
lualatex luatex language.dat,language.dat.lua lualatex.ini
#! luajitlatex luajittex language.dat,language.dat.lua lualatex.ini
#
#from lollipop:
lollipop tex - lollipop.ini
#
#from luatex:
luatex luatex language.def,language.dat.lua luatex.ini
dviluatex luatex language.def,language.dat.lua dviluatex.ini
luajittex luajittex language.def,language.dat.lua luatex.ini
#
#from metafont:
mf mf-nowin - -translate-file=cp227.tcx mf.ini
#
#from mex:
mex pdftex mexconf.tex -translate-file=cp227.tcx *mex.ini
pdfmex pdftex mexconf.tex -translate-file=cp227.tcx *pdfmex.ini
utf8mex pdftex mexconf.tex -enc *utf8mex.ini
#
#from mflua:
#! mflua mflua-nowin - mf.ini
#
#from mltex:
mllatex pdftex language.dat -translate-file=cp227.tcx -mltex *mllatex.ini
mltex pdftex - -translate-file=cp227.tcx -mltex mltex.ini
#
#from mptopdf:
mptopdf pdftex - -translate-file=cp227.tcx mptopdf.tex
#
#from pdftex:
pdftex pdftex language.def -translate-file=cp227.tcx *pdfetex.ini
etex pdftex language.def -translate-file=cp227.tcx *etex.ini
pdfetex pdftex language.def -translate-file=cp227.tcx *pdfetex.ini
#
#from platex:
platex eptex language.dat *platex.ini
#
#from ptex:
ptex ptex - ptex.ini
eptex eptex language.def *eptex.ini
#
#from tex:
tex tex - tex.ini
#
#from texsis:
texsis pdftex - -translate-file=cp227.tcx texsis.ini
#
#from uplatex:
uplatex euptex language.dat *uplatex.ini
#
#from uptex:
uptex uptex - uptex.ini
euptex euptex language.def *euptex.ini
#
#from xetex:
xetex xetex language.def -etex xetex.ini
xelatex xetex language.dat -etex xelatex.ini
#
#from xmltex:
xmltex pdftex language.dat *xmltex.ini
pdfxmltex pdftex language.dat *pdfxmltex.ini
Three: Save this file to disk. This will reconstruct the missing configuration file in tex2019.
Four: Now you have to complete the ls-R database, otherwise tex does not know about the newly created file.
The command mktexlsr (as root!) is used to generate the ls-R databases used by the kpathsea library. It will create them for the specified directories, or for a default list if no directories are specified. The default list is sufficient here.
So in the terminal:
sudo mktexlsr
Five: Compile your test.tex file. It should compile fine now.