Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda.

Because Indonesian often does not use a separate word for to be in simple statements.

So:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda
  literally looks like Potential and competence different
• but it naturally means Potential and competence are different

This is very normal in Indonesian. The predicate berbeda can directly follow the subject without any equivalent of is/are.

Usually, not directly before berbeda.

A learner might try:

• Potensi dan kompetensi adalah berbeda

But that sounds unnatural in standard Indonesian.

Why? Because adalah is mainly used to link a subject with a noun phrase, especially in definitions or formal statements.
Since berbeda is functioning as an adjective/intransitive predicate, Indonesian normally just says:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda

If you want to use adalah, you would usually restructure the sentence, for example:

• Potensi dan kompetensi adalah dua hal yang berbeda.
  = Potential and competence are two different things.

Berbeda is commonly treated as an intransitive verb meaning to differ, or as a predicate adjective meaning different, depending on how the sentence is being explained.

In practical terms for learners, the important point is this:

• it can stand as the predicate of the sentence
• it does not need an object
• it means that the things being talked about are not the same

So in:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda

berbeda is the predicate: it tells you something about potensi dan kompetensi.

Because Indonesian normally follows a Subject + Predicate pattern.

Here:

• Potensi dan kompetensi = subject
• berbeda = predicate

So the order is very natural:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda

This is similar to English Potential and competence are different, where different comes after the subject as part of the predicate.

These two words are related, but they are not the same.

• potensi = potential
  something someone could develop or is capable of in the future
• kompetensi = competence / competency
  an actual skill, ability, or qualification someone already has

So the sentence is saying that potential and competence are distinct concepts.

Yes. Dan simply means and.

So:

• potensi dan kompetensi = potential and competence

It joins two nouns into one compound subject.

Also, Indonesian verbs and adjectives do not change form depending on whether the subject is singular or plural, so berbeda stays the same.

No. Indonesian does not use articles like a, an, or the the way English does.

So:

• potensi can mean potential or the potential, depending on context
• kompetensi can mean competence or the competence, depending on context

In this sentence, both words are being used in a general, conceptual sense, so no article is needed.

Yes, definitely.

That version is also natural:

• Potensi berbeda dengan kompetensi.
• Potensi berbeda dari kompetensi.

Both mean that potential is different from competence.

The original sentence:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda

is a shorter way of saying that the two concepts are different from each other.

So the versions differ slightly in structure:

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda
  = Potential and competence are different
• Potensi berbeda dengan kompetensi
  = Potential differs from competence

Both are correct.

It is basically neutral and quite natural, especially in educational, professional, or academic contexts.

Because potensi and kompetensi are somewhat formal vocabulary, the whole sentence feels more like something you would read or hear in:

• education
• training
• HR
• professional development
• academic discussion

In very casual speech, someone might also say:

• Potensi sama kompetensi beda.

That is more colloquial, with sama used as and/with in casual Indonesian.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• potensi → po-TEN-si
• dan → dahn
• kompetensi → kom-pe-TEN-si
• berbeda → ber-BEH-da

A rough full pronunciation:

• po-TEN-si dan kom-pe-TEN-si ber-BEH-da

A few helpful notes:

• Indonesian pronunciation is generally quite regular.
• The e in berbeda is not always like English ee; it is closer to a short, neutral vowel in the first syllable and a clearer eh in be.
• Stress in Indonesian is usually lighter and less dramatic than in English.

Yes. Adding itu is possible.

• Potensi dan kompetensi berbeda
• Potensi dan kompetensi itu berbeda

Both are correct.

Here, itu does not literally mean only that in the English sense. It can also help mark the subject more clearly, almost like saying:

• As for potential and competence, they are different

Adding itu can make the sentence feel slightly more explicit or more topic-marked, but the version without itu is already perfectly natural.