Saya belum pernah berlibur naik kereta ke kota lain.

Saya belum pernah berlibur naik kereta ke kota lain.
I have never vacationed by train to another city.
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Questions & Answers about Saya belum pernah berlibur naik kereta ke kota lain.

What does belum pernah mean? Are both words necessary?

belum = “not yet”
pernah = “ever”
Together belum pernah means “have never (so far).” You need both words to express “I haven’t ever done X yet.” If you said tidak pernah, it simply means “never” (more absolute, with no implication it might happen later).

What is the meaning of berlibur? How is it different from liburan?

berlibur is a verb: “to take a vacation,” “to go on holiday.”
liburan is a noun: “a vacation,” “holiday.”
Example:

  • Saya berlibur ke Bali. (I’m taking a vacation to Bali.)
  • Liburan saya ke Bali sangat menyenangkan. (My vacation to Bali was very enjoyable.)
Why does the sentence use naik kereta? What does naik do here?

naik means “to ride” or “to take” (a mode of transport).
So naik kereta = “take/ride a train.”

Do I have to say kereta api instead of kereta to mean “train”?
Everyday Indonesian speakers usually shorten kereta api to kereta and everyone understands “train.” If you want to be very formal or clear, you can say kereta api, but kereta alone is perfectly natural.
Could I drop naik and just say Saya belum pernah berlibur kereta ke kota lain?
No. To indicate the means of transport, Indonesian requires a verb like naik or a prepositional phrase like menggunakan kereta api. Without naik, the sentence is ungrammatical.
Why is ke kota lain placed at the end? Can I move it around?

The usual order is Subject + Predicate + Manner + Destination. Here:

  • Saya (subject)
  • belum pernah berlibur (predicate)
  • naik kereta (manner)
  • ke kota lain (destination)
    You could say Saya belum pernah ke kota lain naik kereta, but it sounds less natural.
Could I rephrase it as Saya belum pernah naik kereta ke kota lain untuk berlibur? Is it the same?
Yes, it’s correct. Adding untuk berlibur (“for vacation”) makes the purpose explicit. The original sentence implies that purpose without untuk.
What’s the difference between belum pernah and tidak pernah?
  • tidak pernah = “never” (zero experience, no suggestion it can change)
  • belum pernah = “not yet ever” (you haven’t done it so far, but you might in the future)
Can you explain the overall word order in this sentence? Indonesian seems flexible.

Standard Indonesian order is Subject + Predicate (Verb) + Object + Adverbials. In your sentence:

  • Subject: Saya
  • Predicate: belum pernah berlibur
  • Object/manner: naik kereta
  • Destination/adverbial: ke kota lain
    While Indonesian allows some rearrangements, sticking close to this order usually sounds most natural.