Question 1

How do you express a comparison using lebih ... daripada?

Accepted Answer

In Indonesian, to say “more [adjective] than …”, you use the pattern:  
• lebih + adjective + daripada + second item  
So in lebih kuat daripada sepeda saya yang lama, lebih kuat means “stronger” and daripada introduces the thing you’re comparing to.

Question 2

What exactly does daripada do in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

daripada is a comparative preposition meaning “than” or “compared to.” It links the adjective phrase (lebih kuat) with the item you’re contrasting (your old bike). Without daripada, the comparison wouldn’t be marked.

Question 3

Can you use dari instead of daripada here?

Accepted Answer

Colloquially, many speakers say lebih kuat dari ..., especially in speech or informal writing. However, in standard Indonesian, daripada is preferred after lebih, so lebih kuat daripada ... is more formal/correct.

Question 4

Could I replace daripada with dibandingkan dengan?

Accepted Answer

Yes. dibandingkan dengan also means “compared with.” You’d say:  
Sepeda motor saya lebih kuat, dibandingkan dengan sepeda saya yang lama.  
This is a bit more formal and often appears in writing or presentations.

Question 5

Why is saya (my) placed after sepeda motor instead of before?

Accepted Answer

Indonesian uses a head–modifier order for possessives: the noun comes first, then the possessor. So you say sepeda motor saya (“my motorcycle”), not saya sepeda motor.

Question 6

What’s the difference between just motor and sepeda motor?

Accepted Answer

• motor is an informal shorthand, common in everyday speech.  
• sepeda motor is the full term (“motorcycle”) and slightly more formal.  
Both are understood, but sepeda motor is clearer in writing or formal contexts.

Question 7

What part of speech is kuat, and what shades of meaning does it have here?

Accepted Answer

kuat is an adjective meaning “strong” or “powerful.” When describing a machine it can also imply “durable” or “good performance.” So lebih kuat suggests your new motorbike has better power/endurance than the old one.

Question 8

Why is lama used instead of tua to describe the old bike?

Accepted Answer

• lama literally means “long” in time, so sepeda lama = “the bike that’s been around for a long time” (old in age or condition).  
• tua is mainly for living beings or people (“old age”). Saying sepeda tua isn’t ungrammatical, but lama is more natural for objects.

Question 9

What is the role of yang in sepeda saya yang lama?

Accepted Answer

yang is a relative pronoun that links the descriptive adjective lama to the noun phrase sepeda saya. It turns lama into “the one that is old,” making the full meaning “my bike that is old.”

Question 10

Can you omit yang and say sepeda saya lama?

Accepted Answer

In informal, spoken Indonesian you might hear sepeda saya lama, but in formal/written Indonesian you need yang to form a clear relative clause: sepeda saya yang lama.

Question 11

Why must the adjective directly follow lebih and not go at the end of the clause?

Accepted Answer

The comparative structure lebih + adjective is fixed—lebih functions like an auxiliary for that adjective. Moving kuat elsewhere (e.g., “Sepeda motor saya lebih daripada sepeda saya yang lama kuat”) would break the standard pattern and sound ungrammatical.

Sepeda motor saya lebih kuat daripada sepeda saya yang lama.

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