Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dia bukannya pulang, melainkan menjemput adiknya di stasiun. - He/She did not go home, but rather picked up his/her younger sibling at the station.

Indonesian usually negates verbs with tidak, but the fixed contrastive pattern is bukan(‑)nya … melainkan ….
Think of bukannya here as part of a set phrase meaning “not … but rather …,” regardless of the word class that follows.

Can I say bukan … melainkan … without the ‑nya?

Yes, especially when contrasting nouns: Itu bukan kopi, melainkan teh.
With verbs/adjectives, many speakers prefer bukannya: Dia bukannya pulang, melainkan bekerja.
Bukan pulang, melainkan … is not wrong, but sounds less natural to many.

Could I just use tapi instead of melainkan?

Yes, in casual style: Dia bukannya pulang, tapi menjemput adiknya di stasiun.
Melainkan is a bit more formal and explicitly signals “rather, instead.”

How is melainkan different from malah or alih‑alih?

melainkan: pairs with bukan(‑)nya, “not A, but rather B.”
malah: “on the contrary/instead,” no required negation. Example: Dia tidak pulang; malah menjemput adiknya.
alih‑alih: “instead of (doing A), (do B),” often at the front. Example: Alih‑alih pulang, dia menjemput adiknya.

Is the comma before melainkan necessary?

Not required, but common to mark the pause: Dia bukannya pulang, melainkan …
Without a comma is fine in many styles.

What does adiknya mean exactly? Is the ‑nya possessive?

‑nya can mark third‑person possession or definiteness.
adiknya can mean “his/her younger sibling” or “the younger sibling (in context).”
adik dia is possible but less natural than adiknya in most cases.

Does adik mean brother or sister?

Either; it only means “younger sibling.”
To specify gender: adik laki‑laki (younger brother), adik perempuan (younger sister).

What’s the nuance of pulang? How about balik or pulang ke rumah?

What exactly does menjemput mean? Can I use mengambil instead?

menjemput = pick up/fetch (usually people; also acceptable for parcels in many contexts).
mengambil = take/pick up an object. For people, prefer jemput.
Opposite of jemput is antar (drop off).

Why is it di stasiun and not ke stasiun or dari stasiun?

di marks location: where the pickup happens (at the station).
To emphasize movement: Dia pergi ke stasiun untuk menjemput adiknya.
menjemput adiknya dari stasiun focuses on the source (“pick him up from the station”), less common but possible.

Is the word order flexible? Can I front the contrast?

Yes: Bukannya pulang, dia menjemput adiknya di stasiun.
Repeating the subject after the comma is optional and often omitted; both are acceptable.

Can I drop the men‑ and say jemput?

What’s the difference between dia and ia? And is dia gendered?

Both mean “he/she.” dia is neutral and very common; ia is more formal and typically only as subject.
Indonesian pronouns are gender‑neutral; context supplies gender.

Does capital D in Dia mean “God”?

Only in religious contexts when capitalized mid‑sentence. Here it’s capitalized because it starts the sentence; otherwise dia is lowercase.

How do I express past, present, or future time here?

Indonesian has no tense inflection; use time words:
- Past: Tadi/kemarin dia bukannya pulang, …
- Present/progressive: Sekarang dia bukannya pulang, …
- Future: Nanti/besok dia bukannya pulang, …

Is there any ambiguity about what “at the station” modifies?

In menjemput adiknya di stasiun, di stasiun most naturally modifies the verb (pickup location).
To say “the sibling who is at the station,” use yang: menjemput adiknya yang di stasiun.

Pronunciation tips for key words?