Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Bukannya saya boros, melainkan tagihan internet bulan ini naik. - It’s not that I am wasteful, rather this month’s internet bill went up.

Bold Bukannya bold is a fixed expression meaning bold not that… bold. It rejects a presumed cause or explanation and sets up a correction in the second clause. So bold Bukannya saya boros bold = bold It’s not that I’m wasteful bold.

Why use bold bukannya bold instead of bold tidak bold in bold tidak boros bold?

Bold Tidak boros bold is a plain negation (I’m not wasteful). Bold Bukannya … bold is a corrective frame: bold not that X, but rather Y bold. It signals you’re addressing a misunderstanding by offering the real reason in the next clause.

Is bold Bukan saya boros bold acceptable?

It’s grammatical but off for this meaning. Bold Bukan saya boros bold tends to mean bold it isn’t me who’s wasteful bold (contrasting people), not bold it’s not that I’m wasteful bold (contrasting reasons). Use bold Bukannya saya boros bold for the intended nuance.

What does bold melainkan bold do?

Bold Melainkan bold is a conjunction meaning bold but rather bold. It contrasts with what precedes and provides the correction. It is typically used after a negation (bold bukan/bukannya bold).

Can I replace bold melainkan bold with bold tapi/tetapi bold?

Yes. In speech, Indonesians often say bold Bukannya saya boros, tapi tagihan internet bulan ini naik bold. Bold Melainkan bold is more formal and emphasizes correction; bold tapi/tetapi bold is the general bold but bold.

Do the two parts around bold bukannya … melainkan … bold need to be parallel?

Preferably yes. Keep the contrasted parts in similar grammatical form:

Bold Bukannya saya boros, melainkan tagihan internet bulan ini yang naik bold (both are clauses).
Bold Bukannya harga paket lama, melainkan harga paket baru bold (both are noun phrases).

What exactly does bold boros bold mean?

Bold Boros bold = wasteful/spendthrift, someone who spends money carelessly or uses resources excessively. Antonym: bold hemat bold (thrifty). Related verb: bold menghamburkan uang bold (to squander money).

How is bold Saya tidak boros bold different from bold Bukannya saya boros bold?

Bold Saya tidak boros bold: simple statement denying a quality.
Bold Bukannya saya boros bold: meta-comment rejecting a suspected reason; it strongly implies a follow-up clause with the real reason (as in this sentence).

Why is there a comma before bold melainkan bold?

Indonesian often places a comma between two independent clauses, especially with a contrastive conjunction. The pause mirrors speech: bold Bukannya saya boros, melainkan … bold.

What does bold bulan ini bold modify—bold tagihan internet bold or the whole clause?

Here it most naturally attaches to the noun phrase: bold tagihan internet bulan ini bold = this month’s internet bill. You could also front the time for emphasis: bold Bulan ini, tagihan internet naik bold.

Could I say bold … melainkan tagihan internet bulan ini yang naik bold?

Yes. Adding bold yang bold focuses the predicate on bold naik bold, giving bold … rather, it’s this month’s internet bill that went up bold. It’s a bit more emphatic/precise.

What’s the role of bold naik bold here?

Bold Naik bold is an intransitive verb meaning bold to go up/increase bold. The bill (subject) rises by itself. Related forms:

Bold menaikkan bold = to raise something (transitive).
Bold dinaikkan bold = to be raised (passive).
Bold kenaikan bold = an increase (noun).

Could I use bold meningkat bold instead of bold naik bold?

Yes. Bold Tagihan internet bulan ini meningkat bold is fine and slightly more formal/neutral. Bold Naik bold is very common and conversational.

Can I drop bold saya bold and just say bold Bukannya boros … bold?

You can in casual speech if context makes the subject obvious, but bold Bukannya saya boros bold is clearer and more natural in a stand‑alone sentence.

Is bold melainkan bold formal?

Relatively, yes. It’s common in writing or careful speech. In everyday conversation, bold tapi bold is more common: bold Bukannya saya boros, tapi … bold.

What’s the difference between bold tagihan bold, bold biaya bold, and bold harga bold?

Bold Tagihan bold = a bill/invoice (what you receive to pay).
Bold Biaya bold = cost/fee/expense in general.
Bold Harga bold = price (set by seller). Here, bold tagihan internet bold is the monthly bill amount.

Can I add bold karena bold to make the cause explicit?

Yes: bold Bukan karena saya boros, melainkan karena tagihan internet bulan ini naik bold. This makes the causal contrast explicit. Without bold karena bold, it’s still understood from the bold bukannya … melainkan … bold frame.

Why bold bukannya bold when bold boros bold is an adjective? Isn’t bold tidak bold for adjectives?

Normally, bold tidak bold negates adjectives (bold tidak boros bold). But bold bukannya … melainkan … bold is a special corrective construction that overrides the usual rule. It’s about discourse function, not basic adjective negation.

Is bold Bukannya saya boros, melainkan tagihan internet bulan ini naik bold fully natural?

Yes, especially in formal or careful registers. In casual speech, many would prefer bold Bukannya saya boros, tapi tagihan internet bulan ini naik bold, or even bold Bukannya boros, cuma tagihan internet bulan ini naik bold (cuma = it’s just that).