Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Gaji dia tidak setinggi gaji bos, tetapi semangatnya setinggi semangat bos. - His/Her salary is not as high as the boss’s, but his/her spirit is as high as the boss’s spirit.

se- + adjective = “as (adjective) as.” So setinggi X means “as high/tall as X.”
In your sentence: semangatnya setinggi semangat bos = “his/her spirit/enthusiasm is as high as the boss’s.”
To negate equality, use tidak: tidak setinggi X = “not as … as X.” Hence, Gaji dia tidak setinggi gaji bos = “His/her salary isn’t as high as the boss’s salary.”

Why is tidak used, not bukan?

tidak negates verbs and adjectives (including comparative forms like setinggi).
bukan negates nouns/pronouns or corrects identification.
Here, you’re negating an adjective phrase (setinggi), so it must be tidak.
- Correct: Gajinya tidak setinggi gaji bos.
- Different use: Itu bukan gajinya. (“That is not his/her salary.”)

Can I use the pattern sama … dengan instead of se-?

Yes, especially in the positive clause:

Semangatnya sama tinggi dengan semangat bos.
You can also say: Semangatnya sama dengan semangat bos (more nominal/equality-like). For the negative, tidak setinggi is more idiomatic than tidak sama tinggi dengan, but the latter is still understandable.
Alternatives: Gajinya lebih rendah daripada gaji bos (“is lower than”) is also natural.

Why does the sentence mix Gaji dia and semangatnya? Are both dia and -nya possessive?

Yes. Indonesian shows 3rd-person possession in two common ways:

Noun + dia: gaji dia, semangat dia
Noun + -nya: gajinya, semangatnya Both mean “his/her ….” Mixing them in one sentence is fine and common. Writers often vary them to avoid repetition.

Could I rewrite it as Gajinya … semangat dia …?

Yes. All of these are acceptable:

Gajinya tidak setinggi gaji bos, tetapi semangatnya setinggi semangat bos.
Gaji dia tidak setinggi gaji bos, tetapi semangat dia setinggi semangat bos.
Gajinya tidak setinggi gaji bos, tetapi semangat dia setinggi semangat bos. No real change in meaning; it’s stylistic.

What else can -nya mean? Could semangatnya mean “the spirit” rather than “his/her spirit”?

-nya has two key uses:

Possessive 3rd person: semangatnya = his/her spirit.
Definite marker (“the/that”): kucingnya can mean “the cat” (already known in context). In your sentence, context clearly makes semangatnya possessive (“his/her enthusiasm”), not just “the enthusiasm.”

Why is it gaji bos, not gaji bosnya or gaji si bos?

gaji bos = the boss’s salary (straightforward, neutral).
gaji bosnya can mean either “the boss’s salary (specific/previously mentioned)” or “his/her boss’s salary” (possessive -nya on “bos”), so it can be ambiguous.
gaji si bos is more colloquial; si points to a specific, familiar person (“that boss we know”). The given sentence uses the clean, unambiguous gaji bos.

Can I omit the repeated nouns to avoid sounding repetitive?

Not in the exact structure you have. You shouldn’t say:

✘ Gajinya tidak setinggi bos (that compares a salary to a person).
✘ … semangatnya setinggi bos (same issue). Natural options:
Keep the nouns: … tidak setinggi gaji bos … setinggi semangat bos.
Or rephrase: Dia sesemangat bosnya (“He/She is as enthusiastic as the boss”), which avoids repeating semangat by using sesemangat.

Does tinggi refer to height? Could this mean “as tall as the boss”?

tinggi means “high/tall” but the meaning depends on the noun:

With gaji (salary) or semangat (spirit/enthusiasm), it means “high” (amount/level), not physical height.
If you compare a person directly (e.g., Dia setinggi bos), that would mean “as tall as the boss.” Your sentence avoids that by comparing gaji with gaji, semangat with semangat.

Is tetapi the only way to say “but”? What about punctuation?

tetapi = “but,” neutral/formal; tapi = more casual.
namun = “however,” often starts a sentence or clause and is slightly more formal.
akan tetapi = very formal “however.” Punctuation: In your sentence, a comma before tetapi is fine: …, tetapi …. If you use Namun, it often starts a new sentence: Namun, …

Is setinggi one word? How should I write these forms?

Yes:

setinggi (one word; prefix se- attaches to the adjective)
semangatnya (the possessive clitic -nya attaches to the noun)
tidak setinggi (two words; tidak is separate) Avoid writing se tinggi or semangat nya.

Could I use lebih … daripada/dari instead? Any nuance difference?

Yes, that expresses a straightforward comparison rather than equality/inequality:

Gaji dia lebih rendah daripada (or: dari) gaji bos.
Semangatnya setinggi semangat bos can stay as is, or you could say: Semangatnya tidak lebih rendah daripada semangat bos, though the original is simpler. Standard written Indonesian prefers daripada after lebih, but dari is common in speech.

Is bos the best word here? Any synonyms or register differences?

bos (loanword; very common and neutral in everyday speech; spelled with one S in Indonesian).
Synonyms: atasan (superior), pimpinan (leader/management), majikan (employer; often for domestic/blue-collar contexts). Choose based on context and formality. In most office contexts, bos or atasan are natural.