Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Mereka membahas kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan. - They discuss the library policy that emphasizes cleanliness and calmness.

membahas: to examine/discuss in depth or detail; a bit formal/academic.
membicarakan: to talk about; neutral, everyday.
mendiskusikan: to discuss; formal, often used in academic/business contexts. All three work here. You could say Mereka mendiskusikan kebijakan… or Mereka membicarakan kebijakan… with only slight nuance differences (depth/formality).

Do I need to add tentang after membahas? For example, membahas tentang kebijakan…?

No. membahas already means “discuss (something),” so adding tentang is usually redundant in standard Indonesian.

Preferred: membahas kebijakan perpustakaan
Redundant (but heard in speech): membahas tentang kebijakan perpustakaan Use tentang with verbs like berbicara: berbicara tentang kebijakan or use the transitive form membicarakan kebijakan (no tentang).

What is yang doing here?

yang introduces a relative clause modifying the preceding noun phrase. In kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan…, the clause menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan describes which library policy they’re discussing.

With relative clause: kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan… = the policy/policies of the library that emphasize…
As a main clause instead: Kebijakan perpustakaan menekankan… = The library’s policy emphasizes… Don’t replace yang with di mana here; di mana is for locations.

Is kebijakan singular or plural here? How do I show plurality?

Indonesian doesn’t mark plural by default, so kebijakan can mean “policy” or “policies” depending on context. To make plurality explicit, use:

Reduplication: kebijakan-kebijakan
Quantifiers: berbagai kebijakan, sejumlah kebijakan, beberapa kebijakan To signal a single item, you can say sebuah kebijakan (one policy).

Why is it kebijakan perpustakaan and not perpustakaan kebijakan? What’s the noun–noun order rule?

In Indonesian, the head noun comes first, followed by its noun modifier:

kebijakan perpustakaan = the library’s policy/policies Putting it the other way (perpustakaan kebijakan) is ungrammatical. You can also paraphrase with possession: kebijakan (milik) perpustakaan.

Can I say kebijakan dari perpustakaan instead?

Yes, kebijakan dari perpustakaan is grammatical and clear. However, the bare noun–noun sequence (kebijakan perpustakaan) is more compact and generally preferred. Use dari when you need extra clarity (especially with long or complex modifiers) or to emphasize origin/source.

What’s the grammar and morphology of menekankan?

Base root: tekan (press).

menekan = to press; also to suppress/reduce (e.g., menekan biaya = reduce costs). Formed by meN-
- tekan (initial t drops).
menekankan = to emphasize; formed by meN-
- tekan + -kan. It takes an object that is the thing emphasized.
ditekankan = is/was emphasized (passive).
penekanan = emphasis (noun).

Should it be menekankan X or menekankan pada X?

Both are accepted:

Direct object: menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan
With preposition: menekankan pada kebersihan dan ketenangan Avoid doubling with other prepositions (e.g., don’t say menekankan tentang). With a clause, use bahwa: menekankan bahwa aturan harus dipatuhi.

What are kebersihan and ketenangan morphologically, and could I use bersih and tenang instead?

kebersihan comes from bersih; ketenangan from tenang. The pattern ke-...-an turns adjectives into abstract nouns: cleanliness, calm/quietness.
menekankan naturally takes nouns as objects, so menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan fits well.
If you want adjectives, you’d change the structure, e.g., …yang menekankan suasana yang bersih dan tenang or …menekankan agar ruang perpustakaan bersih dan tenang.

Is ketenangan the best word for a library, or should I use keheningan or kesunyian?

ketenangan: calmness/quietness (broad, friendly; good for libraries).
keheningan: silence (pin-drop quiet; stricter/poetic).
kesunyian: solitude/desolation/quiet; can feel negative or lonely. For a policy statement, ketenangan is the most natural; keheningan is acceptable if you want to stress strict silence.

How would this sound in everyday informal Indonesian?

Two natural options:

Mereka lagi bahas kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan.
Mereka lagi ngomongin kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan. Notes: lagi marks a current/ongoing action; dropping the prefix (bahas instead of membahas) and using ngomongin are colloquial.

How can I rephrase it in the passive?

Kebijakan perpustakaan yang menekankan kebersihan dan ketenangan sedang dibahas (oleh mereka). This shifts focus onto the policy. sedang marks a progressive action and is optional; oleh mereka is also optional. Informal: …lagi dibahas.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky words here?

mereka: me-re-ka (e in me- is a schwa).
membahas: mem-ba-has.
kebijakan: ke-bi-ja-kan.
perpustakaan: per-pus-ta-ka-an (5 syllables).
menekankan: me-ne-kan-kan (e’s are schwa-like).
kebersihan: ke-ber-si-han.
ketenangan: ke-te-nang-an. Stress is light and fairly even; r is a single tap; vowels are clear and short.

What is perpustakaan built from?

Root pustaka (book/literature) plus the circumfix per-…-an, which often forms places/institutions:

perpustakaan = library (literally “place/institution of books”) Comparable patterns: perkantoran (office complex) from kantor; pertanian (agriculture) from tani.