Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute membuat latihan lebih aman. - Additional research about distance and route makes the training safer.

Subject: Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute
(additional research about distance and route)
Verb: membuat (makes)
Object: latihan (the training / practice / exercise)
Complement: lebih aman (safer)

So the whole thing is:
Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute (subject)
membuat (verb)
latihan (object)
lebih aman (complement).

What exactly does riset tambahan mean? Is tambahan an adjective here?

Yes, tambahan functions like an adjective here, modifying riset:

riset = research
tambahan = additional / extra

So riset tambahan = additional research, extra research.

Grammatically, tambahan can be:

An adjective:
- riset tambahan = additional research
- informasi tambahan = additional information
A noun meaning “an addition”:
- Sebagai tambahan, saya mau bilang… = As an addition / Furthermore, I want to say…

In your sentence it’s clearly adjectival: it describes what kind of research.

Could we say tambahan riset instead of riset tambahan?

No, tambahan riset is not natural in this meaning.

In Indonesian, the usual pattern is:

[head noun] + [adjective]
e.g. riset tambahan, buku baru, mobil mahal

So:

riset tambahan = additional research (correct)
tambahan riset sounds like “an addition of research” and is not how people would normally say it.

You might see tambahan riset only in very specific contexts where tambahan is clearly a noun (e.g. “the addition of research in this section”), but for normal “additional research”, use riset tambahan.

What is the function of tentang here? Why do we need it?

tentang is a preposition meaning “about / regarding / on”.

riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute
= additional research about distance and route

Without tentang, the phrase becomes unclear and unnatural:

riset tambahan jarak dan rute ✗
This sounds like “additional distance and route research” but the relationship is ambiguous.

In Indonesian, when you want to say “research about X”, the most common pattern is:

riset tentang X
penelitian tentang X

So tentang connects riset tambahan with its topic (jarak dan rute).

Could tentang be replaced by another word like mengenai?

Yes, you can replace tentang with mengenai without changing the meaning much:

Riset tambahan mengenai jarak dan rute membuat latihan lebih aman.

Differences:

tentang = about, regarding (very common, neutral)
mengenai = regarding, concerning (slightly more formal, often used in writing)

Both are correct and natural here.

What does jarak dan rute mean exactly? Are these common words?

Yes, both are common:

jarak = distance
- jarak tempuh = travel distance
- jarak rumah ke kantor = distance from home to office
rute = route (loanword from English/French “route”)
- rute perjalanan = travel route
- rute penerbangan = flight route

In your sentence, jarak dan rute means “distance and route” (likely of a training course, running track, cycling route, etc.).

What does latihan mean here? Is it “exercise”, “practice”, or “training”?

latihan is a flexible word; its exact English translation depends on context:

“practice”: latihan piano = piano practice
“training”: latihan militer = military training
“exercise / workout”: latihan fisik = physical exercise

In your sentence, latihan is general. It could be physical training, sports practice, or some kind of drill.

So possible translations:

“additional research on distance and route makes the training safer.”
“…makes the practice safer.”
“…makes the exercise safer.”

Context outside this sentence decides the best English word.

Why is it lebih aman and not something like lebih aman daripada X? Isn’t “more safe” a comparison?

lebih aman literally means “more safe” / “safer”. In Indonesian, it’s very common to leave the thing you’re comparing to unstated if it’s obvious from context.

So:

lebih aman = safer (than before / than without the research / than other options), context-dependent.

If you want to state it explicitly, you can say:

Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute membuat latihan lebih aman daripada sebelumnya.
= Additional research on distance and route makes the training safer than before.

But you don’t have to; lebih aman on its own is fully natural.

What is the role of membuat here? Is it like “to make” or “to cause”?

membuat here means “to make (something become …)” or “to cause”.

Pattern:

[Subject] + membuat + [Object] + [Adjective/Complement]

Examples:

Berita itu membuat saya sedih.
The news made me sad.
Kopi membuat saya lebih fokus.
Coffee makes me more focused.

In your sentence:

Riset tambahan … (subject)
membuat (verb)
latihan (object)
lebih aman (complement)

So it literally means “Additional research … makes the training safer.”

You could also say:

Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute membuat latihan menjadi lebih aman.

Adding menjadi is acceptable but not necessary; it just emphasizes the change of state.

Could we use menjadikan instead of membuat here?

Yes, you can use menjadikan, but the style shifts a bit more formal:

Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute menjadikan latihan lebih aman.

membuat and menjadikan overlap a lot in this causative meaning:

membuat latihan lebih aman
menjadikan latihan lebih aman

Both are correct here. menjadikan often sounds a bit more formal or written.

Is riset the same as penelitian? Which is more natural?

They are very close in meaning:

riset = research (loanword from English)
penelitian = research / study (native-root word)

Usage tendencies:

riset
- Common in academic, scientific, business, or marketing contexts
- Slightly more modern or informal in some situations
penelitian
- Very standard in academic writing and official documents
- Often sounds more formal/official

In your sentence, both are possible:

Riset tambahan tentang jarak dan rute…
Penelitian tambahan tentang jarak dan rute…

Both sound fine; riset leans slightly more colloquial/modern, penelitian more formal.

Is latihan singular or plural here? How would you say “the trainings” or “several practices”?

Indonesian nouns usually do not mark singular/plural; latihan can mean:

“training”, “a training”, “trainings”, “practice”, “practices” — the number is inferred from context.

If you need to make plurality explicit, you can:

Use a number or quantifier:
- beberapa latihan = several practices
- banyak latihan = many training sessions
Repeat the noun (more common with countable things, and less common with latihan):
- latihan-latihan = training sessions (multiple)

In your sentence, latihan is generic: “the training” or “training” in general.

Is this sentence formal or informal? Would it sound natural in spoken Indonesian?

The sentence is neutral-to-formal and perfectly natural in both:

Written contexts: articles, reports, guidelines, informational posters
Spoken contexts: a coach, trainer, or expert explaining safety

It doesn’t use slang or strong colloquialisms. In very casual speech, people might simplify or shorten it, but as-is it’s normal and natural.