Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu: dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?

What most strengthens your confidence: family support or your mentor’s advice?

Breakdown of Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu: dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?

• paling: most
• keluarga: the family
• yang: that
• atau: or
• kamu: your
• nasihat: the advice
• apa: what
• kepercayaan diri: the confidence
• mentor: the mentor
• menguatkan: to strengthen
• dukungan: the support

Questions & Answers about Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu: dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?

What is the function of yang in Apa yang paling menguatkan …? Why not just Apa paling menguatkan …?

Yang here turns the rest of the phrase (paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu) into a clause that describes apa (what).

• Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu …
  = What is it that most strengthens your self‑confidence …

Without yang, Apa paling menguatkan … sounds ungrammatical/natural. After apa used as “what (thing)”, you normally need yang before a describing phrase:

• Apa yang kamu suka? – What do you like?
• Apa yang terjadi? – What happened?

So in this structure Apa + yang + (verb/adjective phrase) is the natural pattern.

How does paling work here? Does it always mean “most”?

Yes, paling is the usual word for the superlative “most / -est”.

Pattern:

• paling + adjective:
  
  • paling besar – biggest / the most big
  • paling penting – most important
• paling + verb-like predicate (as here):
  
  • paling menguatkan – most strengthens
  • paling membantu – helps the most

In the sentence, paling menguatkan means “that most strengthens / that strengthens the most.”

Why is it menguatkan and not just kuat or menguat?

Base word: kuat = strong (adjective).

With the meN- … -kan pattern:

• menguatkan = to strengthen / to make (something) stronger
  (transitive: it takes an object)

So:

• kuat – strong
• menjadi kuat – to become strong
• menguatkan kepercayaan diri – to strengthen (someone’s) self‑confidence

Menguat exists but is rare and not used in this meaning in everyday speech. The natural, standard form for “strengthen” is menguatkan.

What exactly does kepercayaan diri mean, and how is it different from percaya diri?

Both relate to self‑confidence, but they differ in grammar and nuance:

• percaya diri

  • Literally: to believe in oneself
  • Functions like an adjective / description: confident
  • Example:
    
    • Dia sangat percaya diri. – He/She is very confident.

• kepercayaan diri

  • ke- … -an makes an abstract noun from percaya
  • Literally: self-belief / belief in oneself
  • Functions as a noun: self‑confidence
  • Example:
    
    • Kepercayaan diri kamu meningkat. – Your self‑confidence has increased.

In the sentence menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu, we need a noun object for menguatkan, so kepercayaan diri is correct.
If you used percaya diri there, it would be ungrammatical.

Why is it kepercayaan diri kamu, not kepercayaan dirimu? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct; they differ in style and nuance:

• kepercayaan diri kamu

  • kamu as a separate pronoun after the noun
  • Very common in informal spoken and written Indonesian
  • Slightly more “spelled out” / neutral informal

• kepercayaan dirimu

  • -mu is a clitic/attached possessive, equivalent to “your”
  • Feels a bit more compact, sometimes a bit more literary or “intimate” depending on context

You could say:

• Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan dirimu …? – also natural.

For more formal speech, you’d often see:

• kepercayaan diri Anda – your self‑confidence (formal/polite).

Is the word order Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu fixed, or can I move paling somewhere else?

In this sentence, the natural order is:

• Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu …

Moving paling usually sounds wrong or very odd:

• ✗ Apa yang menguatkan paling kepercayaan diri kamu … – unnatural
• ✗ Apa paling yang menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu … – ungrammatical

General rule: paling precedes the adjective or verb-like element it modifies. Here it modifies menguatkan, so it goes right before it: paling menguatkan.

Why is there a colon : before dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor? Is that normal in Indonesian?

Yes, that colon is used similarly to English: it introduces options, an explanation, or a list.

Here it has the sense:

• Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu: dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?
  → What most strengthens your self‑confidence: family support or mentor’s advice?

It’s a stylistic choice. You could also write it without the colon and just with apakah:

• Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu, dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?
• Menurut kamu, dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu?

What does dukungan keluarga literally mean? Why not dukungan dari keluarga?

• dukungan = support (noun)
• keluarga = family

Together:

• dukungan keluarga = family support / support from (the) family

Indonesian often uses [noun1 + noun2] to indicate relationships like possession or origin, similar to English family support, company policy, school rules, etc.

dukungan dari keluarga is also correct and means “support from the family”, but:

• dukungan keluarga is shorter and very common.
• Adding dari can slightly emphasize the source (from) if needed, but here it’s not necessary.

What about nasihat mentor? Does it literally mean “mentor’s advice”? Why no possessive marker?

Yes, nasihat mentor means “the mentor’s advice” or “advice from (a) mentor.”

• nasihat = advice
• mentor = mentor

Again, it’s the same [noun1 + noun2] pattern:

• nasihat guru – the teacher’s advice
• nasihat orang tua – parents’ advice
• nasihat mentor – mentor’s advice

You could say nasihat dari mentor, but it’s not required. The simple noun‑noun phrase is very natural.

How formal or informal is using kamu here? Would Anda change the tone?

• kamu

  • Informal, familiar, often used with friends, peers, people your age.
  • The tone of the sentence is friendly, direct, casual.

• Anda

  • Formal but still polite and neutral (like “you” in polite written English).

  • Using Anda would make the question suitable for a survey, a training session, or professional context:

    • Apa yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri Anda: dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor?

So kamu = informal; Anda = more formal/polite.

Is there any difference between nasihat and saran? Could I say saran mentor instead?

Both relate to “advice / suggestion,” but with slightly different typical uses:

• nasihat

  • Often has a tone of guidance, counsel, sometimes moral or serious advice.
  • Common in contexts like mentors, parents, teachers, religious leaders.
  • nasihat mentor fits very well.

• saran

  • More like “suggestion / recommendation.”
  • Often used in practical, everyday or work contexts: saran teman, saran atasan.

You can say saran mentor and it’s still correct, but nasihat mentor sounds a bit more natural if you’re emphasizing personal guidance and encouragement.

Could I rephrase this sentence while keeping the same meaning? For example, starting with the options first?

Yes. Some natural rephrasings:

1. Dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor, yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu?
   – Puts the options at the front for emphasis.

2. Menurut kamu, dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri kamu?
   – Adds menurut kamu (in your opinion).

3. More formal:
   Menurut Anda, dukungan keluarga atau nasihat mentor yang paling menguatkan kepercayaan diri Anda?

All of these keep the core meaning: asking which of the two most strengthens your self‑confidence.