Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di negara yang adil, semua warga punya hak yang sama untuk belajar dan berbicara. - In a just country, all citizens have the same right to study and to speak.

You could say dalam negara yang adil, but that sounds more formal/abstract, like “within a just state” (often used in legal/political writing).
Pada is mostly used with time expressions or more formal “at/on” uses and wouldn’t be natural here. So for everyday speech and writing, di negara yang adil is the most natural choice.

What does yang do in negara yang adil? How does that structure work?

Yang introduces a descriptive clause or phrase, similar to that / which / who in English.
In negara yang adil:

negara = country
yang adil = that is just / which is fair

So negara yang adil literally feels like “a country that is just/fair.”
This is the standard way Indonesian attaches a description or relative clause to a noun.

Is yang adil describing negara or warga?

It describes negara. The structure is:

Di [negara yang adil], [semua warga punya hak …]

So the phrase yang adil is directly attached to negara, not to warga. The meaning is “In a just country, all citizens have the same rights…”, not “In a country, all just citizens have the same rights…”.

Why doesn’t Indonesian use words for “a” or “the” in negara and warga? How do I know if it means “a/the country” or “citizens”?

Indonesian does not have articles like a / an / the. Whether a noun is specific or general is understood from context.

Di negara yang adil can be taken as in a just country (general) or in the just country (if the context already defines a specific country).
semua warga = all citizens in general; if context is clear, it can mean all the citizens of some particular country.

If you really want to emphasize “a” single country, you can say di sebuah negara yang adil, but it isn’t necessary here.

Why is adil after negara instead of before it, like in English (“just country”)?

In Indonesian, descriptive words (adjectives) normally come after the noun.

negara adil = just/fair country
warga miskin = poor citizens
hak yang sama = the same rights

When you add yang, you’re essentially saying “country that is just”: negara yang adil. So the position after the noun is the standard pattern.

Why is there no plural marker on warga? Shouldn’t it be warga-warga for “citizens”?

Plural nouns in Indonesian usually do not need a special ending. Plurality is often clear from words like semua (all), banyak (many), numbers, or context.

semua warga already clearly means all citizens, plural.
Saying semua warga-warga is technically possible but sounds redundant and unnatural here.

Reduplication (like warga-warga) is used more selectively, often for emphasis or in certain fixed expressions. Here, plain warga is correct.

Is punya here informal? Could I say memiliki instead?

Punya is very common and neutral in spoken Indonesian and is widely used in writing too; it’s not “slang,” but it is relatively casual.

semua warga punya hak = all citizens have rights

More formal alternatives:

semua warga memiliki hak
semua warga mempunyai hak

Those sound more formal/polished (common in essays, official documents), but punya is perfectly fine in everyday speech and most writing.

What’s the nuance of warga compared to words like orang, penduduk, or rakyat?

All of these can relate to people, but they’re used differently:

warga: citizen, member of a community or state (focus on legal/civic status).
- warga negara = citizen (of a country).
orang: person/people, very general.
penduduk: inhabitants/residents of a place (focus on living there).
rakyat: “the people” as a political/collective group, especially vs the government.

In this sentence, warga is best because it’s about citizens having rights.

Why is it hak yang sama instead of just hak sama?

Both hak sama and hak yang sama can appear, but they feel a bit different:

hak sama is shorter, slightly more casual, and often used in fixed phrases like hak sama rata.
hak yang sama is more explicit and sounds a bit more careful/formal, like “rights that are equal/the same.”

In a sentence emphasizing fairness and equality, hak yang sama sounds very natural and clear.

Why is there only one untuk in untuk belajar dan berbicara and not untuk belajar dan untuk berbicara?

In Indonesian, one untuk can cover multiple verbs in a list, just like “to” in English can:

untuk belajar dan berbicara ≈ “to learn and (to) speak”

You could say untuk belajar dan untuk berbicara, but it sounds heavier and is usually unnecessary. The shorter version is more natural in everyday use.

What’s the difference between berbicara and bicara? Could I say belajar dan bicara?

Berbicara and bicara both mean to speak/talk, but:

berbicara is the more complete, slightly more formal form.
bicara is a common shortened form in speech and many informal contexts.

In this sentence, berbicara fits well with the slightly serious topic (rights, fairness). belajar dan bicara would be understood, but belajar dan berbicara sounds smoother and a bit more formal.

Is the word order in semua warga punya hak yang sama fixed, or can I change it?

The basic word order here is:

semua (all) + warga (citizens) + punya (have) + hak (rights) + yang sama (that are the same)

You cannot freely reorder this like in some languages. For example, warga semua or yang sama hak would be wrong here.
You could move the adverbial part di negara yang adil to the end (Semua warga punya hak yang sama di negara yang adil), but inside the main clause, the order you see is the natural and correct one.