Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Psikolog kampus berkata bahwa mengerti perasaan sendiri adalah langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin. - The campus psychologist said that understanding your own feelings is the first step to overcoming inner conflict.

So “psikolog kampus” literally means “campus psychologist” or “the psychologist of the campus”, i.e. a psychologist who works at or is associated with the campus.

If you said “kampus psikolog”, it would sound like “psychologist campus” (a campus that belongs to a psychologist), which is not what you want.

You could also say:

psikolog di kampus = psychologist at the campus

Same meaning, but “psikolog kampus” is more compact and natural as a title/role.

What does “berkata bahwa” mean, and can I replace it with other verbs like “mengatakan” or “bilang”?

berkata = to say, to speak
bahwa = that (introduces a clause, like English “that” in “He said that …”)

So “berkata bahwa …” = “said that …”

You can replace it with:

mengatakan bahwa … – also “said that …”, slightly more formal/neutral
- Psikolog kampus mengatakan bahwa …
bilang (bahwa) … – informal, colloquial
- Psikolog kampus bilang (bahwa) …

The pattern is:

berkata bahwa + clause
mengatakan bahwa + clause
bilang (bahwa) + clause

In speech, “bahwa” is often dropped, especially after bilang:

Dia bilang mengerti perasaannya sendiri itu penting.
= He/She said (that) understanding one’s own feelings is important.

What is the function of “bahwa” here? Can it be left out?

“bahwa” introduces a reported-speech clause, similar to English “that”:

Psikolog kampus berkata bahwa …
= The campus psychologist said that …

You can leave it out, especially in informal or neutral speech:

Psikolog kampus berkata (bahwa) mengerti perasaan sendiri adalah langkah awal …

Both are grammatically correct. With “bahwa”, the sentence feels slightly more formal or careful. Without it, it feels more casual and conversational.

You could also use “kalau” in informal speech:

Psikolog kampus bilang kalau mengerti perasaan sendiri itu langkah awal …

Here “kalau” plays the role of informal “that”, not “if”.

What does “mengerti perasaan sendiri” literally mean, and where is the subject “I/you/we” in that phrase?

Literally:

mengerti = to understand
perasaan = feelings
sendiri = own

So “mengerti perasaan sendiri” literally means “to understand (one’s) own feelings”.

There is no explicit subject pronoun (“I”, “you”, etc.) because Indonesian often drops the subject when it’s obvious or generic. Here it has a general meaning, like:

“understanding your own feelings” / “understanding one’s own feelings” in general.

If you really want to specify:

mengerti perasaan saya sendiri = understand my own feelings
mengerti perasaanmu sendiri = understand your own feelings
mengerti perasaan mereka sendiri = understand their own feelings

But in this sentence, the psychologist is giving general advice, so the subject is left implicit.

What does “sendiri” add to “perasaan sendiri”? Is it the same as just “perasaan”?

“sendiri” has several meanings, but in “perasaan sendiri” it means “own”.

perasaan = feelings
perasaan sendiri = one’s own feelings

So “mengerti perasaan sendiri” emphasizes that you are understanding your own inner state, not someone else’s.

Compare:

mengerti perasaan orang lain = understand other people’s feelings
mengerti perasaan sendiri = understand your own feelings

“sendiri” can also mean “alone/by oneself” or “itself”, depending on context:

Saya datang sendiri. = I came alone.
Presiden sendiri yang mengumumkan berita itu. = The president himself announced the news.

Is “mengerti” here like an English gerund (“understanding”)? How can a verb phrase be the subject of “adalah”?

Yes, “mengerti perasaan sendiri” is functioning like an English gerund phrase (“understanding your own feelings”).

In Indonesian, a verb with prefix me- (like mengerti, membaca, menulis) can act as:

a normal verb:
- Saya mengerti. = I understand.
or as a noun-like subject or object, similar to English “-ing” forms:
- Mengerti perasaan sendiri adalah … = Understanding your own feelings is …

So in this sentence:

Subject: mengerti perasaan sendiri
Linking verb: adalah
Predicate (complement): langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin

This structure is very common in Indonesian.

When and why do we use “adalah” here? Could we omit it?

“adalah” is a copular verb, similar to “is/are” in English when linking a subject to a noun phrase.

Here:

mengerti perasaan sendiri = subject
langkah awal … = predicate (a noun phrase)

So “adalah” = “is”:

Mengerti perasaan sendiri adalah langkah awal …
= Understanding your own feelings is the first step …

In many everyday sentences, “adalah” is optional when the meaning is still clear:

Mengerti perasaan sendiri adalah langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin.
Mengerti perasaan sendiri langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin. (sounds more like a title, slogan, or very casual speech)

In normal full sentences, especially in writing or formal speech, keeping “adalah” is more natural and clear.

Note: “adalah” generally comes before a noun or noun phrase, not before a simple adjective in everyday style.

What does “langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin” mean structurally? Why is there no “untuk” before “mengatasi”?

Breakdown:

langkah = step
awal = first / initial
langkah awal = the first step / an initial step
mengatasi = to overcome / to deal with
konflik batin = inner conflict

So “langkah awal mengatasi konflik batin” is like:

“the first step (in) overcoming inner conflict”

Here, “mengatasi konflik batin” is a verb phrase modifying “langkah awal” (what kind of step? a step toward overcoming inner conflict).

You could also say:

langkah awal untuk mengatasi konflik batin
= the first step to overcoming inner conflict

Both are grammatically correct. Adding “untuk” makes the purpose more explicit:

without untuk: more compact, still means “step toward overcoming …”
with untuk: “step to/for overcoming …”

The original sentence is natural and idiomatic without “untuk”.

What exactly does “konflik batin” mean? Is “batin” just “inside”?

konflik = conflict
batin = inner self, inner life, soul, inner feelings

So “konflik batin” is best translated as “inner conflict”, a conflict inside a person’s mind or heart, not an external argument.

“batin” often contrasts with “lahir” (outer, physical):

batin = inner, spiritual, emotional
lahir = outer, physical, visible

Common expressions:

ketenangan batin = inner peace
luka batin = emotional wound
kekuatan batin = inner strength

So in this sentence, “konflik batin” refers to internal emotional/psychological conflict.

Could the sentence be rephrased more informally or with slightly different word choices while keeping the same meaning?

Yes, here are a few natural variations with similar meaning:

More informal:

Psikolog kampus bilang kalau memahami perasaan sendiri itu langkah awal buat mengatasi konflik batin.

Slightly different vocabulary but similar tone:

Psikolog kampus mengatakan bahwa memahami perasaannya sendiri merupakan langkah pertama untuk mengatasi konflik batin.

Key changes you might notice:

bilang instead of berkata (more informal)
kalau instead of bahwa (informal “that”)
memahami instead of mengerti (very close meaning: “to understand”)
itu instead of adalah in informal style, or merupakan in more formal style
langkah pertama instead of langkah awal (both = “first step”)
buat instead of untuk (colloquial “for/to”)

All of these keep the core meaning: understanding your own feelings is the first step to overcoming inner conflict.