Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Yang penting bagi saya, seperti kata Ayah, adalah menjaga konsentrasi dan tidak terlalu cemas tentang masa depan. - What matters to me, as Father said, is to maintain concentration and not worry too much about the future.

In Indonesian, yang often turns an adjective or clause into “the thing that…”.
Here, yang penting (bagi saya) becomes “the important thing (for me)” / “what’s important (to me)”.

So Yang penting bagi saya … adalah … = “What is important to me is …”.

What is the difference between bagi saya, untuk saya, and menurut saya?

All three relate to “me”, but they’re used slightly differently:

bagi saya = for me in the sense of relevance/impact/importance
- Yang penting bagi saya = “What is important to me”
- Focus: how something affects or matters to you.
untuk saya = for me in the sense of intended for / meant for / allocated to
- Ini untuk saya. = “This is for me.” (a gift, portion, etc.)
- You can say yang penting untuk saya, but bagi is a bit more natural for “in my case / in my view of what matters”.
menurut saya = according to me / in my opinion
- Menurut saya, itu tidak bagus. = “In my opinion, that’s not good.”
- Used when explicitly expressing a personal opinion.

In this sentence, bagi saya is good because we’re talking about what counts as important for the speaker personally, not just a stated opinion.

What does seperti kata Ayah mean exactly, and why is kata used instead of berkata or bilang?

seperti kata Ayah literally:

seperti = like / as
kata = said (from the verb berkata, “to say”)
Ayah = Dad / Father

So: “as Dad said” or “like Dad always says”.

About the verb:

kata here is a short, fixed form often used in this pattern:
- seperti kata dokter = “as the doctor said”
- kata dosen saya = “my lecturer said (that) …”
berkata is the full verb for “to say”, often used in full clauses:
- Ayah berkata bahwa… = “Father said that…”
bilang is more informal, conversational:
- Ayah bilang… = “Dad said…”

In this frozen expression seperti kata Ayah, kata is the natural, idiomatic choice.

Why is Ayah capitalized here? Does it always have to be capitalized?

In Indonesian:

Ayah with a capital A is used like “Dad/Father” as a name/title:
- Ayah sedang tidur. = “Dad is sleeping.”
- It refers to my father (someone specific and close).
ayah with a lowercase a is the common noun “a father”:
- Dia seorang ayah yang baik. = “He is a good father.”

In the sentence, Ayah is capitalized because it’s being used as a proper form of address/title (“Dad”), not just “a father” in general.

What is the purpose of adalah in this sentence? Could we leave it out?

adalah is a linking word (copula) similar to “is/are” in equative sentences (X = Y).

Structure here:

Yang penting bagi saya, seperti kata Ayah, adalah menjaga konsentrasi dan tidak terlalu cemas tentang masa depan.

Rough pattern:
[What is important to me] is [to maintain concentration and not be too anxious about the future].

You can often omit adalah, especially in informal speech:

Yang penting bagi saya … menjaga konsentrasi dan tidak terlalu cemas …

This is still understandable, but:

With adalah, the sentence feels clearer and more formal/standard, especially in writing.
Without adalah, the connection is more “spoken style”.

So yes, you can drop it in casual speech, but it’s very natural to include it in careful or written Indonesian.

Why is menjaga konsentrasi used instead of just berkonsentrasi?

Both are possible, but the nuance differs:

berkonsentrasi = “to concentrate” (the act itself)
- Saya harus berkonsentrasi. = “I must concentrate.”
menjaga konsentrasi literally = “to guard/maintain concentration”
- Implies keeping your focus steady over time, preventing it from dropping.
- Often used in contexts like study, work, sports:
  - Pemain harus menjaga konsentrasi sampai pertandingan selesai.
    “Players must maintain their concentration until the match ends.”

In this sentence, menjaga konsentrasi emphasizes sustaining concentration, not just “getting concentrated” for a moment.

How should I understand tidak terlalu cemas? Does it mean “not too anxious” or “not very anxious”?

Tidak terlalu cemas literally:

tidak = not
terlalu = too (excessively)
cemas = anxious / worried

So the most direct meaning is:

“not too anxious” / “not overly anxious”

However, in everyday speech, tidak terlalu [adj] can also mean “not very [adj]” / “not that [adj]”, softening the adjective:

Dia tidak terlalu marah. = “He’s not that angry / not very angry.”

In context, tidak terlalu cemas tentang masa depan implies:

Don’t let your anxiety about the future become excessive; keep it at a reasonable level.

What’s the difference between cemas, khawatir, and takut?

All deal with negative feelings, but with different shades:

cemas = anxious, uneasy, worried (often with a tense, restless feeling)
- Saya merasa cemas. = “I feel anxious.”
khawatir = worried, concerned (common and neutral)
- Ibu khawatir tentang kesehatanmu. = “Mom is worried about your health.”
takut = afraid, scared (stronger, fear-based)
- Dia takut gelap. = “He is afraid of the dark.”

In this sentence, cemas suggests an anxious, restless worry about the future, not just a quiet concern (khawatir) nor strong fear (takut).

Why is tentang used before masa depan? Could we use something else like soal or akan?

tentang means “about / regarding” and is common in neutral/formal style:

cemas tentang masa depan = “anxious about the future”
buku tentang sejarah Indonesia = “a book about Indonesian history”

Alternatives:

soal (informal/colloquial) = about / regarding / on the matter of
- cemas soal masa depan → more casual, conversational.
akan (in this context) can mean “about / concerning”, but sounds more formal/literary when used like this:
- cemas akan masa depan → somewhat formal, less everyday.

In standard, neutral modern Indonesian, tentang masa depan is a very natural choice.

Indonesian doesn’t mark tense. How do we know if this means “What is important” vs “What was important” or “What will be important”?

Indonesian verbs normally don’t show tense; context does the work.

Here:

Yang penting bagi saya … adalah menjaga konsentrasi dan tidak terlalu cemas tentang masa depan.

This sounds like a general principle or ongoing attitude, so in English we naturally use the present tense:

“What is important to me … is to maintain concentration and not be too anxious about the future.”

If you needed a past or future meaning, you’d usually add time expressions or context:

Dulu, yang penting bagi saya adalah … = “In the past, what was important to me was …”
Ke depannya, yang penting bagi saya adalah … = “Going forward, what will be important to me is …”

Can we change the word order, for example start with Seperti kata Ayah?

Yes. Indonesian word order is fairly flexible for emphasis.

Current version:

Yang penting bagi saya, seperti kata Ayah, adalah …

You could also say:

Seperti kata Ayah, yang penting bagi saya adalah menjaga konsentrasi dan tidak terlalu cemas tentang masa depan.

Meaning: “As Dad says, what is important to me is …”

Both are natural. Differences:

Starting with Seperti kata Ayah puts more emphasis on Dad’s authority/phrase.
Starting with Yang penting bagi saya focuses first on the speaker’s personal priorities, then attributes the idea to Dad.

How formal or informal is this sentence overall? Would it sound natural in everyday conversation?

Overall, the sentence is neutral to slightly formal:

saya → neutral/formal pronoun for “I”
Ayah → respectful, family-context “Dad”
menjaga konsentrasi, tidak terlalu cemas, tentang masa depan → normal, standard Indonesian
adalah → slightly more formal/written-sounding

In everyday spoken Indonesian, you might hear a more relaxed version like:

Yang penting buat saya, kata Ayah, itu jaga konsentrasi dan jangan terlalu cemas soal masa depan.

But as written, the original sentence is perfectly natural in:

essays, reflective writing,
polite conversations,
counseling/education contexts, etc.