Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Yang penting bagi saya, baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium, adalah menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang. - What matters to me, both at the zoo and in the laboratory, is to keep my curiosity and stay calm.

Starting with yang penting foregrounds the idea of “the important thing (to me)” as the topic of the sentence, a common pattern in Indonesian for emphasis or clarity.

Why is bagi saya used here instead of untuk saya? Are they interchangeable?

Both bagi and untuk can often be translated as “for”, but they have slightly different typical uses:

bagi often sounds a bit more formal and is frequently used with opinions, perspectives, or evaluations:
- Bagi saya, ini penting. = For me / In my view, this is important.
untuk is more general and very common, often used for purpose, beneficiary, or destination:
- Ini untuk saya. = This is for me (as the recipient).
- Buku ini untuk belajar. = This book is for studying.

In this sentence, bagi saya is talking about what is important from my perspective, so bagi fits well.
You could say untuk saya and people would still understand, but bagi saya sounds more natural and slightly more formal/neutral here.

What does the pattern baik … maupun … mean?

Baik … maupun … is a pair that means “both … and …”.

In this sentence:

baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium
= both at the zoo and in the laboratory

Important points:

It is inclusive (A and B), not a choice (not “either … or …”).
It’s often slightly more formal or written, but you will hear it in speech too.
In casual speech, people might instead say:
- di kebun binatang dan di laboratorium (simply “at the zoo and in the lab”)
- or use other phrasing.

So the full chunk bagi saya, baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium =
for me, both at the zoo and in the lab.

Why is di repeated in baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium? Could we drop the second di?

In careful, standard Indonesian, it’s better and clearer to repeat di:

baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium

If you drop the second di:

baik di kebun binatang maupun laboratorium

People will still understand you, and you do see this sometimes, but it’s less precise and can sound slightly compressed or informal.

Repeating the preposition before each noun phrase is:

very typical in Indonesian
considered good style in formal writing and clear speech.

So the original version with both di is the most natural and correct one in standard Indonesian.

What is the function of adalah in this sentence? Can it be omitted?

Adalah works like a linking verb (similar to “is/are” in English) in equational sentences, especially with noun phrases or more formal structures.

Here, the basic structure is:

Yang penting bagi saya … adalah …
What is important to me … is …

So adalah is linking:

subject: Yang penting bagi saya, baik di kebun binatang maupun di laboratorium
complement: menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang

Can it be omitted?

Grammatically, you could say:
- Yang penting bagi saya … menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang.
But in this type of “X is Y” sentence, especially when X and Y are long phrases, adalah makes the sentence clearer and more natural, particularly in written or semi-formal style.

So while omission is sometimes possible, keeping adalah is better here.

What does menjaga mean in menjaga rasa ingin tahu? Why use menjaga here?

Menjaga literally means “to guard, to watch over, to keep, to maintain.”

In menjaga rasa ingin tahu, it can be understood as:

to keep (maintain) a sense of curiosity
to preserve one’s curiosity

So the phrase doesn’t mean physically “guarding” something; it’s more about maintaining a state or quality:

menjaga kesehatan = to maintain health
menjaga hubungan baik = to maintain a good relationship
menjaga kebersihan = to keep things clean

Here, menjaga rasa ingin tahu fits that same pattern of maintaining an inner quality.

What exactly does rasa ingin tahu mean, and how is it different from keingintahuan?

Both rasa ingin tahu and keingintahuan can be translated as “curiosity.”

rasa = feeling, sense
ingin tahu = want to know
So rasa ingin tahu = a feeling/sense of wanting to know → curiosity
keingintahuan is a single noun formed by adding ke- -an around ingin tahu.
- ke + ingin tahu + an → keingintahuan
- This also means curiosity.

Differences:

rasa ingin tahu often feels a bit more concrete and natural in everyday language, like “sense of curiosity.”
keingintahuan can sound a bit more abstract or formal/academic in some contexts.

You could say:

menjaga rasa ingin tahu
menjaga keingintahuan

Both are understandable. The original phrase sounds very natural and idiomatic in everyday Indonesian.

How does tetap work in tetap tenang? Is tetap an adverb?

Tetap means “to remain, to stay, still” (in the sense of not changing).

In tetap tenang:

tetap = remain / stay
tenang = calm

So tetap tenang = to stay calm / to remain calm.

Grammatically:

tetap functions like an adverb of state or a stative verb modifier.
It commonly appears before adjectives or states:
- tetap sehat = stay healthy
- tetap fokus = stay focused
- tetap diam = remain silent

So menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang means:

to maintain curiosity and (to) stay calm.

Why is there dan only once in menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang and not menjaga … dan menjaga …?

Indonesian often does not repeat the verb when two actions share the same subject and same main verb pattern, especially when it’s clear from context.

Full, fully explicit form would be:

menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan menjaga (agar) tetap tenang

But it’s natural and more concise to say:

menjaga rasa ingin tahu dan tetap tenang

Here tetap tenang is understood as part of the same “thing that is important to do.” The reader/listener mentally supplies the missing menjaga (“maintain / keep”) for the second part.

This kind of verb ellipsis is very common and natural in Indonesian.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it sound natural in everyday conversation?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal, mainly because of:

bagi saya (instead of something like buat saya)
baik … maupun …
use of adalah

In everyday conversation, people might say something a bit simpler, like:

Buat saya, di kebun binatang maupun di lab, yang penting itu tetap penasaran dan tenang.
Buat saya, yang penting, di mana pun, tetap penasaran dan tenang.

But the original sentence is still perfectly natural if spoken, especially in:

a prepared talk
a thoughtful answer in an interview
a more reflective conversation

So it’s not stiffly formal, just a bit polished.