Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.

The wedding rings are not luxurious, but they are very meaningful to them.

Breakdown of Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.

• adalah: to be
• itu: that
• sangat: very
• tidak: not
• bagi: for
• mereka: them
• tetapi: but
• cincin pengantin: the wedding ring
• mewah: luxurious
• berarti: meaningful

Questions & Answers about Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.

What does each word in Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka literally mean?

Word-by-word:

• cincin = ring
• pengantin = bride/groom; the person (or couple) getting married
• cincin pengantin = wedding ring (literally: wedding-person ring)
• itu = that / the (demonstrative; points to a specific thing already known)
• tidak = not (used with verbs and adjectives)
• mewah = luxurious, fancy
• tetapi = but, however (more formal)
• sangat = very
• berarti = meaningful, significant (literally: has meaning)
• bagi = for (from the point of view of someone; as a beneficiary)
• mereka = them / they

So the structure is roughly:
[ring wedding that] [not luxurious], [but] [very meaningful] [for them].

Why is tidak used instead of bukan before mewah?

Indonesian has two common words for not: tidak and bukan, and they are used in different contexts.

• tidak negates:
  • verbs: tidak suka, tidak datang
  • adjectives: tidak mewah, tidak besar
• bukan negates:
  • nouns and pronouns: bukan dokter, bukan dia
  • entire noun phrases: bukan cincin mewah, bukan rumah saya

In this sentence, mewah is an adjective (luxurious), so you must use tidak:

• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah.
  = That wedding ring is not luxurious.

If you change it to a noun phrase, you can use bukan:

• Cincin pengantin itu bukan cincin mewah.
  = That wedding ring is not a luxury ring.

Both are correct, but the grammar pattern is different.

What is the function of itu at the end of cincin pengantin itu? Why not put itu before the noun like in English?

Itu is a demonstrative that can mean that or the, and it normally comes after the noun phrase in Indonesian.

• cincin itu = that ring / the ring
• cincin pengantin itu = that wedding ring / the wedding ring

So:

• itu cincin pengantin is technically possible, but it sounds like you’re introducing it as a whole sentence:
  Itu cincin pengantin. = That is a wedding ring.

In your sentence, cincin pengantin itu is one noun phrase (the subject), so itu goes after cincin pengantin.

Also note: if you drop itu, you get a more general statement:

• Cincin pengantin tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.
  = Wedding rings are not luxurious, but are very meaningful to them (more general, less specific).

Does cincin pengantin mean wedding ring or the bride’s ring? How is it different from cincin pernikahan?

Cincin pengantin is understood in everyday speech as wedding ring.

• cincin = ring
• pengantin = the person (or couple) getting married

In compounds like this, pengantin often carries the idea of wedding, not just bride or groom individually. So cincin pengantin = wedding ring.

If you specifically wanted to say the bride’s ring, you’d normally be more explicit:

• cincin pengantin perempuan = the bride’s ring
• cincin milik pengantin perempuan = the ring belonging to the bride

Cincin pernikahan also means wedding ring. The nuance:

• cincin pengantin – very common, everyday, slightly more colloquial
• cincin pernikahan – sounds a bit more formal or abstract (pernikahan = the event or state of marriage)

In practice, they are often interchangeable in meaning.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi?

Both mean but.

• tetapi
  
  • more formal / neutral
  • common in writing, speeches, news, essays
• tapi
  
  • informal, conversational
  • common in everyday speech, chats, casual writing

You can safely swap them in most sentences:

• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka. (neutral / formal)
• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tapi sangat berarti bagi mereka. (more casual)

Punctuation rule is the same: usually a comma before tetapi/tapi when joining two clauses.

What exactly does sangat mean, and can I put it after berarti instead of before it?

Sangat means very (or extremely). The default position is before an adjective:

• sangat mewah = very luxurious
• sangat penting = very important
• sangat berarti = very meaningful

You will occasionally see sangat placed after an adjective in more formal or literary style (e.g. penting sangat), but that’s much less common in modern standard usage.

A much more common after-the-adjective intensifier is sekali:

• berarti sekali = very meaningful
• mewah sekali = very luxurious

So the natural patterns are:

• sangat berarti (very meaningful)
• berarti sekali (very meaningful)

Both are fine and very common. Using sangat before the adjective is the safest default.

Why is berarti used here instead of something related to arti, like artinya?

Arti and berarti are related but used differently:

• arti = meaning (noun)
  
  • arti kata ini = the meaning of this word
• berarti = to have meaning / to be meaningful, significant (verb/adjective-like)
  
  • cincin ini sangat berarti = this ring is very meaningful

Artinya literally means its meaning or the meaning is:

• Artinya apa? = What does it mean?
• Artinya sangat besar bagi mereka. = Its meaning is very big for them.

In your sentence, what you want is is meaningful, not its meaning. So:

• Cincin pengantin itu ... sangat berarti bagi mereka.
  = That wedding ring is very meaningful to them.

Saying sangat artinya here would be ungrammatical or at least very unnatural.

What is the nuance of bagi in sangat berarti bagi mereka, and how is it different from untuk?

Both bagi and untuk can translate as for, but they have different typical uses:

• bagi

  • highlights the perspective or beneficiary
  • common with feelings, importance, opinions
  • sounds a bit more formal
  • e.g. penting bagi saya = important to me

• untuk

  • more general for / for the purpose of
  • used with goals, purposes, functions
  • e.g. kursi untuk duduk = a chair for sitting

In your sentence:

• sangat berarti bagi mereka
  = very meaningful to them / for them (in their view, in their hearts)

You could say berarti untuk mereka, and it would still be understood, but berarti bagi mereka is more idiomatic when talking about emotional or personal significance.

Who are mereka here, and could you say something like mereka berdua?

Mereka means they / them (third person plural). In this context, it almost certainly refers to the couple (the two people who got married).

You could make it more explicit:

• ... sangat berarti bagi mereka berdua.
  = ... is very meaningful for the two of them.

This emphasizes that you’re talking about exactly two people.

If you wanted to refer to a different group, you would just rely on context, for example:

• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka yang hadir.
  = That wedding ring was not luxurious, but was very meaningful for those who attended.

Indonesian often leaves such references implicit; mereka is understood from context.

Can the clause order be changed, for example: Cincin pengantin itu sangat berarti bagi mereka, tetapi tidak mewah?

Yes, you can switch the order of the two clauses:

• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.
  Focuses first on the lack of luxury, then contrasts with its meaning.

• Cincin pengantin itu sangat berarti bagi mereka, tetapi tidak mewah.
  Puts the meaning first, then adds that it’s not luxurious.

Both are grammatically correct. The choice affects emphasis and flow, not correctness.

Within each clause, though, you cannot freely move words:

• ✗ Mewah tidak cincin pengantin itu – incorrect word order
• ✓ Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah. – correct (Subject + negation + adjective)

Why is there no word for is (like to be) in cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah and ... sangat berarti?

Indonesian normally omits a verb like to be when linking a subject to:

• an adjective:

  • cincin itu mahal = the ring is expensive
  • cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah = that wedding ring is not luxurious

• a descriptive verb/adjective-like word:

  • cincin itu berarti = the ring is meaningful
  • sangat berarti = is very meaningful

You don’t add anything like is/are in these cases.

You only use a verb like adalah in specific situations, mostly when linking to a noun phrase, and often in more formal contexts:

• Cincin pengantin itu adalah simbol cinta mereka.
  = That wedding ring is their symbol of love.

But:

• Cincin pengantin itu sangat berarti bagi mereka.
  (no adalah) is the natural, standard form.

Is this sentence formal, neutral, or informal? How might it sound in more casual everyday speech?

The original sentence is neutral leaning formal:

• Cincin pengantin itu tidak mewah, tetapi sangat berarti bagi mereka.

In casual conversation, people might say:

• Cincin kawin itu nggak mewah, tapi berarti banget buat mereka.

Changes here:

• cincin kawin instead of cincin pengantin (colloquial wedding ring)
• nggak instead of tidak (informal not)
• tapi instead of tetapi (informal but)
• banget instead of sangat (very informal very)
• buat instead of bagi (colloquial for)

All of these are common in spoken Indonesian among friends or family.