Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya belum tahu calon mana yang akan saya dukung, jadi saya membaca berita dengan lebih teliti. - I don’t yet know which candidate I will support, so I read the news more carefully.

tidak tahu = do not know (and there’s no implication that this will change)
- Saya tidak tahu. = I don’t know (and maybe I’ll never know).
belum tahu = do not know yet
- It implies that you expect or hope to know in the future.
- Saya belum tahu. = I don’t know yet, but I might find out later.

In the sentence “Saya belum tahu calon mana yang akan saya dukung …”, the speaker expects that later they will decide which candidate to support, so belum is the natural choice.

Why is it calon mana instead of mana calon, when English says “which candidate”?

In Indonesian, the word mana (which) usually comes after the noun it modifies:

calon mana = which candidate
buku mana = which book
orang mana = which person

So the pattern is:

[noun] + mana (Indonesian)
vs
which + [noun] (English)

Saying mana calon is not natural Indonesian in this context. You should say calon mana.

What exactly does calon mean here? Is it different from kandidat?

In this sentence, calon means candidate (usually for an election, a position, or a role).

calon presiden = presidential candidate
calon suami/istri = future husband/wife / potential spouse
calon pelanggan = prospective customer

kandidat also means candidate, but:

kandidat is more formal/technical and often used in written or academic language.
calon is very common in everyday speech and is slightly broader (it can also mean “prospective/future X,” not just in elections).

Here, calon is perfectly natural for a political candidate.

What is the function of yang in calon mana yang akan saya dukung?

Yang introduces a relative clause, linking a noun to a phrase that describes it.

Breakdown:

calon mana = which candidate
yang akan saya dukung = that I will support

So yang is like that / which / who in English relative clauses:

calon mana yang akan saya dukung
= which candidate (that) I will support

Without yang, the sentence would be ungrammatical or at least very confusing. You need yang to show that the part akan saya dukung is describing calon mana.

Can I say calon mana saya akan dukung without yang?

No, that sounds wrong or at least very unnatural in standard Indonesian.

You need yang to clearly mark the start of the clause that describes calon mana:

✅ calon mana yang akan saya dukung
❌ calon mana saya akan dukung (unnatural / feels incomplete)

In relative clauses of this type, the pattern is usually:

[noun] + yang + [clause describing the noun]
e.g. calon yang saya dukung, buku yang saya beli, orang yang saya lihat

Why is it saya dukung instead of saya mendukung in yang akan saya dukung?

The root verb is dukung (“to support”).

Basic form: mendukung = to support
- Saya mendukung calon itu. = I support that candidate.

But in relative clauses or when the object comes before the subject, Indonesian very often uses the bare root (without meN-) instead of mendukung:

calon yang saya dukung = the candidate that I support
buku yang saya beli (not saya membeli) = the book that I bought

So:

calon mana yang akan saya dukung
literally: which candidate that I will support

Saying calon mana yang akan saya mendukung is ungrammatical. In this structure, use saya dukung, not saya mendukung.

What does akan do here? Could I say calon mana yang saya dukung without akan?

Akan is a marker of future or planned action, similar to will or going to.

yang saya dukung = that I support / that I am supporting (present or general)
yang akan saya dukung = that I will support (future decision)

Both are grammatically correct:

Saya belum tahu calon mana yang saya dukung.
= I don’t (yet) know which candidate I support. (could sound like you’re talking about your current preference)
Saya belum tahu calon mana yang akan saya dukung.
= I don’t yet know which candidate I will support. (focus on a future choice)

In the given context (deciding who to support in an election), akan makes the future intention clear.

What does jadi mean here, and could I replace it with something else?

Jadi here is a conjunction meaning “so / therefore”, showing a result or consequence:

… saya belum tahu …, jadi saya membaca berita …
= I don’t know yet …, so I read the news …

You can replace jadi with other connectors, with slightly different tones:

karena itu = therefore / because of that (a bit more formal)
makanya = that’s why / so (more informal, conversational)
oleh karena itu = therefore (quite formal)

Examples:

… saya belum tahu calon mana yang akan saya dukung, karena itu saya membaca berita dengan lebih teliti.
… saya belum tahu calon mana yang akan saya dukung, makanya saya baca berita lebih teliti.

In the original sentence, jadi is neutral and very common in speech and writing.

Why is it membaca berita and not just baca berita?

The root is baca (to read).

membaca = formal / neutral active verb
- Saya membaca berita. = I read the news.
baca alone is common in informal speech and writing:
- Saya baca berita. (sounds casual)

So:

In neutral or formal writing, membaca is safer.
In casual conversation, Saya baca berita is very normal.

Both are grammatical; the choice is mainly about formality.

What does dengan lebih teliti mean, and why use dengan?

teliti = careful, thorough, meticulous.
lebih teliti = more carefully / more thoroughly.

When you add dengan before an adjective, it often turns it into an adverbial phrase (describing how you do something):

dengan teliti = carefully
dengan cepat = quickly
dengan serius = seriously

So:

membaca berita dengan lebih teliti
= read the news more carefully / more thoroughly

You could also say:

Saya membaca berita lebih teliti.

That’s also acceptable; dengan just makes the “in a _ way” structure more explicit and slightly more formal or careful in tone.

Could I move dengan lebih teliti earlier in the sentence, like saya dengan lebih teliti membaca berita?

You can, but it sounds awkward and unnatural in everyday Indonesian.

Most natural is:

✅ saya membaca berita dengan lebih teliti
✅ saya membaca berita lebih teliti

Putting the manner phrase right after the verb + object is the default pattern:

[subject] + [verb] + [object] + (manner / time / place)

So keep dengan lebih teliti at the end, as in the original sentence.

There’s no word like “am/are” or “right now”. Does saya membaca berita mean “I am reading” or “I read (in general)”?

Indonesian verbs usually don’t mark tense (past/present/future) automatically. Saya membaca berita can mean:

I read the news (regularly / in general), or
I am reading the news (around this time / nowadays).

Context decides the time/aspect. If you want to emphasize that it’s happening right now, you can add:

sedang (in the middle of doing something):
- Sekarang saya sedang membaca berita. = Right now I am reading the news.

In the original sentence, the meaning is more like a habitual or ongoing strategy:
“I (now) read the news more carefully (as a way to decide).”

Why use saya instead of aku here? Is there a difference?

Both mean I / me:

saya = neutral–polite, used in most formal and semi-formal situations, or with people you don’t know well.
aku = more intimate / casual, used with friends, family, children, or in some song lyrics and informal writing.

In a sentence about politics and reading the news, saya is a safe, neutral choice.

You could say:

Aku belum tahu calon mana yang akan aku dukung, jadi aku membaca berita dengan lebih teliti.

That sounds more like you’re talking casually to a friend.