Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar. - My self-confidence increases after the basic training.

percaya = to believe
ke-…-an = a prefix–suffix pair that often turns verbs/adjectives into abstract nouns
kepercayaan = belief, trust, confidence (as an abstract noun)
diri = self

So kepercayaan diri is literally belief in (one’s own) self, which corresponds to self‑confidence in English.

Why is saya placed after kepercayaan diri instead of before it?

In Indonesian, possessors usually come after the thing possessed:

kepercayaan diri saya = my self-confidence
- kepercayaan diri = self-confidence
- saya = my / I

This pattern is normal:

rumah saya = my house
teman saya = my friend
kepercayaan diri saya = my self-confidence

Putting saya before, like saya kepercayaan diri, is ungrammatical. You need saya punya kepercayaan diri if you want saya in front as a subject:

Saya punya kepercayaan diri. = I have self-confidence.

What is the difference between kepercayaan and percaya?

percaya is a verb/adjective: to believe / to be convinced.
- Saya percaya kamu. = I believe you.
kepercayaan is a noun formed from percaya: belief, trust, confidence, faith.
- Kepercayaan saya kepada dia hilang. = My trust in him is gone.

In the sentence Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat, kepercayaan is part of a noun phrase (kepercayaan diri) meaning self-confidence.

What is the difference between kepercayaan diri and percaya diri?

Both relate to confidence, but their grammar and usual use differ:

kepercayaan diri = self-confidence (a noun phrase)
- Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat. = My self-confidence increased.
percaya diri = confident (adjective/verb-like phrase, “to be confident”)
- Saya lebih percaya diri. = I am more confident.

You can often switch between a noun-based sentence and an adjective-based one:

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar.
Saya menjadi lebih percaya diri setelah latihan dasar.

Both are natural, but the original uses the noun form.

Can I say percaya diri saya meningkat instead of kepercayaan diri saya meningkat?

No, that sounds wrong to native speakers. Percaya diri behaves like an adjective/verb, not a noun, so it’s odd to treat it as the subject of meningkat.

Correct options would be:

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat. ✅
Saya menjadi lebih percaya diri. ✅

But Percaya diri saya meningkat ❌ is not natural.

Why is meningkat used here and not meningkatkan?

Because meningkat is intransitive (no direct object): something itself increases.

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat.
- Subject: kepercayaan diri saya
- Verb: meningkat = increased / went up
- No object

Meningkatkan is transitive (needs an object): to increase something.

Latihan dasar meningkatkan kepercayaan diri saya.
- Subject: latihan dasar
- Verb: meningkatkan = increased
- Object: kepercayaan diri saya

So:

If self-confidence is the thing that goes up by itself → meningkat.
If something increases someone’s confidence → meningkatkan.

What part of speech is setelah, and could it go at the start of the sentence?

Setelah is a subordinating conjunction/preposition meaning after.

In this sentence it links the main clause to a time phrase:

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat (main clause)
setelah latihan dasar (time phrase: after basic training)

You can move it to the front without changing the meaning (just like in English):

Setelah latihan dasar, kepercayaan diri saya meningkat.

Both word orders are natural; starting with setelah adds slight emphasis to the time.

Can I use sesudah instead of setelah? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can. Setelah and sesudah are near-synonyms meaning after. In everyday modern Indonesian:

setelah is slightly more common and sounds a bit more formal/standard,
sesudah is also correct and widely used.

So you can say:

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar.
Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat sesudah latihan dasar.

Both are fine.

What exactly does latihan dasar mean, and what is dasar here?

Latihan dasar literally means basic training or fundamental exercises.

latihan = practice, exercise, training (noun)
dasar = basic, fundamental, foundational (adjective here)

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun:

latihan dasar = basic training
kursus dasar = basic course
teori dasar = basic theory

So dasar is an adjective modifying latihan.

Could I say latihan-latihan dasar? What would that change?

Yes. Reduplication like latihan-latihan often suggests plural or various kinds of exercises.

latihan dasar = basic training / a basic training program (general)
latihan-latihan dasar = basic exercises (several different exercises)

Your original sentence is fine and natural with latihan dasar, meaning the training period or program as a whole. You’d use latihan-latihan dasar if you want to emphasize multiple separate exercises.

How would I say “My self-confidence will increase after basic training” in Indonesian?

Indonesian usually doesn’t mark future with verb changes. You add time words like akan (will) or context.

Possible versions:

Kepercayaan diri saya akan meningkat setelah latihan dasar.
Setelah latihan dasar, kepercayaan diri saya akan meningkat.

Adding akan makes the future sense explicit, like will increase. Often, context alone is enough, but akan is clear and correct.

How would I say “Basic training increased my self-confidence” (making basic training the subject)?

You need the transitive form meningkatkan:

Latihan dasar meningkatkan kepercayaan diri saya.

Structure:

Subject: Latihan dasar (Basic training)
Verb: meningkatkan (increased / improved)
Object: kepercayaan diri saya (my self-confidence)

Is there a more casual, everyday way to say this sentence?

Yes, in casual spoken Indonesian, especially in Jakarta style, you might hear:

Gue jadi lebih pede abis latihan dasar.

Breakdown:

gue = I / me (very informal)
jadi lebih = become more
pede = slang from PD (percaya diri), meaning confident
abis = informal for habis = after

It’s much less formal than Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar, but very natural in casual conversation.

How do you pronounce kepercayaan and latihan?

Indonesian spelling is quite phonetic. Approximate breakdown:

kepercayaan: ke-per-CA-ya-an
- c is always like ch in church
- r is tapped/flapped (like Spanish r)
- each a is like a in father
- all syllables are fairly even; slight stress often on -ca- or -ya-: ke-per-CHA-ya-an
latihan: la-TI-han
- ti like tee
- h is pronounced, even in the middle
- roughly la-TEE-han

Indonesian doesn’t use strong stress like English; syllables are more evenly timed.

Is the word order in Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar the normal order in Indonesian?

Yes, it follows a common pattern:

Subject: Kepercayaan diri saya (my self-confidence)
Verb: meningkat (increased)
Adverbial (time): setelah latihan dasar (after basic training)

Basic Indonesian word order is S–V–O (Subject–Verb–Object), similar to English. Time expressions (like setelah …) can go at the end or at the beginning:

Kepercayaan diri saya meningkat setelah latihan dasar.
Setelah latihan dasar, kepercayaan diri saya meningkat.

Both are normal.