Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Rutinitas belajar baru ini membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian. - This new study routine makes me more confident before the exam.

So belajar modifies rutinitas → rutinitas belajar = study routine.
Then baru modifies the whole rutinitas belajar → rutinitas belajar baru = new study routine.
Finally ini points to that whole phrase → rutinitas belajar baru ini = this new study routine.

So baru is describing the whole routine, not just the studying.

Why is ini at the end of the noun phrase instead of at the beginning like in English (this new study routine)?

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini (this) and itu (that) usually come after the noun phrase:

buku ini = this book
rumah besar itu = that big house

So:

rutinitas belajar baru ini = this new study routine
(literally: routine study new this)

If you want ini at the beginning, you normally start a new clause:

Ini adalah rutinitas belajar baru saya. = This is my new study routine.

But inside a noun phrase, it goes at the end.

What exactly does rutinitas belajar mean? Why use a noun (rutinitas) plus a verb root (belajar)?

In Indonesian, a bare verb root can often function like a noun to modify another noun. Common pattern:

jam belajar = study hours
tempat tidur = bed (literally: place to sleep)
alat tulis = stationery (literally: tools for writing)

So:

rutinitas = routine
belajar = to study / studying

Together rutinitas belajar naturally means study routine or study habit pattern.
You could also say rutinitas untuk belajar (routine for studying), but rutinitas belajar is shorter and very natural.

Why is it membuat saya lebih percaya diri and not something like membuat saya menjadi lebih percaya diri or membuat saya merasa lebih percaya diri?

Structure:

membuat = to make / cause (transitive verb from base buat)
saya = me
lebih percaya diri = more confident

Pattern: membuat + object + adjective is very common:

Berita itu membuat saya sedih. = That news makes me sad.
Latihan rutin membuat mereka kuat. = Regular training makes them strong.

Adding menjadi or merasa is possible but changes nuance:

membuat saya menjadi lebih percaya diri
= makes me become more confident (slightly more formal/emphatic)
membuat saya merasa lebih percaya diri
= makes me feel more confident (emphasizes the feeling)

In everyday speech and writing, membuat saya lebih percaya diri is natural and concise.

Is percaya diri one word or two, and what is its function here? Is it an adjective or a noun?

It’s written as two words: percaya diri.

Literally:

percaya = to believe / to trust
diri = self

Together percaya diri is a fixed expression meaning confident, and it normally behaves like an adjective:

Dia sangat percaya diri. = He/She is very confident.
Anak itu kurang percaya diri. = That child is not very confident.

In the sentence:

lebih percaya diri = more confident (comparative with lebih)

So percaya diri is functioning as an adjective phrase describing saya.

What is the role of lebih in lebih percaya diri? Can it be left out?

lebih means more (comparative marker).

So:

percaya diri = confident
lebih percaya diri = more confident

If you remove lebih:

membuat saya percaya diri = makes me (feel) confident
(no comparison; just states that confidence appears)

With lebih, the idea is that your confidence has increased compared to before. Since the English meaning is makes me feel more confident, lebih is necessary to express that comparison.

What does menjelang mean exactly, and how is it different from sebelum?

menjelang = approaching / in the run-up to / as X is getting close
sebelum = before

Nuance:

menjelang ujian focuses on the period of time right before the exam, as it approaches.
sebelum ujian is any time before the exam, could be far in advance.

Compare:

Rutinitas belajar baru ini membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.
= This new study routine makes me feel more confident as the exam approaches / going into the exam.
... sebelum ujian.
= ... before the exam. (more neutral, less sense of “just before” or “leading up to”)

Is menjelang a preposition here, or a verb? Why is there no extra preposition like pada in menjelang ujian?

Here menjelang behaves like a preposition (or preposition-like word):

menjelang ujian = approaching the exam / in the period before the exam
menjelang tidur = before going to sleep
menjelang malam = towards evening

You do not add another preposition:

✅ menjelang ujian
❌ menjelang pada ujian

Historically it comes from a verbal root jelang, but in modern usage in this kind of time phrase it functions like a preposition.

Could you say sebelum ujian instead of menjelang ujian here? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can say:

Rutinitas belajar baru ini membuat saya lebih percaya diri sebelum ujian.

Grammatically correct and natural. Meaning:

menjelang ujian = as the exam is getting close; emphasizes the immediate lead-up to the exam.
sebelum ujian = before the exam; broader, less specific about how close.

So menjelang adds a slightly stronger sense of “right before / going into the exam period”, which matches the idea of increased confidence as the exam draws near.

Why is there no tense marker like “will” or “has” in Indonesian? How do we know when this happens?

Indonesian usually does not mark tense with verb changes. Context tells you whether an action is past, present, or future.

The sentence:

Rutinitas belajar baru ini membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.

can be interpreted as:

This new study routine makes me feel more confident going into the exam. (general/present)
or, in a given context, has made / will make.

If you want to be explicit:

sudah membuat = has made (past)
akan membuat = will make (future)

For example:

Rutinitas belajar baru ini sudah membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.
Rutinitas belajar baru ini akan membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.

Is the word order in rutinitas belajar baru ini fixed, or can I move baru or ini around?

The natural order is:

rutinitas (noun) + belajar (modifier) + baru (adjective) + ini (demonstrative)

Other orders either sound wrong or change meaning:

❌ baru rutinitas belajar ini
❌ rutinitas baru belajar ini
❌ rutinitas belajar ini baru (sounds off / not idiomatic in this meaning)

You can, however, restructure the whole sentence:

Ini adalah rutinitas belajar baru yang membuat saya lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.
(This is the new study routine that makes me feel more confident going into the exam.)

Inside the noun phrase, keep the original order for natural Indonesian.

Why is saya used here instead of aku? Would aku be wrong?

Both mean I / me:

saya = more formal / polite, neutral in most contexts
aku = informal, used with friends, family, or in casual speech

The sentence is in a fairly neutral–formal style (words like rutinitas, menjelang), so saya fits well.

You could say:

Rutinitas belajar baru ini membuat aku lebih percaya diri menjelang ujian.

Grammatically fine, but the tone becomes more casual. Choice depends on who you are talking or writing to.