Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Kebersamaan sederhana di ruang tamu itu lebih penting daripada hadiah mahal. - That simple togetherness in the living room is more important than expensive gifts.

bersama = together (as an adverb/preposition: “with / together with”)
ke- … -an = a pair of affixes that often turn adjectives/verbs into abstract nouns (states, qualities, concepts)

So:

bersama → kebersamaan = “the state/quality of being together” → togetherness

Grammatically in this sentence, kebersamaan is a noun and acts as the subject of the sentence.

Why is sederhana placed after kebersamaan instead of before it?

In Indonesian, most adjectives come after the noun they describe.

kebersamaan sederhana
- kebersamaan = togetherness (noun)
- sederhana = simple (adjective)
  → “simple togetherness”

Other similar patterns:

rumah besar = big house
baju baru = new clothes
makanan enak = delicious food

So kebersamaan sederhana is literally “togetherness (that is) simple.”

What is the role of di in di ruang tamu itu? Could we drop it?

di is a preposition meaning “in / at / on (a place)”.

di ruang tamu itu = “in that living room”

Without di, ruang tamu itu is just the noun phrase “that living room.” With di, it becomes a location phrase:

kebersamaan sederhana di ruang tamu itu
= “simple togetherness in that living room”

You cannot drop di here if you want to express location.

Compare:

ruang tamu itu luas = That living room is spacious. (ruang tamu itu is the subject)
Dia duduk di ruang tamu itu = He/She sits in that living room. (di ruang tamu itu is a place phrase)

What does itu add in ruang tamu itu? Can we omit it?

itu after a noun usually means “that” (as a demonstrative). It can also signal specificity, like “the” in English.

ruang tamu itu
- literally: “that living room”
- often understood as: “the living room (we both know about)”

If you say:

di ruang tamu itu = in that (specific) living room
di ruang tamu (without itu) = in a living room / in the living room (more general, less pointed)

You can omit itu, but you lose some specificity or the feeling that both speaker and listener know exactly which living room is meant (for example, our living room).

How does the comparative structure lebih penting daripada work?

lebih … daripada is a common way to express “more … than …” in Indonesian.

Structure:

lebih
- adjective + daripada
  - comparison target

In the sentence:

lebih penting = more important
daripada hadiah mahal = than expensive gifts

So:

… lebih penting daripada … = “… is more important than …”

Other examples:

Dia lebih tinggi daripada saya. = He/She is taller than me.
Film itu lebih menarik daripada buku ini. = That movie is more interesting than this book.

In everyday speech, some people shorten daripada to dari, e.g. lebih penting dari hadiah mahal, but daripada is clearer and more standard for comparisons.

Why is it hadiah mahal and not mahal hadiah?

Same reason as kebersamaan sederhana: adjectives usually come after the noun.

hadiah = gift/present
mahal = expensive

So:

hadiah mahal = expensive gift(s)

Other patterns:

hadiah besar = big gift
hadiah kecil = small gift

Putting the adjective first (mahal hadiah) is ungrammatical in normal Indonesian.

Could we say hadiah yang mahal instead of hadiah mahal? What’s the difference?

Yes, hadiah yang mahal is also grammatically correct, but there is a slight nuance difference.

hadiah mahal
- simple noun + adjective
- neutral, concise: “expensive gifts”
hadiah yang mahal
- noun + yang
  - adjective
- can sound more emphatic, specific, or descriptive: “the gifts that are expensive”

Often in casual speech and ordinary writing, hadiah mahal is perfectly natural and more common. Yang is more likely when:

you want to add extra information:
- hadiah yang mahal itu sudah dikembalikan.
  = That expensive gift has already been returned.
or you’re turning the phrase into a more relative-clause-like structure.

What exactly does sederhana mean here? Does it mean “modest,” “simple,” or “plain”?

Sederhana has a range of meanings related to simplicity and modesty, often with a positive or neutral connotation.

In kebersamaan sederhana, it suggests:

not luxurious or fancy
ordinary, everyday
modest, unpretentious

So it can be understood as:

“simple togetherness”
“modest time spent together”
“the simple act of being together”

It does not imply “simple-minded” or “stupid” (like “simple” can in English). It’s more about lifestyle/atmosphere being not complicated or luxurious.

Is kebersamaan countable? Could I say something like “two togethernesses”?

In normal Indonesian usage, kebersamaan is treated as an uncountable abstract noun, like “happiness” or “peace” in English.

You typically don’t say dua kebersamaan (“two togethernesses”)
You treat it as a mass/abstract concept:
- Kebersamaan itu penting. = Togetherness is important.

If you want to count instances, you usually count the events, moments, or times, not the togetherness itself:

dua momen kebersamaan = two moments of togetherness
banyak saat kebersamaan = many times of togetherness

Is this whole sentence natural? In what kind of context would Indonesians say it?

Yes, the sentence is very natural and idiomatic.

Kebersamaan sederhana di ruang tamu itu lebih penting daripada hadiah mahal.

This would typically appear in:

conversations about family values or relationships
social media posts about spending time with loved ones
speeches/articles emphasizing that quality time matters more than material things

Nuance:
It sounds a bit reflective or sentimental, but still everyday and not overly formal. It could easily be said in a casual conversation or written in a personal blog or social media caption.