Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Menurut saya, kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan adalah sedikit gangguan, sementara kekurangannya adalah jam buka yang terbatas. - In my opinion, the advantage of studying in the library is that there are few disturbances, while the disadvantage is the limited opening hours.

menurut saya – sounds a bit more measured/neutral, like stating an opinion in a discussion or essay.
saya pikir – literally I think; a bit more direct and conversational.
saya rasa – literally I feel; often softer or more subjective.

All three can often translate as I think, but menurut saya fits best when you are presenting pros and cons, arguments, or analysis, like in this sentence.

Is the comma after menurut saya required?

In Indonesian, the comma after menurut saya is standard and recommended, because:

menurut saya is an introductory phrase (a sentence adverbial).
The comma marks a natural pause and separates it from the main clause.

In informal writing, people sometimes omit it, but Menurut saya, kelebihan… is the more correct and clearer version.

What is the function of ke- … -an in kelebihan and kekurangan?

The circumfix ke- … -an often turns a root into an abstract noun:

lebih (more) → kelebihan
- meanings: advantage, strength, an excess / too much (depending on context)
kurang (less / lacking) → kekurangan
- meanings: disadvantage, weakness, a lack / shortage

So ke- … -an here creates the nouns advantage and disadvantage (or strength and weakness) from the ideas more and less.

What is the difference between kelebihan / kekurangan and keuntungan / kerugian?

They all relate to pros and cons, but with different typical uses:

kelebihan – strength, plus point, advantage, or an excess of something.
kekurangan – weakness, minus point, drawback, or a shortage/lack.

These are very common when listing pros and cons of a person, place, method, idea, etc.

keuntungan – benefit, profit, gain (often financial or practical).
kerugian – loss, damage, disadvantage (often financial or serious negative impact).

In your sentence, kelebihan … / kekurangannya … is perfect, because it is about the pros and cons of studying in the library, not about profit or financial loss.

What does adalah do here, and could we omit it?

Adalah is a linking word (a copula) that connects the subject and a noun phrase:

kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan (subject)
adalah
sedikit gangguan (complement)

It corresponds roughly to is/are in English in sentences like X is Y.

In many Indonesian sentences, adalah can be omitted, especially in speech:

Kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan adalah sedikit gangguan…
Kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan sedikit gangguan… (more colloquial)

Using adalah here:

makes the sentence sound more formal and written,
makes the structure very clear (good in explanations or essays).

So it is not strictly required, but it is very natural and correct in this context.

Why does kekurangannya have -nya, but kelebihan does not?

-nya here is a possessive/definite marker, roughly its or the:

kekurangan = a disadvantage / disadvantage(s) in general
kekurangannya = its disadvantage, the disadvantage (of that thing already mentioned)

The sentence first clearly names:

kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan – the advantage of studying in the library

Then, for the contrasting part, it says:

sementara kekurangannya adalah… – while its disadvantage is…

So -nya refers back to belajar di perpustakaan (studying in the library).

You could say kelebihannya for parallelism:

kelebihannya adalah… sementara kekurangannya adalah…

That would mean its advantage is… while its disadvantage is…
The version given is also natural: the first part already clearly says of studying in the library, so repeating -nya there is not necessary.

In sedikit gangguan, why is gangguan not marked as plural? How do we know it means “few distractions”?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural on nouns. Number is often understood from context or from words like:

sedikit (few / a little)
banyak (many / a lot)

Here:

sedikit = a small quantity
gangguan = disturbance / interference / distraction

Together sedikit gangguan naturally means few distractions or little disturbance, depending on context. English has to choose singular/plural; Indonesian does not.

If you really wanted to emphasize plural, you could say sedikit gangguan-gangguan, but that would sound odd or overly emphatic here. The simple sedikit gangguan is best.

I thought sementara means “for the time being” or “temporary”. How does it mean “while / whereas” here?

Sementara has two main uses:

Adjective/adverb meaning “temporary” / “for the time being”:
- pekerjaan sementara – temporary job
- Untuk sementara saya tinggal di sini. – For the time being I’m staying here.
Conjunction meaning “while / whereas / on the other hand”:
- Dia suka kopi, sementara saya lebih suka teh. – He likes coffee, whereas I prefer tea.

In your sentence, sementara is the second type: a conjunction contrasting two clauses:

kelebihan … adalah …
sementara kekurangannya adalah …

So here it means while / whereas.

What is the role of yang in jam buka yang terbatas?

Yang introduces a descriptive phrase (like a relative clause or a defining description) attached to a noun:

jam buka – opening hours
terbatas – limited
jam buka yang terbatas – opening hours that are limited / which are limited

So yang links jam buka with terbatas, similar to that/which is in English.
Without yang, jam buka terbatas could also be understood, but jam buka yang terbatas is clearer as a single noun phrase: limited opening hours.

Why jam buka yang terbatas, and not jamnya terbatas or jam bukanya terbatas? Are those wrong?

All are grammatical, but they have slightly different structures and nuances.

jam buka yang terbatas
- Noun phrase: opening hours that are limited.
- Fits well as the complement of adalah:
  - kekurangannya adalah jam buka yang terbatas.
  - its disadvantage is [the] limited opening hours.
jam bukanya terbatas
- jam buka
  - -nya (its opening hours) + terbatas (are limited).
- This sounds like a full clause in itself:
  - Jam bukanya terbatas. – Its opening hours are limited.
- You could say:
  - kekurangannya adalah jam bukanya yang terbatas. (still okay, but longer)
jamnya terbatas
- Literally: its hours are limited, less specific than jam buka.
- Context might still make it clear, but jam buka is more precise for business/library hours.

The original jam buka yang terbatas is concise and clearly a noun phrase that fits smoothly after adalah.

Can we change the word order, for example by putting the disadvantage first?

Yes, Indonesian word order is fairly flexible for clauses like this. For example:

Menurut saya, kekurangannya adalah jam buka yang terbatas, sementara kelebihannya adalah sedikit gangguan.

This is still correct; it just changes what you mention first.
You should, however, keep each internal structure intact:

[kelebihan belajar di perpustakaan] adalah [sedikit gangguan]
sementara [kekurangannya] adalah [jam buka yang terbatas]

So you can reorder whole chunks for emphasis, but avoid breaking up the key pairs (subject – adalah – complement) or moving sementara away from the contrast it introduces.

Is this sentence formal, neutral, or informal Indonesian?

It is neutral to slightly formal:

menurut saya – polite, suitable for both speech and writing.
adalah – leans a bit toward written or careful speech.
Vocabulary like kelebihan, kekurangan, sementara is standard, not slang.

You could say it naturally in a presentation, a school essay, or a thoughtful conversation. For very casual chat, someone might shorten it to something like:

Kalau di perpustakaan, kelebihannya itu gangguannya sedikit, tapi kekurangannya jam bukanya terbatas.