Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya lebih suka serial misteri daripada drama romansa yang terlalu panjang. - I prefer mystery series to romance dramas that are too long.

Saya suka serial misteri. = I like mystery series.
Saya lebih suka serial misteri daripada drama romansa. = I like mystery series more than romance dramas → I prefer mystery series to romance dramas.

So when you are comparing two things (often with daripada), lebih suka is the natural choice.

How does daripada work in this sentence? Is it like than in English?

Yes. Daripada is the standard word used in comparisons and preferences, roughly equivalent to than.

Structure here:

Saya lebih suka A daripada B.
= I like A more than B / I prefer A to B.

In your sentence:

A = serial misteri
B = drama romansa yang terlalu panjang

You can also sometimes hear:

ketimbang (colloquial, informal)
dibandingkan dengan (more formal, often in writing)

But with lebih suka, daripada is the most natural choice.

In serial misteri and drama romansa, why do the descriptive words come after the noun, not before like in English?

In Indonesian, the typical order is:

Main noun + modifier

So:

serial misteri
- serial = series
- misteri = mystery
  → literally: series [of] mystery → mystery series
drama romansa
- drama = drama
- romansa = romance
  → literally: drama [of] romance → romance drama

This pattern is very common:

buku sejarah = history book
film aksi = action film
cerita horor = horror story

So the word that names the main thing usually comes first; the type or description follows it.

What exactly does yang do in drama romansa yang terlalu panjang?

Yang here introduces a relative clause or descriptive phrase, similar to that/which in English.

drama romansa = romance dramas
yang terlalu panjang = that are too long

Combine them:

drama romansa yang terlalu panjang
≈ romance dramas that are too long

So yang links the noun (drama romansa) to extra information about that noun (terlalu panjang).

Without yang, drama romansa terlalu panjang sounds more like a complete sentence:
“Romance dramas are too long.”
With yang, it clearly becomes a description attached to drama romansa inside the larger sentence.

Could we remove yang and just say drama romansa terlalu panjang in this sentence?

Grammatically, you can hear sentences like that in casual speech, but:

drama romansa yang terlalu panjang → clearly a noun phrase: romance dramas that are too long
drama romansa terlalu panjang → more likely read as a full clause: Romance dramas are too long.

In your sentence, you want drama romansa yang terlalu panjang to behave as one thing you’re comparing, not a whole new statement. Yang helps keep it as a single noun phrase, so the original is clearer and more natural.

What is the nuance of terlalu panjang here? Is it the same as very long?

No. Terlalu means too / excessively, not just very.

panjang = long
terlalu panjang = too long, longer than desirable

Compare:

sangat panjang = very long (but not necessarily a problem)
agak panjang = rather / somewhat long
terlalu panjang = too long (negative judgment)

So drama romansa yang terlalu panjang implies that the romance dramas are unreasonably long, and that’s why the speaker doesn’t like them as much.

You could also hear terlalu lama (too long in duration/time), but terlalu panjang is fine and natural, especially if you’re thinking about length of episodes or number of episodes.

Why is romansa used instead of romantis? What’s the difference?

romansa = romance (a noun, the genre or type of story)
romantis = romantic (an adjective)

So:

drama romansa = romance drama (a drama whose genre is romance)
drama romantis = romantic drama (a drama that is romantic in tone/feeling)

In practice, both drama romansa and drama romantis are used, and most people will understand them the same way. Drama romantis may sound a bit more common in everyday speech; drama romansa sounds a bit more like “a drama in the romance genre.”

Is serial singular or plural? How do I say mystery series (more than one) in Indonesian?

Indonesian nouns generally do not change form for plural, and there is no -s ending like in English.

So serial misteri can mean:

a mystery series
(some) mystery series
mystery series in general

Context usually makes it clear.

If you really want to emphasize plurality, you can:

repeat the noun: serial-serial misteri (sounds a bit formal or emphatic)
add a number or word like banyak (many): banyak serial misteri (many mystery series)

In your sentence, serial misteri naturally reads as “mystery series (in general)” without needing any plural marking.

How formal is saya here? Could I use aku instead?

saya is the neutral / polite form of I. Safe in most situations: talking to strangers, writing, workplace, etc.
aku is more informal/intimate, used with friends, family, or peers, depending on region.

So you could say:

Saya lebih suka serial misteri... (neutral, polite)
Aku lebih suka serial misteri... (casual, friendly)

The grammar doesn’t change; only the level of formality and relationship with the listener does.

Can I drop the descriptive part and just say Saya lebih suka serial misteri daripada drama romansa?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and natural.

Saya lebih suka serial misteri daripada drama romansa.
= I prefer mystery series to romance dramas (in general).

By adding yang terlalu panjang, you specify what kind of romance dramas you don’t like:

drama romansa yang terlalu panjang
= romance dramas that are too long

So:

With yang terlalu panjang → you’re complaining about overly long romance dramas specifically.
Without it → you’re just saying you generally prefer mystery series to romance dramas, without mentioning length.

Is the preference direction clear from this structure? How do I know which one is preferred?

Yes, the structure makes it clear:

Saya lebih suka A daripada B.

This always means:

The speaker prefers A, and
does not prefer B as much.

In your sentence:

A = serial misteri (preferred)
B = drama romansa yang terlalu panjang (less preferred)

If you reversed the nouns:

Saya lebih suka drama romansa yang terlalu panjang daripada serial misteri.
→ Now you prefer the (too) long romance dramas more than the mystery series.

So whatever comes right after “lebih suka” is the thing you like more.