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Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.

Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.
I not only study in the library, but also in the garden.

Breakdown of Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.

saya
I
di
in
belajar
to study
taman
the garden
perpustakaan
the library
tidak hanya ... tetapi juga
not only ... but also
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Questions & Answers about Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.

What does the structure tidak hanya … tetapi juga … mean and how does it work?

The pattern tidak hanya … tetapi juga … means “not only … but also …”.

  • tidak hanya = not only
  • tetapi juga = but also

So in Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan
    → I not only study at the library
  • tetapi juga di taman
    → but also in the park

This is a very common set phrase, and you can use it with verbs, adjectives, or even whole phrases:

  • Dia tidak hanya pintar, tetapi juga rajin.
    He is not only smart, but also diligent.
Can I use bukan hanya instead of tidak hanya here? What is the difference between tidak and bukan?

In general:

  • tidak negates verbs and adjectives
  • bukan negates nouns, pronouns, and sometimes entire ideas/clauses

In your sentence, the focus is on the verb phrase belajar di perpustakaan, so tidak hanya is the “textbook-correct” choice:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman. ✅

However, Indonesian speakers do sometimes say:

  • Saya bukan hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman. ✅ (also acceptable)

Using bukan hanya can sound a little more like you’re negating the whole idea “only at the library” rather than purely negating the verb phrase, but in everyday speech the difference is small, and both are widely understood.

For a learner, it’s safest to stick with:

  • tidak hanya
    • verb/adjective
  • bukan hanya
    • noun/pronoun

Example:

  • Dia bukan hanya guru, tetapi juga penulis.
    He is not only a teacher, but also a writer.
    (Here you are talking about nouns, so bukan fits better.)
Can I change the word order to Saya belajar tidak hanya di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman?

Yes, that is also correct:

  • Saya belajar tidak hanya di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.

Both versions are grammatical:

  1. Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.
    → Emphasis more on the action belajar (I don’t only study there…)

  2. Saya belajar tidak hanya di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.
    → Emphasis more on the place(s) (I study not only at the library…)

The difference is subtle. Both would normally be understood the same way: you study in more than one place.

What exactly does belajar mean? Is it “to study” or “to learn”? How is it used?

Belajar covers both English ideas “to study” and “to learn”, depending on context.

Typical uses:

  • Saya belajar di perpustakaan.
    I study at the library. / I am studying at the library.

  • Saya belajar bahasa Indonesia.
    I study Indonesian. / I am learning Indonesian.

You can use it:

  1. Without an object (just the activity):

    • Dia sedang belajar.
      He/She is studying.

  2. With an object (what you study/learn):

    • Mereka belajar matematika.
      They study math.

Compare with:

  • mengajar = to teach
    • Dia mengajar matematika.
      He/She teaches math.

So, belajar = the student’s action; mengajar = the teacher’s action.

What does di mean here? Is it “in” or “at”? How do I know which English preposition to use?

Di is a location preposition and usually corresponds to “in”, “at”, or sometimes “on”, depending on context. Indonesian uses di much more broadly than English uses “in/at/on”.

In your sentence:

  • di perpustakaan
    → “at the library” or “in the library” (both are acceptable translations)

  • di taman
    → “in the park” or “at the park” (again, both work)

English chooses between “in” vs “at” based on style and nuance, but Indonesian just uses di. As a learner, you can safely think:

  • di + place → at/in that place
Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before perpustakaan and taman?

Indonesian generally does not use articles like “a/an/the”.

So:

  • perpustakaan can mean a library or the library
  • taman can mean a park or the park

The context tells you which is more natural in English. In this sentence, native speakers of English would usually translate:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.
    → I study not only at the library, but also in the park.

But you could also say “at a library / in a park” in some contexts. Indonesian does not need to mark that difference.

Do I have to repeat di before taman, or could I say …di perpustakaan, tetapi juga taman?

You should repeat di here:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman. ✅

If you drop di in front of taman:

  • …tetapi juga taman ❌ (sounds incomplete/incorrect)

In Indonesian, when you list locations with di, you normally either:

  1. Repeat di:

    • Saya belajar di perpustakaan dan di taman.

  2. Or put di once before a combined phrase:

    • Saya belajar di perpustakaan dan taman itu.
      (here “perpustakaan dan taman itu” functions as one combined location phrase)

In your original pattern (tidak hanya … tetapi juga …), repeating di is natural and standard.

What is the difference between tetapi and tapi? Can I use tapi here?

Both tetapi and tapi mean “but”.

  • tetapi
    → more formal or neutral (good for writing, speeches, careful speech)

  • tapi
    → more casual/colloquial (very common in everyday conversation)

You can say:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tapi juga di taman. ✅ (sounds casual)

The meaning is the same. In textbooks and formal writing, you’ll usually see tetapi; in daily speech, people often say tapi.

Is the comma before tetapi necessary?

In many Indonesian writing styles, using a comma before tetapi is recommended when it joins two clauses, similar to English “but”.

So:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman. ✅

In informal writing (texts, chats), you might see it with or without the comma, but in standard written Indonesian, keeping the comma is a good habit—especially when the second part is a clear contrast.

Could I omit Saya and just say Tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman?

In spoken Indonesian, people might sometimes drop the subject if it’s very clear from context, but in this exact form:

  • Tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman.

it sounds like a fragment or like something is missing. It’s more natural to keep Saya:

  • Saya tidak hanya belajar di perpustakaan, tetapi juga di taman. ✅

You can safely assume that full sentences with a subject pronoun (like Saya) are normal and natural in Indonesian. Don’t drop it unless you are very sure the context allows it and you’re comfortable with more colloquial styles.

What is the difference between taman and kebun? Both sometimes get translated as “garden” or “yard”.

Roughly:

  • taman = park or formal/ornamental garden

    • taman kota → city park
    • taman bermain → playground
    • taman rumah → front/back yard with flowers, arranged nicely

  • kebun = garden for growing plants/crops/fruit, often more practical

    • kebun sayur → vegetable garden
    • kebun teh → tea plantation
    • kebun durian → durian orchard

So in your sentence:

  • di taman → in the park (or possibly in the garden/yard, depending on context)

If you said di kebun, listeners would imagine more of a cultivated plant area, not a public park.