Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Nilai saya di rapor ini cukup baik. - My grades on this report card are quite good.

nilai saya = my grades / my score
- This is the normal, natural way to say my [something] in Indonesian.
- It’s a noun (nilai) followed by a possessive pronoun (saya).
saya punya nilai yang cukup baik di rapor ini
- Literally: I have grades that are quite good on this report card.
- Grammatically fine, but longer and a bit more roundabout.
- Focus is more on I have something, not directly on the grades themselves.

In the original sentence, we’re talking about the grades as the topic, so nilai saya is the most natural choice.

Why is there no word for am / is / are in this sentence?

Indonesian usually does not use a linking verb like to be when connecting a subject to an adjective:

Nilai saya … cukup baik.
Literally: My grades … quite good. (no are)

This is standard. You only add something like adalah in certain more formal contexts, especially when linking to a noun phrase:

Dia adalah dokter. = He/She is a doctor.
But: Dia cantik. = She is beautiful. (no adalah)

So the sentence is complete and natural without any equivalent of are.

What exactly does cukup baik mean? Is it quite good or good enough?

cukup is a flexible word meaning enough / sufficiently / quite / rather, and the nuance depends on tone and context.

In cukup baik:

Neutral or positive reading: quite good / fairly good
- Suggests the grades are clearly good, not just barely passable.
Slightly “meh” reading: good enough
- Could imply they’re acceptable but not outstanding.

Without extra context, cukup baik here is usually understood as pretty good / quite good, a mildly positive evaluation, not strong praise.

What’s the difference between baik and cukup baik?

baik = good
- Simple, positive, but can be neutral in strength.
- Nilai saya di rapor ini baik. = My grades on this report card are good.
cukup baik = quite good / fairly good / good enough
- Adds the idea of enough / rather / fairly.
- Slightly tones down or qualifies baik.

So:

baik: good.
cukup baik: not bad at all, but also not “excellent”; reasonably good.

What does di mean in di rapor ini? Is it in, on, or at?

di is a general location preposition, and it can correspond to in / on / at in English, depending on the noun:

di rumah = at home
di sekolah = at school
di meja = on the table
di buku = in the book

For rapor (report card), English would normally say on this report card, but Indonesian still uses di:

di rapor ini = on this report card

So you don’t need to choose between on/in/at in Indonesian; di covers all of those here.

Could we say pada rapor ini instead of di rapor ini?

Yes, but there is a nuance:

di rapor ini
- Most common and natural in everyday speech and writing.
- Neutral, standard.
pada rapor ini
- More formal or written style.
- Often used in formal documents, academic writing, or very careful speech.

Meaning-wise, both are on this report card. In daily conversation about school grades, di rapor ini is more typical.

What exactly is rapor? Why not laporan?

rapor = report card / school report
- A specific term for the document showing students’ grades.
- Used in Indonesian schools.
laporan = report (general)
- Any kind of report: work report, police report, project report, etc.

So nilai saya di rapor ini specifically means my grades on this report card, not just “in this report” in general.

Why is it spelled rapor and not raport?

In standard Indonesian spelling, the word is rapor (without t).

Historically, it comes from Dutch rapport, but Indonesian has its own standardized spelling:

Correct: rapor
Incorrect in standard Indonesian: raport

You will see rapor in official documents, school usage, and dictionaries.

Can I change the word order to Di rapor ini, nilai saya cukup baik?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

Nilai saya di rapor ini cukup baik.
Di rapor ini, nilai saya cukup baik.

The second version:

Moves di rapor ini to the front for emphasis on the context (on this report card).
Is common in both speech and writing.

Meaning does not change significantly; it’s just a style and emphasis shift.

Is ini necessary? What changes if I say Nilai saya di rapor cukup baik?

dengan ini: di rapor ini = on this report card
- Refers to a specific report card, probably one both speakers can see or know about.
without ini: di rapor (without ini) is grammatical but feels incomplete or vague here, because:
- rapor is usually a specific document, so listeners expect ini (this) or itu (that/completed) to specify.
- Without a determiner, it can sound like you’re talking about “report cards in general,” though context might rescue it.

In natural speech for this meaning, you’d almost always say di rapor ini or di rapor saya (on my report card).

In English we say my grades (plural). Why is nilai not plural here? Is there a nilai-nilai form?

Indonesian usually does not mark plural unless it’s needed for clarity or emphasis.

nilai saya can mean:
- my grade (one grade), or
- my grades (all the grades), depending on context.

If you really want to stress plurality, you can say:

nilai-nilai saya = my grades (repeated noun)
semua nilai saya = all my grades

But in a sentence like Nilai saya di rapor ini cukup baik, context strongly suggests “my grades,” so a plural marker isn’t necessary.

Could I say nilaiku or nilai aku instead of nilai saya?

Yes, but be careful with register (formality):

nilai saya
- Neutral / polite / standard.
- Common in school, with teachers, in writing.
nilaiku
- Very informal / intimate.
- -ku is a clitic possessive meaning my, attached to the noun.
- nilaiku di rapor ini cukup baik sounds casual, like talking to close friends.
nilai aku
- Also casual, but slightly less natural than nilaiku in many contexts.
- Still understood and used informally.

With teachers or in anything even slightly formal, nilai saya is the safest and most appropriate choice.

What if I say Nilai saya di rapor ini sudah cukup baik? What does sudah add?

Adding sudah changes the nuance slightly:

Nilai saya di rapor ini cukup baik.
- My grades on this report card are quite good.
Nilai saya di rapor ini sudah cukup baik.
- Literally: My grades on this report card are already quite good.
- Implies:
  - There was some previous expectation or effort, and now the level has reached “quite good.”
  - A sense of progress or achievement: now they’re quite good (compared to before or to some target).

So sudah adds the idea of already / by now, often with an implied comparison to an earlier time or a previous goal.