Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Setelah kunjungan pertama ini, saya merasa lebih tenang dan berjanji akan menjaga kesehatan dengan lebih serius. - After this first visit, I feel calmer and promise to take care of my health more seriously.

Indonesian does not have verb tenses like English. The sentence refers to the past only because of the context (kunjungan pertama ini has already happened), not because of any tense marking. Setelah just shows the sequence in time, not grammatical tense.

Why is it kunjungan pertama ini and not kunjungan ini pertama?

In Indonesian, the normal order is:

noun + ordinal number + ini/itu

So:

kunjungan pertama ini = this first visit
kunjungan kedua itu = that second visit

Putting ini in the middle (kunjungan ini pertama) is ungrammatical. Ini comes at the end of the noun phrase, after pertama.

What exactly does kunjungan pertama ini imply? Is it “my first visit” or just “the first visit”?

Literally, kunjungan pertama ini means this first visit.

It does not explicitly say whose first visit it is, but in context it is almost always understood as my first visit (since saya is the speaker).

If you want to be explicit, you can say:

kunjungan pertama saya ini = this first visit of mine
kunjungan saya yang pertama ini = this visit of mine, the first one

The original sentence is natural and does not sound incomplete without saya there.

Why is there a comma after Setelah kunjungan pertama ini? Is it required?

The comma separates the time clause from the main clause, like in English:

Setelah kunjungan pertama ini, saya merasa…
After this first visit, I feel…

In writing, this comma is standard and recommended, but in informal writing you may sometimes see it dropped. The sentence remains grammatical without it, but the comma improves clarity.

What is the role of merasa in saya merasa lebih tenang? Could we just say saya lebih tenang?

Merasa means to feel:

saya merasa lebih tenang = I feel calmer
saya lebih tenang = I am calmer

Both are grammatical. The nuance:

saya merasa lebih tenang emphasizes your subjective feeling.
saya lebih tenang sounds a bit more like a stated fact about your current state.

In many contexts you can omit merasa and the meaning will still be clear. The version with merasa is slightly more explicit and natural here.

What does lebih in lebih tenang mean, and more than what?

Lebih means more or -er (comparative).

tenang = calm
lebih tenang = calmer / more calm

The comparison target is implicit. It usually means:

calmer than before the visit, or
calmer than I was previously in this situation

Indonesian often leaves this comparison unstated when it’s obvious from context.

How does berjanji work grammatically? Is it like “promise someone” or “promise to do something”?

Berjanji means to promise. It can be used in several patterns:

berjanji (saja)
- Dia berjanji. = He/She made a promise.
berjanji akan + verb / clause
- Saya berjanji akan menjaga kesehatan.
  = I promise (that I will) take care of my health.
berjanji untuk + verb
- Saya berjanji untuk menjaga kesehatan.
  = I promise to take care of my health.
berjanji kepada + person
- Saya berjanji kepada dokter… = I promise (to) the doctor…

In the given sentence, berjanji akan menjaga… is very natural and common.

Is akan necessary in berjanji akan menjaga kesehatan, or could we just say berjanji menjaga kesehatan?

Akan is a future/intention marker, similar to will.

berjanji akan menjaga kesehatan
berjanji untuk menjaga kesehatan

Both are natural. You can say:

saya berjanji menjaga kesehatan

and people will understand it, but in careful or formal Indonesian, it is more common to include akan or untuk after berjanji. They make the structure clearer and sound more natural.

Why is it menjaga kesehatan and not menjaga kesehatan saya?

In Indonesian, possessives are often omitted when obvious from context.

menjaga kesehatan literally = take care of (the) health
But in this context, it clearly means my health.

Adding saya is also correct:

menjaga kesehatan saya = take care of my health

However, the shorter menjaga kesehatan sounds more natural and less heavy, especially in general statements like this.

What is the nuance of menjaga in menjaga kesehatan compared to verbs like merawat or memelihara?

All can be related to “taking care,” but their usage differs:

menjaga kesehatan
- most common phrase for maintaining your health, preventing illness, living healthily.
merawat
- more like to treat / nurse / care for something or someone already in a bad condition.
- merawat pasien = treat/nurse a patient
- merawat luka = treat a wound
memelihara
- often used for taking care of animals/objects:
- memelihara kucing = keep/take care of a cat

So menjaga kesehatan is the natural collocation for “take care of (one’s) health”.

Why is it dengan lebih serius? Could we just say lebih serius?

Dengan often turns an adjective or noun into an adverbial phrase (showing manner):

serius = serious
secara serius / dengan serius = seriously
dengan lebih serius = in a more serious way / more seriously

In this sentence:

menjaga kesehatan dengan lebih serius
= take care of (my) health more seriously

You can say simply lebih serius menjaga kesehatan, but dengan lebih serius is a very natural and clear way to express “in a more serious way.”

Could we change the word order to Saya merasa lebih tenang dan berjanji akan lebih serius menjaga kesehatan?

Yes, that sentence is grammatical and natural:

…berjanji akan lebih serius menjaga kesehatan.

Both versions are fine:

berjanji akan menjaga kesehatan dengan lebih serius
berjanji akan lebih serius menjaga kesehatan

The meaning is essentially the same. The original just keeps the phrase menjaga kesehatan together, then modifies it with dengan lebih serius, which is slightly more “textbook-style,” but both are widely used.

Why isn’t saya repeated before berjanji? Shouldn’t it be saya merasa… dan saya berjanji…?

Indonesian often omits repeated subjects when it’s clear who the subject is.

saya merasa lebih tenang dan (saya) berjanji…

Repeating saya is not wrong, but it sounds heavier and more formal. Leaving it out here is very natural and smooth, just like in English:

“I feel calmer and (I) promise to…”
(We also normally omit the second “I” in English speech.)