Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Parfum yang terlalu kuat bisa mengganggu orang lain, jadi cukup pakai sedikit saja. - Perfume that is too strong can bother other people, so just use a little.

You cannot drop yang here.
Parfum terlalu kuat would instead mean “The perfume is too strong” (a full sentence), not “perfume that is too strong” (a noun phrase).

Literal meaning of terlalu kuat? Why “strong” for perfume?

Literally:

terlalu = too / excessively
kuat = strong

So terlalu kuat = too strong.

With smells, kuat is commonly used to describe intensity:

bau kuat = a strong smell
parfum yang terlalu kuat = perfume with a smell that is too intense

You could also say:

terlalu menyengat = too sharp/overpowering (for smells)
terlalu wangi is possible, but often suggests “too fragrant” in a more positive/flowery sense, while terlalu kuat feels more neutral/negative.

What does bisa mean here, and could I use dapat instead?

Bisa means “can / is able to / is capable of”.

In this sentence:

bisa mengganggu = can disturb / can bother

You can usually replace bisa with dapat without changing the basic meaning:

…bisa mengganggu orang lain…
…dapat mengganggu orang lain…

Differences:

bisa = more common in everyday speech, neutral and informal.
dapat = a bit more formal or written style.

For a spoken, casual–neutral sentence like this, bisa is very natural.

What does mengganggu mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Mengganggu means “to disturb / to bother / to annoy / to interfere with”.

Formation:

Base word: ganggu (verb root: disturb / bother)
Prefix meng-
- ganggu → mengganggu

This is a common verb pattern:

meng-
- verb/noun root = active transitive verb

Examples:

Suara bising itu mengganggu saya.
That loud noise disturbs/bothers me.
Pesanmu tidak mengganggu kok.
Your message isn’t bothering me (don’t worry).

In your sentence:

mengganggu orang lain = disturb/bother other people
(orang lain is the object of mengganggu.)

Who is the subject of the sentence? There’s no I/you/they written.

Indonesian often drops the subject when it’s clear from context or when giving general advice.

The full idea is something like:

(Kalau kamu memakai) parfum yang terlalu kuat, (itu) bisa mengganggu orang lain…
(If you wear) perfume that is too strong, (it) can bother other people…

So:

The implied subject of pakai is you (kamu / Anda).
The implied subject of bisa mengganggu is parfum yang terlalu kuat (the strong perfume).

It’s very natural in Indonesian to omit kamu / Anda in this kind of general statement or advice.

What does orang lain mean, and why not orang yang lain?

orang = person / people
lain = other / different

So:

orang lain = other people / someone else / others

Orang yang lain is grammatically possible but sounds more like:

the other person/people (specific ones we’ve mentioned or identified)

In this sentence, we mean people in general around you, not a specific group already known in the context. That’s why orang lain (general “other people”) is used.

How is jadi used here? Does it always mean “so”?

In this sentence, jadi means “so / therefore” and introduces a result or conclusion:

…bisa mengganggu orang lain, jadi cukup pakai sedikit saja.
= …can bother other people, so just use a little.

Common uses of jadi:

As a conjunction (like here):
- Hujan deras, jadi kita tidak jadi pergi.
  It’s raining hard, so we’re not going after all.
As a verb meaning “to become” or “to turn out (to be)” in other contexts:
- Dia jadi dokter. = He/She became a doctor.
- Jadi berapa harganya? = So, how much is it (in the end)?

In your sentence, it’s clearly the conjunction “so / therefore”.

What does cukup mean in jadi cukup pakai sedikit saja?

Here cukup means “just / it’s enough to / all you need to do is”, not “enough” in the sense of quantity by itself.

cukup pakai sedikit saja
= just use a little bit
(literally: it’s enough if (you) use only a little)

Other similar uses:

Cukup lihat saja. = Just watch / Just look.
Cukup bilang ya atau tidak. = Just say yes or no.

So it’s giving a mild, polite instruction: “Just (do X), that’s enough.”

Why is it pakai, not memakai?

Both are related:

memakai = to wear / to use (more complete/standard form)
pakai = a more colloquial, shorter form used very often in speech

In many spoken and informal–neutral contexts, pakai is preferred:

Saya pakai parfum setiap hari.
Pakai jaket, di luar dingin.

You can say:

…jadi cukup memakai sedikit saja.

But that feels a bit more formal or bookish in this kind of advice sentence.
cukup pakai sedikit saja is very natural everyday Indonesian.

What does sedikit saja mean, and why use saja if we already have sedikit?

sedikit = a little / a small amount
saja = just / only

So:

sedikit saja = just a little / only a little

Saja doesn’t change the basic meaning of amount; it softens the tone and emphasizes “only”:

pakai sedikit = use a little
pakai sedikit saja = just use a little (and no more than that)

It sounds more gentle and natural when giving advice:

Bawa uang sedikit saja. = Just bring a little money.
Taruh garam sedikit saja. = Just put in a little salt.

Is pakai here an imperative (a command)? How polite is it?

Yes, pakai here functions as an imperative:

cukup pakai sedikit saja = just use a little (of it)

Indonesian imperatives often omit the subject:

Makan dulu. = (You) eat first.
Duduk di sini. = (You) sit here.

Level of politeness:

With cukup and saja, it sounds like soft advice, not a harsh order.
It’s appropriate for:
- giving general advice (like in a book, article, or poster)
- talking to friends or people of equal status

To be more explicitly polite/formal, you could say:

Sebaiknya Anda memakai sedikit saja.
You should just use a little.

Is the word order fixed? Could I move terlalu kuat or yang around?

The basic patterns here are fixed:

Noun + yang + descriptor:
- parfum yang terlalu kuat
  = perfume that is too strong
  You cannot say yang parfum terlalu kuat or parfum terlalu kuat yang.
Adverb + adjective:
- terlalu kuat = too strong
  You could replace terlalu kuat with something else, like kuat sekali (very strong), but the order terlalu + adjective stays together.
Verb phrase:
- cukup pakai sedikit saja
  You could slightly reorder for emphasis, but it starts to sound unnatural:
- Pakai sedikit saja, cukup. (possible, but different rhythm/emphasis) The given order is the most natural for giving a smooth piece of advice.