Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Saya belum yakin apa yang ingin saya sampaikan sebagai pesan moral dalam cerpen itu. - I am not yet sure what I want to convey as the moral message in that short story.

Saya belum yakin = I am not yet sure (I expect or hope that later I will be sure).
Saya tidak yakin = I am not sure (no particular idea about whether that might change).

So belum adds the nuance that your uncertainty is temporary or you’re still in the process of deciding the moral message of the short story.

What is the function of apa yang in apa yang ingin saya sampaikan? Why not just say apa ingin saya sampaikan?

In Indonesian, when apa (what) is followed by a clause that describes it, you typically use the structure:

apa yang + clause

Here:

apa = what
yang = linker that turns the following part into a description of apa
ingin saya sampaikan = what I want to convey

So apa yang ingin saya sampaikan means what I want to convey.

Saying apa ingin saya sampaikan (without yang) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian. Yang is needed to link apa with the clause ingin saya sampaikan.

Can I say apa yang saya ingin sampaikan instead of apa yang ingin saya sampaikan? Is there any difference?

Both are grammatically possible, but there is a preference:

apa yang ingin saya sampaikan
apa yang saya ingin sampaikan

In everyday Indonesian, apa yang ingin saya sampaikan is more natural and more common.

Indonesian often prefers the pattern:

modal/auxiliary (like ingin, bisa, harus) + subject + main verb

So:

ingin saya sampaikan sounds smoother than saya ingin sampaikan in this particular structure after apa yang.

Apa yang saya ingin sampaikan doesn’t sound wrong, but it’s less idiomatic and can feel a bit stiff or awkward to many speakers.

What does ingin express here, and how is it different from mau or hendak?

In this sentence:

ingin = to want / to wish to

Differences in nuance:

ingin: neutral, slightly formal or careful; good in writing or polite speech.
- apa yang ingin saya sampaikan = what I want to convey.
mau: more casual, very common in everyday spoken Indonesian.
- apa yang mau saya sampaikan – perfectly normal in speech.
hendak: quite formal or old-fashioned; used in formal writing, older literature, or very polite announcements.

So ingin fits well with a neutral–formal tone, which matches talking about a cerpen (short story), maybe in an academic or reflective context.

What is the difference between menyampaikan/sampaikan and verbs like mengatakan or bilang?

The base verb is menyampaikan (to convey/deliver). In the phrase ingin saya sampaikan, the meN- prefix is dropped because of the word order, but the meaning is the same.

menyampaikan / sampaikan:
- to convey, to deliver, to express (an idea, message, information)
- often a bit more formal or neutral
mengatakan:
- to say, to state, to tell (more about wording/statement)
bilang:
- to say, to tell, but casual/colloquial

In this context, pesan moral (moral message) is something you convey through a story, so menyampaikan is a natural choice:

pesan moral yang ingin saya sampaikan = the moral message I want to convey.

If you said mengatakan or bilang, it would sound more like literally saying words, not expressing a theme or message through a story.

Why do we use sebagai in sebagai pesan moral, and what exactly does it mean here?

Sebagai means as (in the role of / functioning as).

sebagai pesan moral = as the moral message

So the idea is:

what I want to convey as the moral message (of the short story)

You’re not just conveying any random idea; you’re conveying an idea in the role of a moral message. That nuance is why sebagai fits better than, say, tentang (about) here.

Compare:

sebagai pesan moral = as the moral message
tentang pesan moral = about the moral message (different meaning)

Why is there no classifier like sebuah before pesan moral? Could I say sebuah pesan moral?

You can say sebuah pesan moral, but it’s not necessary.

pesan moral = a moral message / the moral message (Indonesian often omits articles)
sebuah pesan moral = a (single) moral message (slightly emphasizing it as one specific message)

In this sentence, pesan moral without sebuah sounds natural and is very common. Adding sebuah is possible if you want to stress that you’re thinking of one specific moral message, but it’s not required.

Why do we say dalam cerpen itu and not di cerpen itu or pada cerpen itu?

All three prepositions (dalam, di, pada) can connect things in different ways, but they have different typical uses:

dalam = in / within (often conceptual, not just physical space)
- dalam cerpen itu = in that short story (within the content of the story)
di = at / in (physical or concrete location)
- di rumah, di sekolah, di Jakarta
pada = at / on / in (more formal, often for abstract locations/times or with certain nouns)
- pada hari Senin, pada kesempatan ini

Talking about something within the content of a story, dalam cerpen itu is the most natural and common choice:

the moral message in that short story (inside its narrative)

What exactly does cerpen mean? Is it formal or informal?

Cerpen is a common abbreviation of cerita pendek, literally short story.

cerita = story
pendek = short
cerpen = short story (as a literary form)

Usage:

Very common in both spoken and written Indonesian.
Neutral in register; can be used in casual conversation and in formal contexts (like school, university, literary discussions).

So cerpen itu simply means that short story.

Why is saya repeated in apa yang ingin saya sampaikan, when the sentence already starts with Saya belum yakin? Could we omit the second saya?

The sentence has two levels:

Main clause:
- Saya belum yakin = I am not yet sure
Embedded clause (object of yakin):
- apa yang ingin saya sampaikan sebagai pesan moral dalam cerpen itu
  = what I want to convey as the moral message in that short story

Each clause needs its own subject:

Main clause subject: saya
Embedded clause subject: saya (again)

You could omit the second saya in informal speech:

apa yang ingin sampaikan

but this is much more common when the subject is very clear from context and the verb form allows it. In careful or standard Indonesian, it’s better to repeat saya to make the structure clear and avoid ambiguity. The original sentence is fully natural and correct.

How formal is this sentence, and could I replace saya with aku?

The original sentence is neutral to slightly formal:

saya – polite/neutral first person pronoun, safe in most situations.
The vocabulary (pesan moral, cerpen, menyampaikan) also leans toward a neutral/academic tone.

If you are speaking casually with friends, you could say:

Aku belum yakin apa yang mau aku sampaikan sebagai pesan moral dalam cerpen itu.

Changes:

saya → aku (more intimate/casual)
ingin → mau (more conversational)

So yes, you can replace saya with aku in informal contexts, as long as it matches how you and your listener normally talk.

Can you break down the overall structure of the sentence so I can see how the parts fit together?

Sure. The sentence:

Saya belum yakin apa yang ingin saya sampaikan sebagai pesan moral dalam cerpen itu.

Breakdown:

Saya – I
belum yakin – am not yet sure
- belum = not yet
- yakin = sure/certain
→ Saya belum yakin = I am not yet sure
apa yang ingin saya sampaikan – what I want to convey
- apa = what
- yang = linker to the clause
- ingin = want to
- saya = I
- sampaikan (menyampaikan) = to convey/deliver
sebagai pesan moral – as the moral message
- sebagai = as (in the role of)
- pesan moral = moral message
dalam cerpen itu – in that short story
- dalam = in/within
- cerpen = short story
- itu = that

Logical structure:

Main clause: Saya belum yakin
Object of yakin (what you’re unsure about):
- apa yang ingin saya sampaikan sebagai pesan moral dalam cerpen itu
  = what I want to convey as the moral message in that short story.