Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Latihan logika ini membantu saya berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika. - This logic exercise helps me think faster in math class.

Here ini is a standalone subject (this), not a modifier of the noun.
In the original sentence, latihan logika ini is one noun phrase meaning this logic exercise, so ini correctly follows the noun phrase.

What exactly does latihan logika mean? Is it “logic exercise” or “logical thinking practice”?

Latihan = practice / exercise
logika = logic

Latihan logika can be translated a bit flexibly, depending on context:

logic exercise
logic practice
logical reasoning practice
logical thinking practice

In an everyday learning context (like school), “logic exercise” or “logic practice” is usually a natural translation. It suggests some kind of activity or drill that trains logical thinking.

What is the grammatical role of Latihan logika ini in the sentence?

Latihan logika ini is the subject of the sentence.

The overall structure is:

Latihan logika ini (subject)
membantu (verb: helps)
saya (object: me)
berpikir lebih cepat (complement: to think faster)
di kelas matematika (adverbial phrase: in math class)

So syntactically it's a straightforward S–V–O word order:
[Subject] Latihan logika ini – [Verb] membantu – [Object] saya – [Complement] berpikir lebih cepat – [Adverbial] di kelas matematika.

Why is it membantu saya berpikir and not membantu saya untuk berpikir?

Both forms are possible:

membantu saya berpikir
membantu saya untuk berpikir

In Indonesian, after membantu (to help), you can:

Put a person as object, followed directly by a verb:
- membantu saya berpikir = help me think
Add untuk before the verb:
- membantu saya untuk berpikir = help me to think

The version without untuk is very common, natural, and often a bit smoother.
Untuk adds a slight sense of purpose or formality, but there is no big change in meaning here.

What’s the difference between berpikir and pikir or memikirkan?

They come from the same root pikir (thought / think), but are used differently:

berpikir = to think (an intransitive verb: no direct object)
- Saya berpikir. = I am thinking.
- Saya berpikir lebih cepat. = I think faster.
pikir on its own is usually:
- a noun (thought), or
- used in certain fixed expressions (e.g. jalan pikiran = line of thought), or
- the root you see inside other verb forms.
memikirkan [something] = to think about / to consider [something] (transitive verb with an object)
- Saya memikirkan masalah ini. = I think about this problem / I’m considering this problem.

In membantu saya berpikir, you need berpikir because you are describing the activity of thinking in general, not “thinking about something specific” as a direct object.

Why is it lebih cepat for “faster”? How do comparatives work in Indonesian?

Indonesian uses lebih + adjective for comparatives:

lebih cepat = faster (more fast)
lebih pintar = smarter (more smart)
lebih besar = bigger (more big)

In the sentence:

berpikir lebih cepat = to think faster

If you want to say faster than X, you add daripada:

berpikir lebih cepat daripada sebelumnya
= think faster than before
berpikir lebih cepat daripada teman-teman saya
= think faster than my friends

Why is the preposition di used in di kelas matematika? Could I use pada instead?

di is the normal preposition for physical locations and many “in/at” situations:

di sekolah = at school
di rumah = at home
di kelas matematika = in math class

pada is more formal and is often used with:

abstract things: pada kesempatan ini (on this occasion)
people or pronouns: pada saya, pada mereka
certain fixed expressions and in formal writing

Saying pada kelas matematika would sound odd and unnatural in everyday language. Here di kelas matematika is the correct and natural choice.

Does kelas matematika mean “math class” or “math classroom”? Why no word for “lesson” or “subject”?

Kelas can mean:

The physical room: classroom
The session/time of teaching: class
The group of students: class/group

In di kelas matematika, it naturally means during math class (the teaching session), not really the physical room.

You could also say:

di pelajaran matematika = in math lesson (more about the lesson as content)
saat pelajaran matematika = during math lesson

But di kelas matematika is very common and idiomatic for “in math class.”

Why is there no word for “to” in “to think faster”? Why just berpikir lebih cepat?

Indonesian does not need a separate marker like English “to” before verbs in this structure.

In English:
helps me to think faster

In Indonesian:
membantu saya berpikir lebih cepat

The pattern is simply:
membantu [person] [verb phrase]

So you put berpikir lebih cepat directly after saya, without an extra word. The idea of “to” is already implied in the structure.

Why is the pronoun saya used here instead of aku? Would aku also be correct?

Both are grammatically correct, but they differ in formality:

saya – neutral / polite / standard; used in most formal and semi-formal contexts.
aku – informal / intimate; used with friends, family, or in casual speech.

So:

Latihan logika ini membantu saya berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika.
= neutral / polite
Latihan logika ini membantu aku berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika.
= more casual, but still correct.

Choice depends on who you’re talking to and the tone you want.

Can I omit saya and just say Latihan logika ini membantu berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika?

You can omit saya, and the sentence is still grammatical, but the nuance changes:

Latihan logika ini membantu saya berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika.
= This logic exercise helps me think faster in math class.
Latihan logika ini membantu berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika.
= This logic exercise helps (people) think faster in math class.
(More general, not tied to “me.”)

Without saya, it sounds more like a general statement about the effect of the exercise on anyone.

Is this sentence in the present tense? How do we know, since there’s no tense marking?

Indonesian verbs do not change form for tense (present/past/future).
Membantu by itself can mean:

helps
helped
is helping
will help

The tense is determined by context or by adding time words:

sekarang (now)
tadi (earlier)
kemarin (yesterday)
besok (tomorrow)
sudah (already), sedang (in the middle of), akan (will), etc.

So the sentence by itself can be understood as generally true (like present simple). If you want to make it clearly past:

Latihan logika ini sudah membantu saya berpikir lebih cepat di kelas matematika.
= This logic exercise has already helped me think faster in math class.

Could Latihan logika ini mean “these logic exercises” instead of “this logic exercise”?

Yes, it could, depending on context. Indonesian often does not mark singular vs plural explicitly.

latihan logika ini can be:
- this logic exercise (singular), or
- these logic exercises (plural)

If you want to make it clearly plural, you can add a plural marker:

latihan-latihan logika ini = these logic exercises
berbagai latihan logika ini = these various logic exercises (depending on context)

But in normal speech, plural is usually understood from context alone.