Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Bagi saya, perjalanan ini bukan hanya liburan, melainkan latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan. - For me, this trip was not just a vacation, but a mental exercise that was tense and fun.

bagi saya
- Sounds a bit more formal or neutral.
- Often used in writing, speeches, or polite conversation.
- Emphasizes “for me personally, in my case.”
menurut saya
- Literally “according to me.”
- Very common for stating opinions or judgments.
- Closer to “in my opinion, I think that…”, often followed by a statement or evaluation.
buat saya
- More casual/colloquial; very common in everyday speech.
- Literally “for me (personally).”

In this sentence, bagi saya fits well because the speaker is framing how they personally view the trip in a somewhat reflective, neutral tone. You could also say:

Menurut saya, perjalanan ini… → more like “In my opinion, this trip…”
Buat saya, perjalanan ini… → more casual, spoken.

All three would be understood and acceptable; it’s mostly about tone and style.

Why is bukan used instead of tidak in bukan hanya liburan?

Indonesian has two main negators:

bukan – used to negate nouns and noun phrases, and also for correction/contrast.
tidak – used to negate verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

In bukan hanya liburan, the word being negated is liburan, which is a noun (“holiday, vacation”). So bukan is correct.

You would say:

Ini bukan liburan. → “This is not a vacation.” (noun)
Ini tidak menarik. → “This is not interesting.” (adjective)

Because the pattern here is actually a contrast (not only X, but Y), bukan is especially natural, since bukan is often used in contrasts and corrections:

Bukan hanya liburan, melainkan latihan mental…
“Not only a vacation, but (rather) a mental training…”

How does the pattern bukan hanya …, melainkan … work? Is it like “not only … but also …”?

Yes, it’s very similar to English “not only … but (also/rather) …”.

The pattern is:

bukan hanya X, melainkan Y
→ “not only X, but rather Y”

In this sentence:

bukan hanya liburan → not just a vacation
melainkan latihan mental… → but (rather) a mental training…

You can also see other common variants:

tidak hanya X, tetapi juga Y
bukan hanya X, tetapi juga Y

For example:

Perjalanan ini tidak hanya melelahkan, tetapi juga menyenangkan.
“This trip is not only tiring, but also fun.”

Here, melainkan emphasizes a contrast/substitution (“it’s not merely X; more importantly/actually it’s Y”), while tetapi juga leans more toward simple addition (“X and also Y”). The difference is subtle, though, and in many contexts they overlap.

What exactly is the difference between perjalanan and liburan here?

They refer to different ideas:

perjalanan
- From jalan (“road / to walk”).
- Means “trip, journey, travel” – the act of going from one place to another.
- Neutral: can be for work, study, tourism, etc.
liburan
- From libur (“holiday, off work/school”).
- Means “holiday, vacation” – a time off for rest or fun.
- Focus is on time off / leisure, not just moving from place to place.

So the sentence contrasts:

perjalanan ini → this journey/trip
bukan hanya liburan → is not just a vacation
melainkan latihan mental… → but a mental training…

The idea: “As for me, this trip is not only a holiday (time off), but a mental exercise.”

Why is it perjalanan ini, not ini perjalanan? What’s the difference?

Indonesian usually puts demonstratives (ini, itu) after the noun:

perjalanan ini → this trip (noun + ini)
rumah itu → that house

perjalanan ini is a noun phrase meaning “this trip” (like English).

ini perjalanan is a different structure:

ini perjalanan → literally “this is a trip”
- ini = subject (“this”)
- perjalanan = predicate/noun complement (“a trip”)

So:

Perjalanan ini berat. → “This trip is hard.” (subject: the trip)
Ini perjalanan yang berat. → “This is a trip that is hard.”

In your sentence, you need “this trip” as the subject, so perjalanan ini is correct.

Why is there a yang before menegangkan dan menyenangkan? What does it do?

yang is a linker/relativizer that connects a noun to a describing word or phrase. It’s similar to English “that / which / who” or just a linking word in “the trip that is exciting”.

Structure here:

latihan mental → “mental training” (noun phrase)
yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan → “that is tense/nerve‑racking and enjoyable”

So together:

latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan
→ “a mental training that is nerve‑racking and enjoyable”
→ more natural: “a nerve‑racking yet enjoyable mental exercise”

Without yang, the adjectives can sound like verbs (“to make tense / to please”). yang makes it clear they are describing the noun latihan mental.

Can menegangkan and menyenangkan really be used like adjectives? Aren’t they verbs?

Morphologically, both are me- … -kan verbs:

tegang → menegangkan (to make tense / to be tense, thrilling)
senang → menyenangkan (to please / to be pleasant, enjoyable)

But in Indonesian, these me- … -kan forms are very commonly used as adjectival predicates, similar to English participles like “thrilling” and “enjoyable”.

Examples:

Film itu menegangkan.
→ “That movie is thrilling / nerve‑racking.”
Pengalaman itu menyenangkan.
→ “That experience is enjoyable.”

So in latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan, they function like adjectives:

menegangkan → “tense / thrilling / nerve‑racking”
menyenangkan → “pleasant / enjoyable / fun”

What is the nuance of menegangkan compared to just tegang?

tegang is an adjective: “tense, tight”.
- Saya tegang. → “I am tense / nervous.”
- Suasananya tegang. → “The atmosphere is tense.”
menegangkan (me- … -kan) often carries a sense of causing tension / being thrilling, especially in contexts like movies, games, experiences.
- Pertandingannya menegangkan. → “The match is thrilling / suspenseful.”
- Cerita ini sangat menegangkan. → “This story is very suspenseful.”

In the sentence, menegangkan suggests the mental training is full of suspense, pressure, or stress in an engaging way, not just “tense” in a negative sense.

What is the nuance of melainkan compared to tetapi or tapi?

All three translate roughly as “but / however”, but with different uses:

tetapi
- Standard, neutral “but”.
- Common in writing and formal speech.
tapi
- Informal/colloquial form of tetapi.
- Very common in everyday conversation.
melainkan
- Used mainly in contrast/correction structures, especially after bukan or tidak.
- Feels a bit more formal or literary.
- Often corresponds to English “but rather” / “but instead”.

Example:

Dia bukan guru, melainkan dokter.
→ “He is not a teacher, but rather a doctor.”

So in:

bagi saya, perjalanan ini bukan hanya liburan, melainkan latihan mental…

melainkan fits because it follows bukan and introduces what the trip actually is, not just what it’s not only.

Why is there no word like “a” before latihan mental? Should it be sebuah latihan mental?

Indonesian normally does not use articles like “a, an, the”. Often, you just use the bare noun:

latihan mental → “(a) mental training / (a) mental exercise”
sekolah baru → “a new school / the new school”

You can add sebuah (a classifier for things) if you really want to highlight a single instance:

sebuah latihan mental yang menegangkan…
→ “a (single) mental training that is thrilling…”

But in most natural sentences, especially with abstract nouns like latihan, speakers omit it. latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan is completely natural and doesn’t feel incomplete.

Is liburan a noun or a verb here? What’s the difference between liburan and berlibur?

In this sentence, liburan is a noun:

bukan hanya liburan → “not just a vacation (holiday)”

Compare:

liburan (noun) → “holiday / vacation”
- Saya punya liburan dua minggu.
  “I have a two‑week vacation.”
berlibur (verb) → “to go on vacation / to be on holiday”
- Saya ingin berlibur di Bali.
  “I want to vacation in Bali.”

So you could say:

Perjalanan ini bukan hanya liburan.
“This trip is not just a vacation.” (noun)

But you would not say bukan hanya berlibur in this exact spot, because you’re contrasting what the trip is, not the action “to vacation.”

What is the overall level of formality of this sentence? Would it sound natural in casual speech?

The sentence is fairly neutral to mildly formal, mainly because of:

bagi saya (slightly more formal than buat saya)
bukan hanya …, melainkan … (a structured, somewhat literary contrast)
The complex noun phrase latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan

In casual spoken Indonesian, someone might say:

Buat saya, perjalanan ini bukan cuma liburan, tapi juga latihan mental yang menegangkan dan menyenangkan.

Changes:

buat saya instead of bagi saya
bukan cuma instead of bukan hanya
tapi juga instead of melainkan

Your original sentence is natural in writing (e.g., a blog, essay, reflection) and in thoughtful speech; it doesn’t sound stiff, just a bit more polished.