Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru, saya bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami dengan lebih jelas. - By mastering new words, I can tell the story of our trip more clearly.

Yes. "Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru" literally means "With mastering new words", but idiomatically it corresponds to "By mastering new words" in English.

dengan = with / by (indicates means or manner)
menguasai = to master / to have a strong command of

So the phrase "Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru" expresses the method or means by which the result is achieved:

Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru, saya bisa ...
→ By mastering new words, I can ...

Why is "menguasai" used here instead of "belajar" or "mempelajari"?

All three relate to learning, but they have different nuances:

belajar = to study / to learn (general process)
mempelajari = to study something in depth (more formal, focused)
menguasai = to master / to have control or strong command of

In this sentence, the idea is not just learning new words, but reaching a level where you can use them confidently and effectively. That’s why "menguasai kata-kata baru" is closer to:

by *mastering new words*
rather than just
by *learning new words*.

You could say "Dengan belajar kata-kata baru ...", but it sounds weaker: it emphasizes the process of learning, not the achieved ability.

Why is it "kata-kata baru" and not just "kata baru"?

In Indonesian, reduplication (repeating a word) often indicates plurality:

kata = word
kata-kata = words

So "kata-kata baru" means "new words", not just a new word.

You can sometimes use the singular kata baru to mean a new word, but in this sentence we’re clearly talking about increasing vocabulary in general, so "kata-kata baru" (plural) is more natural and accurate.

Does "kata-kata baru" mean "brand new words" (like invented words), or just "new to me"?

Here it means "words that are new to the speaker", i.e., vocabulary they did not know before.

Indonesian "baru" can mean:

newly created / recent (a new phone, a new house), or
new to someone (a word you just learned, a new experience for you)

In this context:

kata-kata baru = vocabulary items that I have recently learned, not newly coined words in the language.

What is the difference between "menceritakan perjalanan kami" and "menceritakan tentang perjalanan kami"?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

menceritakan perjalanan kami
literally: to tell (about) our trip
Here, "perjalanan kami" is the direct object of the verb menceritakan. This is the more compact and slightly more natural version in many contexts.
menceritakan tentang perjalanan kami
literally: to tell about our trip
Here, "tentang" explicitly means about. It is still correct, but can feel a bit more verbose or redundant because "menceritakan" already contains the idea of "telling about" something.

In everyday speech, people use both, but "menceritakan perjalanan kami" is already clear and concise.

What is the difference between "kami" and "kita" in "perjalanan kami"?

Indonesian distinguishes two kinds of “we”:

kami = we / us (excluding the listener)
kita = we / us (including the listener)

So:

perjalanan kami
= our trip (not including you, the listener)
perjalanan kita
= our trip (including you, the listener)

In this sentence, "perjalanan kami" implies the trip was taken by me and some others, but not the person being spoken to. If the listener was part of the trip, "perjalanan kita" would be more appropriate.

Can the word "bisa" be omitted? What difference would it make?

bisa means can / be able to.

saya bisa menceritakan = I can tell / I am able to tell
saya menceritakan = I tell / I am telling (a plain statement of action)

If you omit bisa:

Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru, saya menceritakan perjalanan kami dengan lebih jelas.

This sounds more like a general description of what you do, not about your increased ability. It’s grammatically possible but less natural for expressing the idea of improved capability.

To match the English idea "I can tell our trip more clearly", keeping bisa (or dapat) is better:

saya bisa menceritakan ...
saya dapat menceritakan ... (slightly more formal / neutral)

How do we know the tense in "saya bisa menceritakan"? Is it present or future?

Indonesian does not mark tense with verb changes like English. "saya bisa menceritakan" can mean:

I can tell (now / in general)
I will be able to tell (future), depending on context.

The time reference comes from:

context,
time words (like nanti “later”, kemarin “yesterday”, sudah “already”, akan “will”, etc.)

For example:

Sekarang, saya bisa menceritakan ...
→ Now I can tell...
Nanti, saya bisa menceritakan ...
→ Later, I can/will be able to tell...

In your sentence, it most naturally means present ability or a general ability.

Is "dengan lebih jelas" necessary? Could we just say "lebih jelas"?

You can say both, and both are correct:

... saya bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami lebih jelas.
... saya bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami dengan lebih jelas.

Differences:

lebih jelas on its own already means "more clearly" and is fully grammatical.
dengan lebih jelas literally "with more clarity", but functions as an adverbial phrase, similar in style to English "in a clearer way".

In practice:

Both are common.
"dengan lebih jelas" can sound a tiny bit more formal or “structured,” but the difference is very small.

Why not use "secara jelas" instead of "dengan lebih jelas"?

You could say:

... saya bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami secara jelas.
= I can tell our trip clearly.

But there are differences:

secara jelas = clearly (adverb, more neutral/formal)
dengan lebih jelas = more clearly (explicit comparison/improvement)

Your original sentence emphasizes improvement (more clear than before), so using "lebih" (more) is important. You could also say:

secara lebih jelas = in a more clear way / more clearly

So possible variants are:

dengan lebih jelas
secara lebih jelas

Both are acceptable; "dengan lebih jelas" is very common in speech and writing.

Can "saya" be omitted in this sentence?

Grammatically, yes, but with caution.

Indonesian sometimes allows dropping the subject if it’s very clear from context, especially in informal speech. For example:

Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru, bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami dengan lebih jelas.

Listeners would probably still understand that "bisa menceritakan" refers to you (the speaker). However:

In clear, standard sentences, especially for learners, it is better to keep "saya".
Omitting "saya" can sound a bit incomplete or vague in isolation.

So for learning and for neutral, clear Indonesian, the original:

Dengan menguasai kata-kata baru, saya bisa menceritakan perjalanan kami dengan lebih jelas.

is preferable.