Kami pergi ke perpustakaan bukan untuk membaca novel saja, melainkan untuk berdiskusi tentang skripsi.

Both mean we, but they are different kinds of we:

• kami = we, but not including the listener
• kita = we, including the listener

So Kami pergi ke perpustakaan... means the speaker is talking about their group going to the library, but the person being spoken to is not part of that group.

Ke is a preposition that usually shows movement toward a place. So:

• pergi ke perpustakaan = go to the library

This is different from di, which shows location:

• di perpustakaan = at/in the library

So in this sentence, ke is used because they are going to the library, not simply already being there.

Perpustakaan means library.

It comes from pustaka, which relates to books or literature, plus affixes that form a noun meaning a place or institution related to books. For learners, the easiest thing is simply to remember:

• perpustakaan = library

This pattern is used to correct or replace one idea with another in a fairly formal or careful way.

So:

• bukan untuk membaca novel saja, melainkan untuk berdiskusi tentang skripsi
• not just to read novels, but rather to discuss a thesis

The pattern gives a stronger contrast than a simple but.

A useful way to understand it is:

• bukan X, melainkan Y = not X, but rather Y

This structure is common in writing and formal speech.

This is a very common question. In simple terms:

• tidak usually negates verbs and adjectives
• bukan usually negates nouns, noun phrases, or works in contrastive patterns like bukan ... melainkan ...

Here, the sentence is not just negating an action by itself. It is setting up a correction:

• not for X, but rather for Y

So bukan ... melainkan ... is the natural fixed pattern here.

You may also see:

• bukan hanya ..., tetapi juga ... = not only ..., but also ...

That is a different but related contrast pattern.

Saja means only, just, or merely, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• membaca novel saja = just reading novels / only reading novels

It adds the idea that reading novels is not the sole purpose. They went there for something more specific or important.

Compare:

• membaca novel = to read novels
• membaca novel saja = to only/just read novels

Untuk means for or in order to, and here it marks purpose.

So:

• pergi ke perpustakaan untuk membaca novel = go to the library to read novels
• pergi ke perpustakaan untuk berdiskusi = go to the library to discuss

The sentence has two contrasting purposes, so untuk appears in both parts:

• bukan untuk X, melainkan untuk Y

Repeating untuk makes the contrast clear and balanced.

These are two different verb formations.

• membaca = to read
• berdiskusi = to discuss / have a discussion

membaca

This verb uses the meN- prefix, which often forms active verbs.

• base: baca = read
• membaca = to read

berdiskusi

This uses the ber- prefix, which often forms intransitive verbs or verbs referring to an activity.

• base: diskusi = discussion
• berdiskusi = to have a discussion / to discuss

So the two verbs are built differently because they belong to different word patterns in Indonesian.

Tentang means about.

So:

• berdiskusi tentang skripsi = to discuss about the thesis / more naturally in English, to discuss the thesis

In Indonesian, berdiskusi tentang ... is very common. It introduces the topic of discussion.

You may also hear similar words such as:

• mengenai = regarding, concerning
• soal = about, concerning, often more casual

But tentang is a very standard and natural choice.

Skripsi usually refers to an undergraduate thesis in Indonesia.

It is not just any piece of writing. In the Indonesian academic system, skripsi has a specific meaning:

• skripsi = undergraduate thesis
• tesis = usually a master’s thesis
• disertasi = doctoral dissertation

So if you translate it simply as thesis, that is usually fine, but the Indonesian word specifically suggests an undergraduate final research paper/project.

Indonesian does not use articles like English a, an, or the in the same way.

So:

• membaca novel can mean read a novel, read novels, or read the novel, depending on context
• tentang skripsi can mean about a thesis, about the thesis, or about our thesis, depending on the situation

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

That is why Indonesian sentences often look more general or less specific than their English translations.

Grammatically, novel is not marked for plural here. Indonesian often leaves number unspecified unless it needs to be clear.

So membaca novel saja could mean:

• just to read a novel
• just to read novels

In this sentence, the broader, more natural interpretation is usually just to read novels in general, but the exact number is not the main point.

If the speaker really wanted to emphasize plural, they could say:

• novel-novel = novels

But Indonesian often does not need to mark that.

Yes, but the meaning would shift a little.

Original:

• bukan untuk membaca novel saja, melainkan untuk berdiskusi tentang skripsi
• This strongly suggests a correction or replacement of the main purpose: not merely X, but rather Y.

Alternative:

• bukan hanya untuk membaca novel, tetapi juga untuk berdiskusi tentang skripsi
• This means not only to read novels, but also to discuss a thesis

That version suggests both activities happen, while the original stresses that the real purpose is not merely reading novels and is instead discussion.

So they are related, but not identical.

Yes. Depending on the structure, berdiskusi can appear with or without tentang.

Examples:

• Kami berdiskusi tentang skripsi. = We discussed the thesis.
• Kami berdiskusi soal skripsi. = We discussed the thesis.
• Kami berdiskusi skripsi. = possible in casual speech, but less standard/formal

For learners, berdiskusi tentang ... is a safe and natural pattern to use.

It sounds fairly neutral to slightly formal, mainly because of melainkan.

Some parts are neutral and common:

• Kami pergi ke perpustakaan
• untuk berdiskusi tentang skripsi

But bukan ... melainkan ... feels a bit more polished than everyday casual speech.

In casual conversation, someone might say something simpler, such as:

• Kami pergi ke perpustakaan bukan cuma buat baca novel, tapi buat diskusi tentang skripsi.

That version is more colloquial. The original sentence is perfectly natural, especially in writing or careful speech.