Saya lebih suka buncis tumis, sedangkan kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas.

Suka means to like, while lebih suka means to prefer or to like more.

So:

• Saya suka buncis tumis = I like stir-fried green beans
• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis = I prefer stir-fried green beans

In this sentence, lebih suka shows a preference, even if the thing being compared is not stated explicitly.

Sedangkan means while, whereas, or on the other hand. It connects two clauses and shows a contrast between them.

In this sentence:

• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis = I prefer stir-fried green beans
• sedangkan kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas = whereas my older sibling prefers spicy sardines

So sedangkan is used to compare two different preferences.

Kakak means older sibling. By itself, it does not tell you whether the person is male or female.

So:

• kakak saya = my older sibling

If you need to be specific, you can say:

• kakak perempuan = older sister
• kakak laki-laki = older brother

In many contexts, Indonesian leaves gender unspecified unless it is important.

Because kakak saya literally means older sibling of mine / my older sibling.

The first saya is the subject:

• Saya lebih suka... = I prefer...

The second saya shows possession:

• kakak saya = my older sibling

So the two saya words have different roles.

In Indonesian, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• sarden pedas = spicy sardines
• rumah besar = big house
• teh manis = sweet tea

This is a very common word order in Indonesian.

Buncis means green beans, and tumis relates to stir-frying / sautéing.

So buncis tumis means something like stir-fried green beans.

However, many learners will also hear — and often more commonly hear — tumis buncis, where the cooking method comes first:

• tumis buncis = stir-fried green beans

Both are understandable, but tumis buncis is often the more natural dish-name style in everyday Indonesian.

No. Indonesian does not need a verb like to be in this kind of sentence.

English says:

• I prefer...
• My older sibling prefers...

Indonesian simply says:

• Saya lebih suka...
• Kakak saya lebih suka...

There is no extra word needed for is/are here.

Usually it is better to keep it.

The full sentence is:

• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis, sedangkan kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas.

This clearly means:

• I prefer stir-fried green beans, whereas my older sibling prefers spicy sardines.

If you remove the second lebih suka, the sentence may sound incomplete or less balanced. Repeating it makes the contrast very clear and natural.

In Indonesian, nouns usually do not change form for singular and plural the way they do in English.

So sarden can mean:

• a sardine
• sardines
• a sardine dish

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, sarden pedas most naturally means spicy sardines or a spicy sardine dish.

The comma helps separate the two contrasting parts of the sentence.

• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis
• sedangkan kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas

Because sedangkan introduces a contrasting clause, a comma is very natural here in writing. It works much like a comma before while or whereas in English.

Sometimes, but the meaning and tone are a little different.

• sedangkan = whereas / while, used for contrast between two parallel ideas
• tapi = but, more general and often more conversational

So:

• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis, sedangkan kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas.

sounds neatly comparative.

If you say:

• Saya lebih suka buncis tumis, tapi kakak saya lebih suka sarden pedas.

it is still understandable, but sedangkan fits this side-by-side comparison especially well.

It is fairly neutral and natural. It is not extremely formal, but it is also not slangy.

A few clues:

• saya is neutral/polite for I
• sedangkan sounds a bit more structured than very casual speech

In very casual conversation, someone might say:

• Aku lebih suka buncis tumis, tapi kakakku lebih suka sarden pedas.

That version sounds more informal because of aku and kakakku.