Ayah menyuruh saya mematikan kipas angin sebelum tidur.

Father tells me to turn off the fan before sleeping.

Breakdown of Ayah menyuruh saya mematikan kipas angin sebelum tidur.

• sebuah: a
• mematikan: to turn off
• sebelum: before
• tidur: to sleep
• saya: me
• kipas angin: the fan
• ayah: dad/father
• menyuruh: to tell (to do something)

Questions & Answers about Ayah menyuruh saya mematikan kipas angin sebelum tidur.

Why is the verb menyuruh used here, and what does it mean exactly?

Menyuruh means to tell/ask/order someone to do something (often with an “instruction” feel).
In this pattern, it commonly works like: X menyuruh Y (untuk) V = X tells Y to V.
So Ayah menyuruh saya ... = Dad told/asked me to ... (context decides how strong it is).

What grammar pattern is being used in menyuruh saya mematikan ...?

It’s the very common causative/instruction pattern:
menyuruh + person (object) + verb

• Ayah = the one giving the instruction
• saya = the person receiving the instruction (object of menyuruh)
• mematikan kipas angin = the action to be done
  You can also insert untuk: Ayah menyuruh saya untuk mematikan ... (often optional).

Why is it saya and not aku?

Both mean I/me, but the nuance differs:

• saya = neutral/polite, common in many situations
• aku = more informal/intimate
  With family, aku is possible, but saya is still correct—just a bit more formal.

Why is the second verb mematikan (with me- -kan) instead of just mati or matikan?

• mati = to die / be off (intransitive; no direct object)
• mematikan = to turn off / to switch off (something) (transitive; takes an object)
• matikan! = the imperative form Turn it off!
  So in a normal statement after menyuruh, you use the regular verb mematikan, not the command form.

What does the meN- prefix do in menyuruh and mematikan?

meN- typically marks an active verb in standard Indonesian.

• suruh → menyuruh (meN- changes shape to match the first sound)
• mati → mematikan (meN- + -kan makes it an active transitive “do to something” verb)
  You’ll see spelling changes like meN- + s → meny- (so menyuruh, not mesuruh).

What does the suffix -kan contribute in mematikan?

-kan often makes a verb causative or more clearly transitive: cause something to become X / do X to something.
Here: mati (be off) → mematikan (make it off) = turn off.

Is kipas angin one word or two, and why is it written like that?

It’s a noun phrase: kipas (fan) + angin (wind/air).
Indonesian often builds compounds as two separate words like this. Together, kipas angin means electric fan (a fan that blows air).

Does sebelum tidur mean “before sleeping” or “before going to bed,” and who is sleeping?

Literally it’s before sleeping. In everyday use, it often equals before going to bed.
The subject of tidur is understood from context—here it usually means before (I) sleep, since Dad is talking to saya.
If you want to make it explicit, you can say sebelum saya tidur.

Is there any tense in this sentence (past vs present), since English would choose “told” vs “tells”?

Indonesian verbs don’t change form for tense the way English does.
Ayah menyuruh ... can mean Dad told/asks/orders ... depending on context.
You can add time words if needed:

• tadi = earlier → implies past
• sekarang = now → present
• besok = tomorrow → future context

Can this be said in the passive voice, and how would it change?

Yes, a common passive version is:
Saya disuruh Ayah mematikan kipas angin sebelum tidur.
That shifts focus to me (the person being told), similar to I was told by Dad to turn off the fan before sleeping.