Sebelum berangkat ke kantor, saya menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias.

This opening phrase gives the time context: before leaving for the office.

In Indonesian, it is very common to put a time phrase or time clause at the beginning of the sentence. So:

Sebelum berangkat ke kantor, saya menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias.
= Before leaving for the office, I put the wooden comb on the dressing table.

You could also put the main clause first:

Saya menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias sebelum berangkat ke kantor.

That is also natural.

Sebelum means before.

It can be followed by:

• a noun: sebelum makan malam = before dinner
• a verb/clause: sebelum berangkat = before leaving

In this sentence, sebelum introduces the action that happens later than the main action:

• first: I put the comb on the dressing table
• then: I leave for the office

Great question. In full form, yes, you could say:

Sebelum saya berangkat ke kantor, saya menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias.

But Indonesian often omits the subject in a subordinate clause when it is obvious from context and is the same as the subject of the main clause.

So:

• sebelum berangkat ke kantor = before leaving for the office
• implied subject = saya

This is very natural and common.

Berangkat means something like:

• to depart
• to leave
• often to set off for somewhere

Pergi is a more general to go.

So:

• berangkat ke kantor = leave/set off for the office
• pergi ke kantor = go to the office

In many contexts they overlap, but berangkat often emphasizes the act of departing, especially for a destination like work, school, the airport, etc.

Because ke shows movement toward a destination, while di shows location.

• ke kantor = to the office
• di kantor = at/in the office

Since berangkat involves going somewhere, ke is the correct preposition.

Menaruh means to put or to place.

It is similar to meletakkan, and in many situations the two can be translated the same way.

Roughly:

• menaruh = put/place
• meletakkan = place/put down, sometimes a bit more formal or explicit

So this sentence could also be:

Sebelum berangkat ke kantor, saya meletakkan sisir kayu di meja rias.

That would still be natural.

This is because of the meN- verb prefix, which often forms active verbs.

The base word is taruh = put/place.
With the active prefix, it becomes menaruh.

This is part of a common Indonesian pattern where the prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root.

You do not need to predict every change perfectly at first, but it is useful to recognize that:

• taruh → menaruh
• this is the normal active verb form in a sentence like this one

In Indonesian, the head noun usually comes first, and words describing it come after.

So:

• sisir kayu = wooden comb
• literally: comb wood

This is a very common pattern:

• meja kayu = wooden table
• rumah besar = big house
• tas sekolah = school bag

English often puts the describing word before the noun, but Indonesian usually puts it after.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Indonesian usually does not use articles like a, an, or the. So sisir kayu could be:

• a wooden comb
• the wooden comb

The listener figures it out from the situation or previous conversation.

Di meja rias means on the dressing table or at the vanity table, depending on context.

Breakdown:

• di = at/on/in (location marker)
• meja = table
• rias = makeup / grooming / adornment

So meja rias is a fixed expression meaning:

• dressing table
• vanity table

Even though di can mean in, on, or at, in this sentence the natural English translation is on the dressing table.

Because this di is a preposition meaning in / on / at, so it is written as a separate word:

• di meja
• di kantor
• di rumah

This is different from di- as a passive verb prefix, which is written attached to the verb:

• ditaruh = is put / was put
• dibuka = is opened / was opened

So:

• di meja rias = correct, separate
• ditaruh = correct, attached

This is a very important spelling point in Indonesian.

Yes, in many contexts.

• saya is more neutral, polite, and standard
• aku is more casual and personal

So:

• Sebelum berangkat ke kantor, saya menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias.
• Sebelum berangkat ke kantor, aku menaruh sisir kayu di meja rias.

Both are grammatical. The choice depends on tone and situation.

Yes, that can work in natural English, depending on how literally you want to translate it.

Because berangkat ke kantor focuses on setting off / leaving for the office, the closest translation is:

Before leaving for the office...

But in smoother English, people might also say:

Before going to the office...

Both are acceptable, though leaving for the office reflects berangkat more closely.