Dokter menyuruh saya mengoleskan salep dua kali sehari.

The doctor tells me to apply ointment twice a day.

Breakdown of Dokter menyuruh saya mengoleskan salep dua kali sehari.

• dua kali: twice
• saya: me
• dokter: the doctor
• menyuruh: to tell

Questions & Answers about Dokter menyuruh saya mengoleskan salep dua kali sehari.

What does menyuruh mean here?

Menyuruh means to tell someone to do something, to order, or to instruct.

In this sentence, the pattern is:

menyuruh + person + verb

So:

• Dokter menyuruh saya mengoleskan salep
  = The doctor told me to apply ointment

It is stronger than just saying something, but in medical contexts it often sounds like instructed or advised me to rather than harshly ordered me to.

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Why is it menyuruh, not just suruh?

Suruh is the base word.
Menyuruh is the active verb form made with the meN- prefix.

So:

• suruh = tell/order
• menyuruh = to tell/order

This is very common in Indonesian:

• baca → membaca = read
• tulis → menulis = write
• suruh → menyuruh = tell/order

In a normal full sentence with an active subject like dokter, Indonesian usually uses the meN- form.

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Why is there no word for to before mengoleskan, like in English ?