Learn Hardcore Malay: Saya membuat temu janji dengan doktor esok. - I make an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.

The base verb is buat (do/make). Membuat is the formal active form with the prefix meN-, often used in writing or careful speech. Both are correct:

Formal/neutral: Saya membuat temu janji...
Casual: Saya buat temu janji...

Does esok mean the appointment is tomorrow, or that I will make the appointment tomorrow?

By itself, Saya membuat temu janji dengan doktor esok is ambiguous in writing. Most people will read it as “the appointment is tomorrow.” To be crystal clear:

Appointment is tomorrow: Saya ada temu janji dengan doktor esok. or Saya membuat temu janji dengan doktor untuk esok.
I will make the appointment tomorrow (I’ll call tomorrow): Esok saya akan membuat temu janji dengan doktor.

Do I need akan to talk about the future?

No. Malay doesn’t require a future marker. A time word like esok already signals the future. Akan is optional and adds emphasis or clarity:

Without akan: Saya jumpa doktor esok.
With akan: Saya akan jumpa doktor esok. (a bit more explicit)

Can I move the time word esok to another place?

Yes. Common positions:

End: ... doktor esok.
Front (emphasis on time): Esok saya ...
With time-of-day: esok pagi/esok petang/esok malam
With clock time: ... pada pukul dua esok or ... esok pada pukul dua

Is dengan the right preposition here?

Yes. Dengan = with. It links the appointment to the person:

temu janji dengan doktor = an appointment with the doctor Use untuk to express “for (a time)”: ... untuk esok = for tomorrow.

Is temu janji one word or two? What about temujanji or janji temu?

In Malaysian Malay, the recommended form is two words: temu janji. You’ll also see temujanji (accepted variant). Janji temu is far more common in Indonesian; Malaysians will understand it, but temu janji is the standard in Malaysia.

What’s the difference between temu janji, janji, and mesyuarat?

temu janji: an appointment (e.g., with a doctor).
janji: a promise (not an appointment by itself).
mesyuarat: a meeting (usually work/official). Also common: perjumpaan/pertemuan (a meeting/meet-up).

How do I say “I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow” vs “I made an appointment…”?

Have: Saya ada temu janji dengan doktor esok.
Made (already arranged): Saya sudah/dah membuat temu janji dengan doktor untuk esok.
(sudah/dah = already; dah is informal)

What’s a more colloquial way to say this?

Saya ada temu janji dengan doktor esok. (very natural)
Saya dah buat temu janji dengan doktor untuk esok. (I’ve already made it)
Very casual: Esok saya jumpa doktor. (I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow)

How do I negate it?

Negating the verb: Saya tidak membuat temu janji... (I am not making an appointment…)
Saying you don’t have one: Saya tidak ada/tiada temu janji dengan doktor esok.
(tidak ada is common; tiada is a compact, slightly more formal form)

Do I need an article for doktor (a/the)?

Malay has no articles. Doktor can mean “a doctor” or “the doctor” depending on context. If you want to specify “that doctor,” add a demonstrative:

doktor itu (that/the doctor)
Informal speech: doktor tu

How do I specify which doctor, like Dr. Ahmad?

Use the title Dr. before the name:

Saya membuat temu janji dengan Dr. Ahmad esok.
If describing the kind of doctor:
doktor gigi (dentist), doktor pakar kulit (dermatologist), doktor keluarga (family doctor/GP).

Malay vs Indonesian differences I should know here?

Malay (Malaysia): doktor, esok, temu janji
Indonesian: dokter, besok, janji temu or membuat janji
Both sides will usually understand each other, but forms differ.

What’s the verb pattern behind membuat?

It’s meN- + buat → membuat. The meN- prefix creates an active transitive verb. Before a b, meN- becomes mem-:

meN- + buat → membuat

Pronunciation tips?

Approximate syllable stress is on the second-last syllable of each word.

Saya: SA-ya
membuat: mem-BU-at (the first e is a schwa, like the ‘a’ in “sofa”)
temu: TE-mu
janji: JAN-ji (j like in “jam”)
dengan: de-NGAN (the ng as in “sing”)
doktor: DOK-tor
esok: E-sok

Can I say it in the passive voice?

You can, but it’s less common in speech:

Temu janji dengan doktor dibuat untuk esok. (An appointment with the doctor was made for tomorrow.) Natural everyday Malay prefers the active forms shown earlier.

How do I ask about the time of the appointment?

Temu janji saya pukul berapa esok? (What time is my appointment tomorrow?)
Esok pada pukul berapa temu janji saya? You can answer with time-of-day:
esok pagi/petang/malam, or a clock time: pada pukul 2.30 petang.

Can I drop dengan or doktor?

Dropping doktor: Saya membuat temu janji esok is grammatical but vague (with whom?).
Dropping dengan: not natural here; you need dengan to link the appointment to the person.
To specify the date without the person, say: Saya membuat temu janji untuk esok. (an appointment for tomorrow — partner unspecified).