Learn Hardcore Malay: Doktor memberi saya topeng baharu dan berkata supaya saya memakainya di tempat sesak. - The doctor gives me a new mask and says that I should wear it in crowded places.

beri is the base verb and is very common in speech, especially in informal Malay.
memberi is the meN- form of the same verb and sounds more formal / standard, often used in writing, news, official speech, etc.

In your sentence, “Doktor memberi saya topeng baharu…” is quite formal. In everyday conversation you’d very often hear:

Doktor bagi saya topeng baru… (using bagi, a very common colloquial word for “give”).

Why is it “memberi saya topeng” and not “memberi topeng kepada saya”? Are both correct?

Both are grammatically correct:

Doktor memberi saya topeng baharu…
Literally: “The doctor gave me a new mask.”
Structure: [giver] memberi [recipient] [thing]
Doktor memberi topeng baharu kepada saya…
Literally: “The doctor gave a new mask to me.”
Structure: [giver] memberi [thing] kepada [recipient]

They mean the same thing. Differences:

“…memberi saya topeng…” is a bit simpler and more natural in many contexts.
“…memberi topeng kepada saya…” is slightly more explicit and a bit more formal/clear in writing.

Spoken, informal Malay would more likely be:

Doktor bagi saya topeng baru…
Doktor bagi topeng baru dekat saya… (with dekat instead of kepada, in casual speech).

Why is it “topeng baharu” and not “baharu topeng”? What is the adjective order?

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

topeng baharu = new mask (literally “mask new”)
rumah besar = big house
baju merah = red shirt

Putting the adjective first, like baharu topeng, is wrong in standard Malay.

So the normal pattern is:

noun + adjective
topeng + baharu → topeng baharu

What is the difference between “baharu” and “baru”?

Both can mean “new”, and Malaysians often use them interchangeably in everyday speech, but there are some tendencies:

baru
- Very common in spoken Malay.
- Can mean “new”: topeng baru (new mask).
- Can also mean “just / recently”: saya baru makan (I just ate).
baharu
- Seen more in formal or written Malay (textbooks, official documents).
- Traditionally used more for the adjective “new”:
  - topeng baharu = new mask
- The adverb sense (“just, recently”) is more naturally baru.

In your sentence, topeng baharu is a formal/standard choice. In normal spoken Malay people would almost always say topeng baru.

What does “berkata supaya” mean, and how is it different from just “berkata” or other verbs like “suruh”?

berkata = “to say”, “to speak” (more formal).
- Doktor berkata… = “The doctor said…”
supaya is a conjunction often translated as “so that / in order that / to (tell someone to do something)”.
In this sentence, it introduces what the doctor wants you to do:

…berkata supaya saya memakainya…
“…said that I should wear it…” / “…told me to wear it…”

Rough equivalents:

berkata supaya ≈ “said (for me) to / said that I should …”
menyuruh / suruh = “to tell / order / instruct (someone) to do something”.

You could also say:

Doktor menyuruh saya memakainya di tempat sesak.
Doktor suruh saya pakai topeng itu di tempat sesak. (more colloquial)

So “berkata supaya …” is a polite, somewhat formal way of expressing that someone said something with the intention that you do it.

How should I understand “memakainya”? Why not just “memakai ia”?

memakainya is made of three parts:

meN- + pakai → memakai = to wear / to put on (formal-ish).
-nya = attached pronoun meaning “it / him / her” (here = “it”, the mask).

So:

memakainya = to wear it

Why not memakai ia?

ia is a third-person pronoun used mainly in formal writing and usually for subjects, not objects.
For objects, Malay typically uses:
- -nya attached to the verb or noun: memakainya, topengnya
- or repeats the noun: memakai topeng itu (wear that mask).

Using memakai ia for “wear it” is not natural in standard Malay. Better options:

memakainya = wear it (with -nya)
memakai topeng itu = wear that mask

What is the difference between “pakai” and “memakai”?

Both mean “to wear / to put on (clothes, mask, etc.)”.

pakai
- Base form.
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Also used in informal writing: pakai baju, pakai topeng.
memakai
- meN- form, more formal / standard.
- Preferred in more careful writing or formal contexts.

In conversation, you’d usually say:

Doktor bagi saya topeng baru dan suruh saya pakai di tempat sesak.

In written/standard Malay, memakai is perfectly natural, as in your sentence:

…supaya saya memakainya di tempat sesak.

What does “di tempat sesak” literally mean? And why no “yang” in the middle?

Breakdown:

di = at / in / on (location preposition).
tempat = place.
sesak = crowded / congested / packed (can also mean physically cramped).

So di tempat sesak literally = “in crowded places” or “at a crowded place”.

You may also see the fuller form:

di tempat yang sesak = in places that are crowded.

In shorter noun phrases like this, Malay often omits “yang” when the meaning is clear:

orang kaya (rich people) instead of orang yang kaya
tempat sesak (crowded places) instead of tempat yang sesak

How can one sentence in Malay mean “gave” and “told” in the past, if there is no tense marker?

Malay generally does not mark tense (past/present/future) on the verb. The same sentence can be understood as past, present, or future depending on context or time words.

Doktor memberi saya topeng baharu…
On its own could be:
- The doctor gives me a new mask…
- The doctor gave me a new mask…
- The doctor will give me a new mask…

To show time more clearly, Malay uses adverbs like:

tadi (a while ago), semalam (yesterday), akan (will), nanti (later), sudah / telah (already).

For example:

Tadi doktor memberi saya topeng baharu… = Earlier the doctor gave me a new mask…
Doktor akan memberi saya topeng baharu… = The doctor will give me a new mask…

In your example, we translate using past tense in English because it fits a typical narrative context, not because Malay marks it explicitly.

Does “topeng baharu” mean “a new mask” or “the new mask”? There is no “a/the” in Malay.

Malay does not have articles like “a / an / the”.

topeng baharu can mean:
- “a new mask” (indefinite)
- “the new mask” (definite)

The difference is understood from context.

To make things more explicit, Malay can add other words:

sebuah topeng baharu = a (single) new mask
topeng baharu itu = that new mask / the new mask
topeng baharu ini = this new mask

In your sentence, context would decide whether we say “a” or “the” in English. “A new mask” is the most natural translation.

Is this sentence formal, or would people really say it like this in daily conversation?

Your sentence is quite standard and leans formal:

Doktor memberi saya topeng baharu dan berkata supaya saya memakainya di tempat sesak.

In normal, casual speech, many Malaysians would say something closer to:

Doktor bagi saya topeng baru dan suruh saya pakai dekat tempat sesak.

Changes in the casual version:

bagi instead of memberi
baru instead of baharu
suruh instead of berkata supaya
pakai instead of memakai
dekat instead of di (very common in colloquial speech)

So your sentence is very good standard Malay (suitable for writing, exams, or careful speaking).

Why is “saya” used here, and could it be “aku” or shortened?

saya = I / me, polite and neutral, used with most people.
aku = also I / me, but more informal/intimate, used with close friends, family, or when speaking to someone younger/lower status.

In your sentence, saya fits the polite, neutral context of talking about a doctor–patient interaction.

Variations:

You could say in a very casual retelling to a friend:
- Doktor bagi aku topeng baru dan suruh aku pakai dekat tempat sesak.

Shortened forms:

Attached -ku is another “I/my” form, but it doesn’t fit neatly here (you wouldn’t say memberiku saya topeng). It’s mostly used like:
- rumahku = my house
- kuingat (for aku ingat) in more literary style.

Could we replace “berkata supaya saya memakainya” with something like “menyuruh saya memakainya” or “suruh saya pakai”?

Yes, those are good alternatives with very similar meanings.

Original (more formal/neutral):

…dan berkata supaya saya memakainya di tempat sesak.

Alternatives:

…dan menyuruh saya memakainya di tempat sesak.
- menyuruh = to order / tell (someone to do something).
- Very clear that the doctor is instructing you.
…dan suruh saya pakai di tempat sesak.
- suruh = informal version of menyuruh.
- pakai instead of memakai makes it more colloquial.

All are correct; the main difference is formality and tone, not meaning.