Ibu menyapu krim pada tumit saya yang gatal.

Menyapu is the verb sapu with the active meN- prefix.

• sapu = to wipe, sweep, spread/apply
• menyapu = to sweep / to spread / to apply

In this sentence, menyapu krim means to apply cream.

The prefix changes shape depending on the first sound of the root word. With sapu, meN- becomes meny-.

Yes, menyapu very often means to sweep, especially with things like floors.

But it can also mean to spread or apply something onto a surface.

So:

• menyapu lantai = to sweep the floor
• menyapu krim = to apply/spread cream

The object tells you which meaning is intended.

Here pada means something like on / onto / to in the sense of the place where the cream is being applied.

So:

• menyapu krim pada tumit saya = apply cream to/on my heel

In natural English we usually say to my heel or on my heel, but Malay often uses pada for this kind of target/location.

Sometimes learners expect di because it often means at / in / on, but in this sentence pada is the more natural choice.

A useful rough guide is:

• di often marks a physical location
• pada often marks the thing or place something is directed toward, attached to, or applied to

Since the cream is being applied to the heel, pada fits well.

No. Tumit specifically means heel.

So:

• kaki = foot / leg, depending on context
• tumit = heel

This sentence is specifically about the heel, not the whole foot.

Malay possession often works by putting the possessor after the noun.

So:

• tumit saya = my heel
• literally: heel my

This is very normal in Malay:

• buku saya = my book
• ibu saya = my mother

In this sentence, yang gatal describes tumit saya.

So the meaning is:

• my heel that is itchy
• or more naturally in English, my itchy heel

It does not mean that I am the one who is itchy in general.

The structure is:

• tumit saya = my heel
• yang gatal = which is itchy

Together: tumit saya yang gatal = my heel that is itchy

Yang is often used to link a noun to a description, especially something like a relative clause.

In this sentence:

• tumit saya = my heel
• yang gatal = that is itchy

So yang is like that / which is.

It helps turn gatal into a description attached to the noun:

• tumit saya yang gatal = my heel that is itchy

Yes, but the structure and emphasis are a little different.

• Tumit saya gatal. = My heel is itchy.
• Ibu menyapu krim pada tumit saya yang gatal. = Mother applies cream to my heel that is itchy / my itchy heel.

In the full sentence, yang gatal works as a modifier inside the noun phrase. It helps identify which heel or what kind of heel: the itchy one.

Without yang, you would usually need to restructure the sentence.

Malay does not have articles like a, an, and the in the same way English does.

So:

• krim can mean cream or the cream, depending on context
• tumit saya can mean my heel, which is already specific because of saya

Malay relies a lot on context rather than articles.

In this sentence, Ibu most naturally means Mother or Mom, referring to the speaker’s mother.

Malay often allows family terms like Ibu, Ayah, Kakak, and so on to be used directly without always adding a possessive word.

So Ibu menyapu... naturally means Mother is applying... or My mother is applying..., depending on context.

Its basic meaning is itchy, as in physical itching.

So here:

• tumit saya yang gatal = my itchy heel

But in other contexts, gatal can also have figurative meanings, depending on the situation. For a beginner, though, it is best to learn the core meaning itchy first.

Malay verbs do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So menyapu by itself does not specifically mean:

• applies
• applied
• is applying
• will apply

The time is usually understood from context, or shown with time words like:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• esok = tomorrow

Without extra context, this sentence can be translated naturally as Mother is applying cream to my itchy heel or Mother applies cream to my itchy heel.

Yes, but the meaning would change slightly.

• krim = cream
• ubat = medicine / treatment

So:

• menyapu krim = apply cream
• menyapu ubat = apply medicine

If the medicine is specifically in cream form, krim is more precise.