La farmacéutica me recomendó una pomada para la muñeca.

Because in Spanish, when you refer to a specific person by their profession as a noun, you normally use an article.

• La farmacéutica = the female pharmacist
• El farmacéutico = the male pharmacist

By contrast, after ser, Spanish often drops the article:

• Es farmacéutica. = She is a pharmacist.

So in this sentence, la farmacéutica is not just naming a profession in general; it means a particular woman: the pharmacist.

Yes. Farmacéutica is the feminine form, so it refers to a female pharmacist.

• el farmacéutico = the male pharmacist
• la farmacéutica = the female pharmacist

In other contexts, una farmacéutica can sometimes mean a pharmaceutical company, but not here. Because me recomendó clearly describes something a person did, the meaning is the female pharmacist.

Because recomendar often works like to recommend something to someone.

Here:

• me = to me
• una pomada = the thing being recommended

So the structure is:

• La farmacéutica me recomendó una pomada.
• literally: The pharmacist recommended me an ointment
• natural English: The pharmacist recommended an ointment to me

That me is an indirect object pronoun.

Recomendó is the 3rd person singular preterite of recomendar.

• yo recomendé
• tú recomendaste
• él/ella/usted recomendó

It has a written accent because the stress falls on the final syllable: re-co-men-DÓ.

This tense is used for a completed action in the past, so it means something like recommended.

The preterite, recomendó, presents the recommendation as a completed event: at some point, the pharmacist made that recommendation.

If you used the imperfect, recomendaba, it would suggest something more ongoing, habitual, or backgrounded, such as:

• La farmacéutica me recomendaba pomadas a menudo.
  The pharmacist used to recommend ointments to me.

So recomendó is the normal choice for a single completed recommendation.

Because pomada is a countable singular noun, and Spanish usually uses an article with singular count nouns.

• una pomada = an ointment / a cream / an ointment product

Using no article here would sound unnatural in standard Spanish.

The indefinite article una also shows that this is one ointment, not a specific one the listener already knows.

Pomada usually means ointment. Depending on context, English might sometimes translate it as cream or salve, but ointment is the safest basic meaning.

It refers to a topical product you put on the skin.

Here para shows purpose or intended use:

• una pomada para la muñeca = an ointment for the wrist

That is, the ointment is meant to be used on the wrist.

This is a very common use of para in Spanish:

• medicina para el dolor
• gafas para leer
• crema para las manos

Because para is used for purpose, destination, or intended use, which is exactly what we have here.

• para la muñeca = for the wrist / intended for the wrist

Using por would not sound natural in this sentence. Por is more often used for ideas like because of, through, by, around, etc.

So:

• pomada para la muñeca = correct
• pomada por la muñeca = wrong here

Spanish often uses the definite article with body parts when the owner is already clear from the sentence.

Here, me tells us the recommendation was made to me, and in context it is natural to understand la muñeca as my wrist.

Spanish prefers:

• Me duele la cabeza.
• Me lavé las manos.
• Me torcí la muñeca.

Rather than:

• Me duele mi cabeza.
• Me lavé mis manos.
• Me torcí mi muñeca.

So la muñeca is very natural. You could say mi muñeca for emphasis, but it is not the default.

Yes, muñeca can mean both wrist and doll.

This is a normal Spanish double meaning:

• la muñeca = the wrist
• la muñeca = the doll

Context tells you which one is meant. Since the sentence is about a pharmacist recommending pomada, the meaning is clearly wrist, not doll.

Yes, Spanish often omits subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already tells you the person and number.

• recomendó already tells us it is he/she/usted recommended

So La farmacéutica me recomendó... is completely normal. In fact, adding ella would usually sound unnecessary unless you wanted contrast or emphasis:

• Ella me recomendó una pomada, no el médico.

It breaks down like this:

• La farmacéutica = subject
• me = indirect object pronoun
• recomendó = verb
• una pomada = direct object
• para la muñeca = prepositional phrase showing purpose/use

So the pattern is:

subject + indirect object + verb + direct object + complement

That is a very common structure in Spanish.

Yes, if the subject is already clear from context, Spanish can drop it:

• Me recomendó una pomada para la muñeca.

That still means She recommended an ointment for my wrist to me / The pharmacist recommended an ointment for my wrist depending on context.

Spanish often leaves out subjects when they are understood.

A little, yes, but the original order is the most natural and neutral.

Standard:

• La farmacéutica me recomendó una pomada para la muñeca.

You might also hear:

• Me recomendó una pomada para la muñeca la farmacéutica.

But that sounds more marked or context-dependent.

For a learner, the original version is the best model to follow.

Not exactly, but they are closely related.

• Me recomendó una pomada = She recommended an ointment to me.
• Me recomendó que usara una pomada = She recommended that I use an ointment.

The first recommends a thing.
The second recommends an action.

Both are common with recomendar, but the grammar is different.