Atoy is a liar. Don’t believe him! in Tetun
Atoy ema ida ne'ebé bosok-teen. Keta fiar nia!
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Possession
nia / nian — possession
nia'nia' goes BEFORE the thing possessed; 'nian' goes AFTER. Both function the same way; position decides which form. 'nia' is also the 3rd-person pronoun (he / she / it) — disambiguate by position.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
ketaThree strengths of 'don't': 'lalika(n)' is softest — 'no need to, don't bother'. 'keta' is a direct prohibitive command. 'la bele' = 'not allowed, must not'.
More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.
Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.
Related phrases
- Ne'e ha'u nia sala. Keta fó todan ba nia!It was my fault. Don't blame him!
- Nia bosok-teen! Ha'u sei la tau konfiansa ba nia.He’s a liar! I won’t put my trust in him.
- Ema ne'e sensitivu loos, ne'ebé keta ba book nia.This person is very sensitive. Don’t hassle him.
- La bele hanaruk tan sira nia kontratu, tanba sira servisu la di'ak!Don't extend their contract, because they don't work well!
- Miguel ne'e matan foun iha rai ne'e, keta lori nia la'o arbiru.Miguel is a newcomer here, so don’t take him just anywhere.
- Ha'u ko'alia lia loos. Nusaa mak imi hotu la fiar?!I’m telling you the truth. Why don’t any of you believe me?!