Atoy might have gone a bit crazy to make him talk randomly like that. in Tetun
Atoy kala fulan lotuk fali ona mak ko'alia arbiru de'it ne'e.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
fali — 'again' / 'back' / 'instead'
faliPlaced after the verb. Can mean 'again / back' or mark an unexpected reversal ('instead'). Context decides which.
Aspect markers
ona — 'already' (perfective)
onaPlaced after the verb (or after the object), 'ona' marks that something has already happened. Cannot stand alone — must belong to a sentence. See also 'tiha ona' for a stronger completed aspect.
Focus
mak — focus marker
mak'mak' focuses the preceding constituent — used when English would bold or cleft ('it was X who...'). Also forms the superlative with 'liu'.
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
- Labarik ne'e bulak uitoan karik, tanba ha'u haree nia ko'alia arbiru de'it.This child might be a bit crazy, as I notice he just talks rubbish.
- La bele ko'alia nune'e!Don’t talk like that!
- Atoy ema ida ne'ebé bosok-teen. Keta fiar nia!Atoy is a liar. Don’t believe him!
- Soruk tiha, ha'u atu liu!Move over a bit, I'd like to go past!
- Labarik ne'e han de'it saida mak bokur loos ne'e!?What on earth is this child eating to make him so fat!?
- Mane klosan ida halai motór hanesan ema bulak.A young single guy rode a motorbike like a crazy person.