Auntie is forgetful. So don’t give her things to take home. in Tetun
Tia ne'e haluha dór. Ne'ebé lalika fó sasán ba nia hodi lori ba uma.
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
lalikaThree 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
- Tia sikat ulsuku iha fuuk.Auntie stuck her hairpin through her hair.
- Delia moras atan. La bele husu nia kaer servisu todan.Delia is sickly. Don’t give her any heavy work.
- Bebé isin manas hela. Lalika lori nia la'o sai ba li'ur.The baby has a temperature. Don’t take her outside.
- Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money.
- Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!
- Ha'u nia oan feto Joana ne'e maña liu. se ita la fó osan nia lakohi bá eskola.My daughter Joana is very spoiled. If we don’t give her any money, she refuses to go to school.