Auntie wove a betel container to keep her betel nut and betel pepper in. in Tetun
Tia homan mama fatin para atu tau nia bua malus iha laran.
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.
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
- Ha'u sosa lai malus futun ida para bele look ferik sira.I'll buy a bundle of betel pepper leaves so that I can offer betel nut to the old ladies.
- Tia sikat ulsuku iha fuuk.Auntie stuck her hairpin through her hair.
- 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!
- Tia sa'e mikrolét hiti de'it nia subriña tanba ema nakonu.Auntie got into the minibus and held her niece on her lap because the minibus was full of people.
- Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money.
- Labarik ida tanis hakilar maka'as loos tanba nia mamá baku.A child cried very loudly because her mother hit her.