Aunty Bety make very tasty gravy for satay, such that we just keep wanting to eat it. in Tetun
Tia Bety halo sate nia mollu gostu loos, halo ita hakarak han hela de'it.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
hela — 'currently' or 'reside'
helaAfter a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.
Intensifiers
Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)
loosPosition matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.
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
- Bee ne'e manas loos, aumenta tan bee malirin hodi halo morna de'it.The water is very hot. Add some cold water to make it just lukewarm.
- Juiz tenke hatuun desizaun ne'ebé justu.Judges must make just decisions.
- Hahán feitu ona, haruka sira mai han de'it.The food is ready. Just ask them to come and eat.
- Tina nia kakorok laran katar tan de'it nia hemu bee torneira.Tina’s throat is very itchy just because she drank tap water.
- Aproximasaun mestre sira nian ba estudante importante loos.The approach that teachers make to students is very important.
- Ai huun ne'e nia sanak barak loos, halo mahon rai furak loos.This tree has so many branches, which make a very beautiful shade.