Dete is Azay's wife. in Tetun
Dete mak Azay nia ruin sorin.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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'.
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
- Dete fó han nia koellu uza senoura de'it.Dete feeds her rabbit only carrots.
- Tia Martinha ne'e tiu Pedro nia kaben.Auntie Martinha is uncle Pedro’s wife.
- Hanesan aman ha'u tenke proteje ha'u nia kaben ho ha'u nia oan.As a father I have to protect my wife and children.
- António gaba nia ferik oan tanba nia te'in midar loos.António praised his wife because she cooked a tasty meal.
- Ha'u gosta joga tenis, maibé ha'u nia kaben gosta liu joga voli.I enjoy playing tennis, however my wife enjoys volleyball more.
- Nia istória malu ho nia feen, nia baku rahun sasán uma laran nian hotu.When he quarrelled with his wife, he smashed everything in the house.