Don’t get angry all the time; otherwise you’ll grow old quickly. in Tetun
La bele hirus beibeik; se lae, ferik lailais.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Conditionals
se / karik — conditionals
se'se' opens a definite conditional ('if X, then Y'). 'karik' sits at the end of a clause and hedges it ('perhaps'); it can also mark an uncertain conditional.
Negation
la — 'not' (general negation)
laPlaced before verbs and adjectives to negate them. For contrastive 'not X but Y' use 'laós'; for 'not yet' use 'seidauk'; for 'no longer' wrap 'la ... ona' around the verb.
Possibility & probability
bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility
beleTetun hedges less than English, but has a cluster of markers. 'bele' before the verb = can / may. 'parese' at the start = 'seems'. 'dala ruma' at the start of a clause = 'perhaps, sometimes'. 'kala / kal' before a number = 'approximately'.
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
- Ohin loron keta sai ba li'ur tanba anin aat, orsida isin katar.Don't go outside today as there's a bad wind, otherwise you'll get itchy skin.
- Ema ne'e matan mean, keta ranxu ho nia, se lae nia raan sa'e oho fali imi.This person is a murderer. Don't mix with him, or he could get angry and kill you.
- La bele tunu fehuk kleur liu iha ahi, se la bele motuk hotu.Don’t roast the potatoes on the fire for too long, otherwise they will all be burnt.
- Ha'u la hetan doit metan ida!I didn't get any money at all!
- Tanba saa mak nia bele hirus lalais?Why does she get angry so fast?
- Mestre hanorin full-time ka part-time?Does the teacher teach full-time or part-time?