Don’t pour the milk here, or it will invite ants in. in Tetun
La bele fakar susu been iha ne'e, se lae sei konvida nehek mai.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
sei — 'will' or 'still'
seiTetun has no verb conjugation. Aspect and tense are marked by particles. 'sei' sits immediately before the verb — marking a definite future ('will') or a continuative ('still'). Combine with 'hela' after the verb for ongoing action. Negation is 'sei la' = 'will not'.
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.
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
- La bele husik ha'u mesak iha ne'e.Don't leave me alone here.
- Keta tama iha tasi ne'e, bee ne'e kle'an!Don't go into the sea here, the water is deep!
- La bele rai bisikleta iha li'ur tanba ferujen lalais.Don’t leave the bicycle outside, as it will rust quickly.
- La bele hanaruk tan sira nia kontratu, tanba sira servisu la di'ak!Don't extend their contract, because they don't work well!
- Miguel ne'e matan foun iha rai ne'e, keta lori nia la'o arbiru.Miguel is a newcomer here, so don’t take him just anywhere.
- Iha ne'e rai lolon maka'as, kuidadu keta monu.Here the slope is very steep. So be careful you don’t fall.