He won't come unless he is forced to. in Tetun

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.

• Aspect markers

  sei — 'will' or 'still'

  sei

  Tetun 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'.

• 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'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Mai sedu, é!Come early, won't you.
• Di'ak ida nia mai, di'ak ida la mai.Perhaps he'll come, perhaps he won't.
• Atu simu osan, tama ida-ida; la bele tama hamutuk.To receive (your) money, come in one at a time; you can’t come in together.
• Mai lalais!Come quickly!
• Ita mai hosi ne'ebé?Where did you come from?
• Nusaa mak ó tama tarde hanesan ne'e?!Why have you come so late?