Her hair sticks out all over the place. Maybe she never combs it! in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Conditionals

  se / karik — conditionals

  karik

  '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.

• Intensifiers

  Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)

  loos

  Position 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.

Related phrases

• Nia la'o lemo rai de'it, la iha fatin atu hela.He travels all over the place, with no place to live.
• Tia sikat ulsuku iha fuuk.Auntie stuck her hairpin through her hair.
• Tia Diana uza nehan falsu, tanba nia nehan monu hotu.Aunty Diana uses false teeth as all her teeth have fallen out.
• Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!
• Durante tempu okupasaun Indonézia nian, Timor oan barak nia ruin naklekar iha fat-fatin.During the Indonesian occupation, the bones of many Timorese were scattered all over the place.
• Loyola dada fuuk para atu halo been.Loyola pressed her hair to make it straight.