I didn't really like reading this story, as it was too descriptive, there was no action. in Tetun
Ha'u ladún gosta lee istória ne'e, tanba deskritivu demais, asaun la iha.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Intensifiers
Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)
demaisPosition matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.
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
- Istória ne'ebé nia hakerek ne'e, ha'u gosta nia tópiku, maibé la gosta nia maneira narasaun.This story that he's written, I like the topic, but don't like his style of story-telling.
- Labarik sira gosta lee Mau Sesta nia istória iha revista Lafaek.The children like reading Mau Sesta’s story in the magazine Lafaek.
- Ha'u nia oan ne'e ne'e, hanesa ami mesak, ne'e nia ladún seda – ladún maña.My daughter here, like, when we’re alone, she’s not really you-know – not really demanding.
- Ha'u la gosta hemu derok been tanba siin liu.I don’t like drinking lime juice as it’s too sour.
- Kala nia mak konta istória ne'e. Ha'u lae.Perhaps he was the one who told that story. I didn’t.
- Nu'udar ema foin-sa'e, ha'u gosta duni aprende buat barak.As a young person, I really like to learn many things.