I enjoy playing tennis, however my wife enjoys volleyball more. in Tetun
Ha'u gosta joga tenis, maibé ha'u nia kaben gosta liu joga voli.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Comparison
liu — comparison 'more / most'
liuTetun comparison uses 'X liu Y' not 'mais X' — the adjective stays put and 'liu' follows. With a focus 'mak' it becomes superlative. Avoid Portuguese-style 'melhor' or 'mais boot'.
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.
Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.
Related phrases
- Ha'u gosta liu joga basket duké joga voli.I prefer playing basketball to volleyball.
- Atleta Timor oan sei tuir modalidade rua: tenis ho tenis meza.Timorese athletes will compete in two events: tennis and table tennis.
- Han tan!Eat some more!
- Dete mak Azay nia ruin sorin.Dete is Azay's wife.
- Desportu saida mak ita gosta halimar?What sport do you like playing?
- Nia abitua ho joga karta.He's made a habit of playing cards.