I have applied for a vacancy in the Prime Minister's office, and have been selected for the shortlist. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Aspect markers

  ona — 'already' (perfective)

  ona

  Placed after the verb (or after the object), 'ona' marks that something has already happened. Cannot stand alone — must belong to a sentence. See also 'tiha ona' for a stronger completed aspect.

• Comparison

  liu — comparison 'more / most'

  liu

  Tetun 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

  nian

  '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

• Primeiru ministru demite RT hosi nia kargu ministru finansas tanba iha mal administrasaun.The prime minister dismissed RT from his position as finance minister because there was mismanagement.
• Lia hirak ne'e hasai liu husi komunikadu imprensa ne'ebé diáriu ne'e simu husi gabinete Primeiru Ministru horiseik.This was announced through a press release which this daily newspaper received from the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.
• Ha'u ko'alia ho Señór Prezidenti, ho mós Señór Primeiru Ministru.I talked with the president, and also with the prime minister.
• Primeiru ministru la admite Fm atu partisipa tan iha kongresu.The prime minister did not permit FM to continue participating in the congress.
• Juvinal sai protokól iha serimónia aniversáriu Primeiru Ministru nian.Juvinal was master of ceremonies for the prime minister’s birthday celebrations.
• Primeiru Ministru lamenta tebetebes ho violénsia ne'ebé manifestante sira halo.The Prime Minister expressed his sorrow about the violence carried out by the demonstrators.