I'll leave this gold disk with you so that you can lend me money. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Aspect markers

  hela — 'currently' or 'reside'

  hela

  After a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.

• Possibility & probability

  bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility

  bele

  Tetun hedges less than English, but has a cluster of markers. 'bele' before the verb = can / may. 'parese' at the start = 'seems'. 'dala ruma' at the start of a clause = 'perhaps, sometimes'. 'kala / kal' before a number = 'approximately'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Osan sei manán justisa mundu nian, tanba hodi osan ema sala bele sai ba loos.Money will defeat justice in the world, as with money people who have done wrong can be (judged) right.
• Oinsá mak ita bele hetan osan atu selu eskola?How can we get money to pay for schooling?
• Mina rai bele sai bénsaun ba nasaun, maibé bele mós sai malisan.Petroleum can be a blessing to a nation, but can also become a curse.
• Karik ita maneja osan ho di'ak, ita bele uza sinkuenta dolar to'o fulan ida.If we manage our money properly, we can use fifty dollars for a month.
• Ita servisu iha rai li'ur, bele manán osan boot maibé servisu todan.If we work overseas, we can earn a lot of money, but the work is hard.
• Ami rasik la bele ajuda ita, maibé ami bele husu ajuda ba ema seluk.We ourselves can’t help you, but we can ask for help from someone else.