I’m feeling very sleepy, and had better sleep. in Tetun
Ha'u sente matan dukur loos, di'ak liu toba lai.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
lai — 'first' / polite request
laiAfter the verb or object, 'lai' means 'first, for a moment' — often softens a request by implying the action won't last long.
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'.
Intensifiers
Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)
loosPosition matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.
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
- Madalena huu nia liman ida ohin bee manas kona.Madalena blew on her hand which had just had hot water touch it.
- Uluk, Timor-leste iha mortalidade maternál aas loos.In the past, Timor-Leste had a very high maternal mortality rate.
- Hori-kalan ha'u atu estuda, maibé la iha livru, entaun ha'u deskansa de'it.Last night I intended to study, but had no books, so I just had a rest.
- Ha'u orgullu loos tanba reprezentasaun feto iha parlamentu to'o ona 29%.I'm feeling very proud because women's representation in parliament has reached 29%.
- Ami nia viziñu halo festa uza koluna, barullu demais toba la di'ak.Our neighbour had a party using a big loudspeaker, making it so noisy it was hard to sleep.
- Kuidadu, iha botir rahun barak iha dalan. Di'ak liu tau sapatu.Be careful, as there are many broken bottles on the road. You had better put your shoes on.