Tetun Translator

I’m keeping Maria company at her place, as tomorrow she is leaving for America. in Tetun

Ha'u hamaluk hela Maria iha nia uma, aban nia atu bá ona Amérika.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

  • 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.

  • 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'.

  • 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.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

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