I saw the neighbour’s goat has a long horn but it is curvy. in Tetun
Ha'u haree viziñu nia bibi dikur naruk maibé kle'uk fali.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
fali — 'again' / 'back' / 'instead'
faliPlaced after the verb. Can mean 'again / back' or mark an unexpected reversal ('instead'). Context decides which.
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
- Kore bibi talin ne'e bá kesi fali besik du'ut barak hodi nia han.Untie the goat’s rope and go and tie it up again somewhere near where the grassy area so the goat can eat.
- Iha ne'e ai mesak naru-naruk de'it.Here all the logs are long.
- Ha'u haree sira han iha restorante.I saw them eat in a restaurant.
- Ha'u haree ro'o mout iha tasi laran.I saw a ferry drown into the sea.
- Ha'u haree manu pombu semo sai hosi nia fatin.I saw a pigeon flying away from its place.
- Horiseik ha'u haree mana la'o hela.Yesterday I saw you (older sister) walking.