(I suspect) you might have drunk wine. That’s why your face is flushed. in Tetun
Ó hemu tua karik, ne'e mak halo ó nia oin mean.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Conditionals
se / karik — conditionals
karik'se' opens a definite conditional ('if X, then Y'). 'karik' sits at the end of a clause and hedges it ('perhaps'); it can also mark an uncertain conditional.
Focus
mak — focus marker
mak'mak' focuses the preceding constituent — used when English would bold or cleft ('it was X who...'). Also forms the superlative with 'liu'.
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
- Tiu nia isin tuun neineik-neineik. Ha'u deskonfia nia iha moras TBC.Uncle is gradually losing weight. I suspect he might have tuberculosis.
- Feto ne'e oin aat loos. Nia presiza make-up para halo oin di'ak oituan.This woman has a very ugly face. She needs makeup to beautify her face a bit.
- Ita rezolve problema, di'ak liu ko'alia oin ho oin, la bele iha kotukotuk.When resolving problems, it's better to talk face to face, not behind people's backs.
- Livru ne'e Joana nian karik.This book might be Joana’s.
- Sé mak fó lanu ha'u nia oan ne'e?Who got my son/daughter drunk?
- Nia hemu tua to'o gripa!He drank wine til he was a wreck!