I've worked all day! I can't do any more! in Tetun
Ha'u ohin servisu ful! La bele halo tan!
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Negation
la — 'not' (general negation)
laPlaced before verbs and adjectives to negate them. For contrastive 'not X but Y' use 'laós'; for 'not yet' use 'seidauk'; for 'no longer' wrap 'la ... ona' around the verb.
Possibility & probability
bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility
beleTetun 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'.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
la beleThree strengths of 'don't': 'lalika(n)' is softest — 'no need to, don't bother'. 'keta' is a direct prohibitive command. 'la bele' = 'not allowed, must not'.
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
- Ita bá oin la bele ona, muda ba marxa atrás para bá kotuk lai.We can't go forward any more, put (the car) into reverse so we can go backwards first.
- Iha mundu tomak loron domin koñesidu nu'udar Valentine's Day.All over the world the day of love is known as Valentine's Day.
- Ha'u moras mii midar, entaun doutór bandu lalika han tan buat midar.I have diabetes, so the doctor told me I can’t eat sweet things any more.
- Nasaun ne'e la iha sensura. Leitór sira bele post komentáriu saida de'it.This nation doesn't have censorship. Readers can post any comments at all.
- Toos-natar sira agora fuik hotu tanba ema la halo ona.The rice paddies and dryland farms are now all in a wild state as people aren't farming any more.
- Ha'u la hetan doit metan ida!I didn't get any money at all!