If you throw rubbish just anywhere, it will have a negative impact on the beauty of the city. in Tetun
Se ita soe fo'er arbiru de'it bele iha impaktu negativu ba sidade nia furak.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Conditionals
se / karik — conditionals
se'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.
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.
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'.
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
- Ema ne'e konsiénsia la iha, nia soe fo'er arbiru de'it.This person has no conscience, for he just throws rubbish anywhere.
- Miguel ne'e matan foun iha rai ne'e, keta lori nia la'o arbiru.Miguel is a newcomer here, so don’t take him just anywhere.
- Labarik ne'e bulak uitoan karik, tanba ha'u haree nia ko'alia arbiru de'it.This child might be a bit crazy, as I notice he just talks rubbish.
- Sira sei halo kordenasaun ho sira nia xefe depois mak fó desizaun.They will coordinate with their boss, then they will make a decision.
- Ó tuur hanesan bos de'it, la hatene halo servisu, hein han de'it!You're just sitting there like a boss, not working, just waiting to be fed!
- Ó lakohi han paun, orsida sai kulapur tiha. Ne'e estraga osan de'it!You refuse to eat bread. Soon it will get mouldy, and that’s just a waste of money!