It’s better to avoid alcohol and cigarettes, otherwise these can damage your health. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Comparison

  liu — comparison 'more / most'

  liu

  Tetun comparison uses 'X liu Y' not 'mais X' — the adjective stays put and 'liu' follows. With a focus 'mak' it becomes superlative. Avoid Portuguese-style 'melhor' or 'mais boot'.

• 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.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Ha'u espera katak ha'u bele hasoru fali sira iha kondisaun ne'ebé saudavel.I hope I can again meet them in good health.
• Hahán lata sira ne'e nakonu ho kímiku ne'ebé bele estraga ita nia saude.Canned food is full of chemicals which can ruin our health.
• Ita la bele halai sees hosi problema ne'e tanba ida ne'e mak realidade moris.We can’t avoid problems because they are a reality of life.
• Mina rai bele sai bénsaun ba nasaun, maibé bele mós sai malisan.Petroleum can be a blessing to a nation, but can also become a curse.
• Fábrika ne'e tenke hasa'e produsaun, se lae sei la la'o ba oin.The factory must increase its production, otherwise it can't progress.
• Ahi lakan-mate beibeik bele estraga sasán eletróniku.When the power keeps going on and off, it can damage electronic goods.