João is cleaning the bathroom so it won’t be smelly. in Tetun
João hamoos hela hariis fatin hodi nune'e la bele dois.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
hela — 'currently' or 'reside'
helaAfter a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.
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'.
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
- Mai sedu, é!Come early, won't you.
- Sira nia ekipa manán kuatru - zero.Their team won four - zero.
- Di'ak ida nia mai, di'ak ida la mai.Perhaps he'll come, perhaps he won't.
- Nia sei la mai, só ema obriga mak nia mai.He won't come unless he is forced to.
- Nia bosok-teen! Ha'u sei la tau konfiansa ba nia.He’s a liar! I won’t put my trust in him.
- Taxa karun sei la estimula investimentu foun.High taxes won't stimulate new investment.