Last week my friend set out from Timor for Ireland to look for work. in Tetun
Semana liu ba ha'u nia kolega foti ain hosi Timor ba Irlándia buka serbisu.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Comparison
liu — comparison 'more / most'
liuTetun 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'.
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
- Ha'u nia kolega Lourença partu bebé mane ida iha ospitál Bairro Pite semana kotuk.My friend Lourença gave birth to a baby boy last week at Bairro Pite Hospital.
- Semana kotuk ami nonton bola iha estádiun.Last week we watched soccer at the stadium.
- Semana liu ba ema hotu selebra santu-santa nia loron.Last week everyone celebrated All Saints day.
- Ita la'o kalan, kuidadu rama ambon.If you go out at night, watch out for metal darts.
- Semana kotuk padre fó sarani labarik hamutuk atus rua.Last week the priest christened two hundred children.
- Semana liu ba ami han ikan to'o enjoa tiha de'it!Last week we kept eating fish until we were sick of it!