Lita: Is his name António? Ina: No, his name is José. in Tetun
Lita: Nia naran António ka? Ina: Lae, nia naran José.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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
- Nia naran jentiu "Naha Risi", maibé iha eskola bolu tuir naran sarani, "Manuel dos Santos".His traditional name is "Naha Risi", but at school he is called by his Christian name "Manuel dos Santos".
- António uza goma atu lem nia surat tahan iha parede.António used glue to glue his paper to the wall.
- António hakmumuk bee hodi fasi nia ibun.António rinses his mouth with water to wash it out.
- António gaba nia ferik oan tanba nia te'in midar loos.António praised his wife because she cooked a tasty meal.
- Mateus agora de'ut hela nia matan, tanba ai-luruk mak tama.Mateus is rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, because a prickle has gotten into his eye.
- Nia naran Atai.His name is Atai.