Tetun Translator

Maria is wearing black in mourning for her mother who died six months ago. in Tetun

Maria sei lutu ba nia inan ne'ebé mate funan neen liu bá.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

Aspect markers
sei — 'will' or 'still'
sei
Tetun has no verb conjugation. Aspect and tense are marked by particles. 'sei' sits immediately before the verb — marking a definite future ('will') or a continuative ('still'). Combine with 'hela' after the verb for ongoing action. Negation is 'sei la' = 'will not'.
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'.
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.

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