Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money. in Tetun
Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.
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'.
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
- Labarik ida tanis hakilar maka'as loos tanba nia mamá baku.A child cried very loudly because her mother hit her.
- Maria halo grupu estudu iha ninia uma hamutuk ho nia kolega sira.Maria has started a study group at her house together with her friends.
- Ohin dadeer Joana rakut Maria nia fuuk tanba Maria tolok nia.Joana yanked on Maria’s hair this morning because of Maria swore at her.
- Mestre ne'e matan osan; ita fó osan mak nia fó valór di'ak.This teacher is greedy. Only if we give money does he give us good marks.
- Maria sei lutu ba nia inan ne'ebé mate funan neen liu bá.Maria is wearing black in mourning for her mother who died six months ago.
- Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!