Maria's such a borrower! She's always going into debt to others. in Tetun
Maria para debe dór! Nia gosta debe tuun debe sa'e.
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
- Ha'u iha tusan barak liu. = Ha'u nia tusan barak liu.I am in lots of debt (to others).
- Mama sempre hanorin ha'u atu sai feto serbí na'in.Mum always taught me to be a woman who serves others.
- Jelitu sama travaun la metin to'o xoke tiha ai-huun.Jelitu braked poorly, such that (the car) ran into a tree.
- 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.
- Maria hadeer mai, sempre dasa ai-luruk iha nia uma oin.When Maria gets up, she always sweeps up the fallen leaves in front of her house.
- Banhira ami la'o dook, ami nia amá sempre fó hanoin ami atu lori bukae.When we are going to travel a long way, our mother always reminds us to bring food for the journey.