Miguel is a newcomer here, so don’t take him just anywhere. in Tetun
Miguel ne'e matan foun iha rai ne'e, keta lori nia la'o arbiru.
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.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
ketaThree strengths of 'don't': 'lalika(n)' is softest — 'no need to, don't bother'. 'keta' is a direct prohibitive command. 'la bele' = 'not allowed, must not'.
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
- Inan-aman hanorin la rona ta'uk mak la'o sala dalan de'it.Parents educating you but when you don’t pay attention just be careful just be careful that you don’t go astray.
- Lalika ta'uk. Bá de'it!Don’t be afraid. Just go!
- La bele husik ha'u mesak iha ne'e.Don't leave me alone here.
- Ne'e ha'u nia sala. Keta fó todan ba nia!It was my fault. Don't blame him!
- Atoy ema ida ne'ebé bosok-teen. Keta fiar nia!Atoy is a liar. Don’t believe him!
- La bele han etu sobak de'it hanesan ne'e.Don’t just guzzle the rice like that.