Mino challenged his friend to a fight. in Tetun
Mino sadik nia kolega atu baku malu.
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.
Reciprocal
malu — 'each other'
malu'malu' follows the verb to mark reciprocal action. Common in political / news idioms: 'haree malu diak' (get on well), 'diskuti malu' (argue), 'haan malu' (oppose one another), '(liafuan) la haan malu' (testimonies don't match).
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
- 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 kumu liman atu baku nia kolega.He makes a fist to bash his friend.
- Nia saláriu hakerek klaru iha kontratu laran.His salary is clearly written in his contract.
- Paulo laran moras tanba nia kolega lohi nia.Paulo is upset because his friend deceived him.
- Janio monu ho motor, nia ain tohar.Janio fell off his motorbike and broke his leg.
- Lita: Nia naran António ka? Ina: Lae, nia naran José.Lita: Is his name António? Ina: No, his name is José.