My family lives in a rural area, far from the city. in Tetun
Ha'u nia família hela iha área rurál, dook hosi sidade.
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
- Sira hela dook hosi sidade.They live far from the city.
- Hosi rai ikun to'o rai ulun ita mesak Timor oan de'it.From the far west to the far east, we are all Timorese.
- Tempu férias ha'u sei bá vizita família sira iha foho.In the holidays I’ll go and visit my family in the rural areas.
- Família ne'e hosi loromonu, parte Bobonaro nian.This family is from the west side of Timor, from the Bobonaro area.
- Agora lia mate kona ami nia família. Nune'e ami tenke lori fahi bá oho.We have a death-related ceremony. So we need to bring a pig to the rural area for slaughtering.
- Marito hela iha Becora.Marito lives in Becora.