My girlfriend is going to study in Portugal. Only when she comes back can we marry. in Tetun

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.

• Possibility & probability

  bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility

  bele

  Tetun hedges less than English, but has a cluster of markers. 'bele' before the verb = can / may. 'parese' at the start = 'seems'. 'dala ruma' at the start of a clause = 'perhaps, sometimes'. 'kala / kal' before a number = 'approximately'.

• Time expressions

  Temporal connectors

  foin

  Common time words: 'bainhira / kuandu' = when; 'molok / antes' = before; 'depois' and 'liu tiha' = after; 'kedas' = immediately; 'foin' = only just, very recently; 'kleur' = a long time.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• La bele han ai-fuan ne'e lai, tanba sei tara hela horok. Aban liurai sei hasai horok mak bele han.You can't eat the fruit yet, because it is still under the horok taboo. You can only eat the fruit once the king removes the horok.
• Iha ami nia servisu fatin, só Sesta de'it mak bele uza kalsa jíns.In our work place we can only wear jeans on Fridays.
• Ha'u tenke te'in lai. Depois mak ita na'in rua bá pasiar.I have to cook first. Only then can the two of us go out.
• Ami estuda la di'ak tanba labarik sira estrundu loos.We can’t study effectively because the children are so noisy.
• Mina rai bele sai bénsaun ba nasaun, maibé bele mós sai malisan.Petroleum can be a blessing to a nation, but can also become a curse.
• Ahi lakan-mate beibeik bele estraga sasán eletróniku.When the power keeps going on and off, it can damage electronic goods.