My godmother keeps a cockatoo. in Tetun
Ha'u nia madriña hakiak kakatua ida.
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
- Defeza ne'e tebe bola aut beibeik.The defence keeps kicking the ball out.
- Ha'u mak sai labarik nia inan sarani.I am going to be the godmother of the child.
- Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money.
- Ahi lakan-mate beibeik bele estraga sasán eletróniku.When the power keeps going on and off, it can damage electronic goods.
- Nia fila lia bá-mai, la konsistente ho nia liafuan rasik.He keeps twisting words to and fro, and is inconsistent with his own words.
- Ó nia tanke mina kuak, karik ne'e mak mina naksuli hela de'it.Your petrol tank has a hole in it. Perhaps that's why petrol keeps leaking out.