My motorbike is broken in Tetun
Ha'u nia motór aat ona.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
ona — 'already' (perfective)
onaPlaced after the verb (or after the object), 'ona' marks that something has already happened. Cannot stand alone — must belong to a sentence. See also 'tiha ona' for a stronger completed aspect.
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
- Selín motór nian aat ona, ita tuur la di'ak.The motorbike saddle has broken, you can’t sit on it properly.
- Motór nia sira nian, la bele book.This motorbike is theirs. Don’t touch it.
- Motór ne'e ita boot nian ka, sé nian?Is this motorbike yours? If not whose is it?
- Janio monu ho motor, nia ain tohar.Janio fell off his motorbike and broke his leg.
- Ha'u hamoris hela motór atu bá serbisu.I’m turning on the motorbike so I can go to work.
- Ita nia motór boot ka ki'ik? Nia Cc hira?Is your motorbike large or small? How many CC is it?