My older brother went to patch the tyre of his motorbike at a mechanic’s workshop. in Tetun
Maun bá taka motór nia roda iha benkel.
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
- Janio monu ho motor, nia ain tohar.Janio fell off his motorbike and broke his leg.
- Maun mak treina ha'u lori motór.It was my older brother who taught me to ride a motorbike.
- 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.
- Maun boot Xanana horiseik bá vizita família kiak sira iha Baucau.Older brother Xanana (the respected president and former resistance leader) yesterday went to visit poor families in Baucau.
- Nia hetan torturasaun durante tempu okupasaun, tanba nia maun kaer kilat iha ai-laran.He was tortured throughout the (Indonesian) occupation, because his older brother was a gun-carrying (guerrilla) in the jungles.
- Bonoiti, maun.Good evening/night, older brother.