My older sister Aleta has had her tubes tied so she won’t have more children. in Tetun
Ha'u nia mana Aleta kesi oan fatin para lalika iha oan tan.
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.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
lalikaThree strengths of 'don't': 'lalika(n)' is softest — 'no need to, don't bother'. 'keta' is a direct prohibitive command. 'la bele' = 'not allowed, must not'.
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
- Madalena huu nia liman ida ohin bee manas kona.Madalena blew on her hand which had just had hot water touch it.
- Mana Nita hamaus nia bebé tanis hela iha uma laran.Older sister Nita is settling her baby who is crying in the house.
- Mana husu misa ba nia oan ne'ebé moris mai mate.My older sister requested a mass intention for her stillborn baby.
- Ha'u nia biin uza mina azeti hodi kose isin para kabeer.My older sister uses olive oil to rub on her skin so it is smooth.
- Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!
- Ha'u nia biin eskola kona ba medisina iha Kuba tanba nia hakarak sai doutór ba labarik.My older sister is studying medicine in Cuba because she wants to become a children’s doctor.