Tetun Translator

Now it’s dusk, so we can go home. We’ll continue picking coffee tomorrow. in Tetun

Agora rai nakaras ona, ita bele bá ona uma, aban mak ita kontinua ku'u fali kafé.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

  • Aspect markers

    ona — 'already' (perfective)

    ona

    Placed 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.

  • Aspect markers

    fali — 'again' / 'back' / 'instead'

    fali

    Placed after the verb. Can mean 'again / back' or mark an unexpected reversal ('instead'). Context decides which.

  • Focus

    mak — focus marker

    mak

    'mak' focuses the preceding constituent — used when English would bold or cleft ('it was X who...'). Also forms the superlative with 'liu'.

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.

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