Only when you dip half-ripe mango in chilli does it taste good. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• 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'.

• Time expressions

  Temporal connectors

  foin

  Common time words: 'bainhira / kuandu' = when; 'molok / antes' = before; 'depois' and 'liu tiha' = after; 'kedas' = immediately; 'foin' = only just, very recently; 'kleur' = a long time.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Dose bolus ne'e mamar loos, ita han mós gostu loos.This cake is very soft and taste good.
• Tau bee nanotak de'it, se lae fakar.Only half-fill it with water, otherwise it could spill.
• Mestre ne'e matan osan; ita fó osan mak nia fó valór di'ak.This teacher is greedy. Only if we give money does he give us good marks.
• Ita nia kolaborasaun di'ak mak bele realiza eventu ne'e.Only if our collaboration is good will we be able to make this event a reality.
• Haas huun boot ne'e nia fuan barak mangál ona, ita bele ku'u hodi han.This large mango tree has lots of nearly-ripe fruit. We can pick them and eat them.
• Daan koto to'o grosu mak tau modo tahan ba para han gostu.Boil the beans until the liquid thickens then add some leafy vegetables, so that it taste good.