Our objective is to revive the border market which for many years hasn't been functioning well. in Tetun

Ami nia objetivu mak atu reativa fila fali merkadu fronteira ne'ebé tinan barak ona la funsiona ho didi'ak.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

  • Aspect markers

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

    fali

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

  • 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.

  • 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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