People used to respect of you because you worked honestly, but now you have a bad reputation because you stole. in Tetun

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.

• 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.

Related phrases

• Ó nia naran di'ak iha ema barak nia oin tanba servisu ho onestu.You have a good reputation in the midst of people because your work honestly.
• Agora ó nia naran fo'er, tanba ó kaben na'in maibé ó namora fali feto klosan.Now you have a bad reputation, because you are a married man are dating a single girl.
• Kolega Jinha ko'alia aat ha'u iha ema seluk nia oin tanba de'it nia laran moras ha'u.My friend Jinha bad-mouthed me in front of other people just because she is jealous of me.
• Kuandu ema hala'o edukasaun sívika, sira hanorin povu kona ba lia polítiku nian, no mós kona ba direitu no responsabilidade reinu nian, atu foti povu nia konsiénsia polítiku.When people conduct civic education, they teach the people about political affairs, and also about the rights and responsibilities of the people, to raise their political awareness.
• Se ita nia lider iha kompleksu dé inferioridade maka'as, sei susar tebes defende interese povu nian, tanba la brani kontra ema hosi grupu seluk.If our leaders have a strong inferiority complex, it is difficult for them to defend the interests of the people, because they don't have the courage to oppose people from other groups.
• Agora rai tarutu, tanba udan mai dadaun.Now there is thunder, because rain is coming.