Please unplug the cable to the water pump, as the water tank is completely full. in Tetun
Ajuda losu tiha fiu Sanyo nian lai, tanba bee tanke nakonu hotu ona.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
lai — 'first' / polite request
laiAfter the verb or object, 'lai' means 'first, for a moment' — often softens a request by implying the action won't last long.
Aspect markers
ona — 'already' (perfective)
onaPlaced 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
nian'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.
Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.
Related phrases
- Tanke ne'e, bee nakonu.This tank is full of water.
- Kuandu tanke sentina nakonu, haruka ema mai supa sai.When the septic tank is full, get someone to pump it out.
- Tiu ohin fakar sai bee iha tanke ba li'ur tanba fatin tanke fo'er.Uncle has just poured out the water from the tank because the tank is dirty.
- Ha'u bá kuru bee iha bee matan.I'm going to fetch water from the spring/water source.
- Bee ne'e manas loos, aumenta tan bee malirin hodi halo morna de'it.The water is very hot. Add some cold water to make it just lukewarm.
- Kuru sai bee iha tanke laran, hamoos tiha mak foin enxe fali.Scoop out the water in the tank, then clean it before filling it back up.