Scoop out the water in the tank, then clean it before filling it back up. in Tetun

Kuru sai bee iha tanke laran, hamoos tiha mak foin enxe fali.

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.

  • 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.

Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.

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