Son, hand me the salt so I can use it. in Tetun
Oan, lolo masin mai ha'u atu ha'u bele uza.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Possibility & probability
bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility
beleTetun hedges less than English, but has a cluster of markers. 'bele' before the verb = can / may. 'parese' at the start = 'seems'. 'dala ruma' at the start of a clause = 'perhaps, sometimes'. 'kala / kal' before a number = 'approximately'.
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
- Ami uza kareta ne'e ba ami nia an.We use this car for ourselves (i.e. for private use).
- Bee ne'e merak, bele hariis maibé la bele hemu.This water is murky. You can use it to bathe but not to drink.
- Tinan liu ba Tiu Pedro hetan strok, agora nia liman karuk aat tiha.Last year uncle Pedro had a stroke. Now he can't use his left arm.
- Mina rai bele sai bénsaun ba nasaun, maibé bele mós sai malisan.Petroleum can be a blessing to a nation, but can also become a curse.
- Karik ita maneja osan ho di'ak, ita bele uza sinkuenta dolar to'o fulan ida.If we manage our money properly, we can use fifty dollars for a month.
- Ami rasik la bele ajuda ita, maibé ami bele husu ajuda ba ema seluk.We ourselves can’t help you, but we can ask for help from someone else.