That person was unconscious for five minutes then came back to consciousness. in Tetun

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'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Ami fila kalan boot tanba sei asiste kolega nia festa.We came back in the middle of the night as we were at a friend’s party.
• 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.
• Favór prienxe formuláriu ne'ebé imi foti ona, depois mai entrega fali ba ami.Please fill in the form that you took, then bring it back and hand it in to us.
• Ferik balu dehan, se sukaer musan kona, entaun foti batar kose hadulas dala hitu. Depois tuku rahun tiha batar ne'e, se lae, hodi batar ne'e soe tiha ba fahi han.Some older women say, if you have swollen glands, then you should take a (cob of) corn and swirl it around the gland seven times. Then smash the corn, or else throw it to the pigs to eat.
• Ó bá fali uma!Go back home!
• loron lima liubáfive days ago