The bucket can no longer be used as it has split. in Tetun
Balde ne'e la bele uza ona tanba nakfera tiha ona.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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.
Aspect markers
tiha ona — completed perfect
tiha onaStronger than 'ona' alone. Marks a completed action with ongoing relevance — closer to the English present perfect.
Negation
la — 'not' (general negation)
laPlaced before verbs and adjectives to negate them. For contrastive 'not X but Y' use 'laós'; for 'not yet' use 'seidauk'; for 'no longer' wrap 'la ... ona' around the verb.
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
- Sara ferik ona, la bele ko'us ona.Sara is old, and can no longer fall pregnant.
- Ha'u hatais saia sakat hodi bele hakat ho livre.I wear a split skirt so I can step out freely.
- António uza baliun hodi fera ai atu te'in etu.António used an axe to split wood for cooking rice.
- Tudik ne'e meik loos, bele uza hodi sona fahi.This knife is very sharp, and can be used to stab the pig.
- Bee iha balde ne'e suli sai.The water is flowing out of the bucket. / The bucket leaks.
- 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.