The children are very happy as they passed the final term exams. in Tetun
Labarik sira kontente loos tanba pasa ezame ba trimestre ikus nian.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Intensifiers
Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)
loosPosition matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.
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
- Nia sente kontente, tanba liu ezame.He feels happy, as he passed his exams.
- Sira foin tama servisu ne'e, sira dependente loos ba konselleiru.When they first started this work, they were very dependent on advisors.
- Sira hotu han to'o bosu. Han tiha, sira mós fahe malu.They all ate until they were satisfied. Having eaten, they went their separate ways.
- Sira ne'e oportunista de'it. Uluk rai susar, sira halai sai ba rai li'ur, maibé agora sira mai fali buka pozisaun iha governu.They are just opportunists. In the past when it was hard, they fled overseas, but now they have come back seeking positions in the government.
- Sira ta'uk loos, purké ema lori kro'at.They were very afraid, as people were carrying arms.
- Sira sempre xave odamatan waiñira sira sai husi uma.They always lock the door when they leave the house.