The old lady is a witch, she possesses black magic. in Tetun
Feto ferik ne'e buan, nia kaer hela ai-moruk aat.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
hela — 'currently' or 'reside'
helaAfter a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.
Possession
nia / nian — possession
nia'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
- Loron Domingu ami nia grupu hala'o karidade iha Bebora bá vizita ferik ida.On Sunday our group went to Bebora to visit an old lady as our act of charity.
- Tia ne'ebá ne'e ferik ona moos, sei uza kalsa badak de'it para la'o livre.That lady is already old, however she likes to wear shorts so she can walk freely.
- Ferik sira gosta loos sonke tabaku.Old women love chewing tobacco.
- Sara ferik ona, la bele ko'us ona.Sara is old, and can no longer fall pregnant.
- Katuas ain kude'ik, halo toos susar.The old guy limps. It’s hard for him to do farming.
- Feto ne'e lori lia tuun sa'e. Keta ranxu nia.This lady likes to gossip. Don’t hang out with her.