The priest declared that Maria and Justino can no longer take communion because they have divorced. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Aspect markers

  ona — 'already' (perfective)

  ona

  Placed 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.

• Reciprocal

  malu — 'each other'

  malu

  'malu' follows the verb to mark reciprocal action. Common in political / news idioms: 'haree malu diak' (get on well), 'diskuti malu' (argue), 'haan malu' (oppose one another), '(liafuan) la haan malu' (testimonies don't match).

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Ita la bele halai sees hosi problema ne'e tanba ida ne'e mak realidade moris.We can’t avoid problems because they are a reality of life.
• Sira servisu oin la moos hotu tanba simu subornu.They are not doing their work properly because they received bribes.
• Ohin dadeer Joana rakut Maria nia fuuk tanba Maria tolok nia.Joana yanked on Maria’s hair this morning because of Maria swore at her.
• 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.
• La bele han ai-fuan ne'e lai, tanba sei tara hela horok. Aban liurai sei hasai horok mak bele han.You can't eat the fruit yet, because it is still under the horok taboo. You can only eat the fruit once the king removes the horok.
• 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.