Tetun Translator

The roof of that house is leaking. Please repair it so that when it rains, water won’t go in. in Tetun

Uma ne'ebá ne'e nia kakuluk kuak hela, favór hadi'a para udan karik la bele tama.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

Aspect markers
hela — 'currently' or 'reside'
hela
After a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.
Conditionals
se / karik — conditionals
karik
'se' opens a definite conditional ('if X, then Y'). 'karik' sits at the end of a clause and hedges it ('perhaps'); it can also mark an uncertain conditional.
Negation
la — 'not' (general negation)
la
Placed 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.

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