These uncles' words are powerful. When they speak (curses) to us, these immediately come true. in Tetun
Tiu sira ne'e nia liafuan moruk duni, ko'alia mai ita ne'e akontese kedas.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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.
Time expressions
Temporal connectors
kedasCommon time words: 'bainhira / kuandu' = when; 'molok / antes' = before; 'depois' and 'liu tiha' = after; 'kedas' = immediately; 'foin' = only just, very recently; 'kleur' = a long time.
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
- 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.
- Tenke ko'alia sukat ibun, la bele ko'alia tuir ó nia hakarak.You must weigh up your words. Don’t just speak as you want to speak.
- 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 hatene Portugés.They can speak ('know') Portuguese.
- Ema balu kanta di'ak, maibé ko'alia gagu.Some people sing well, but stutter when they speak.
- Sira sempre xave odamatan waiñira sira sai husi uma.They always lock the door when they leave the house.