They cheated, otherwise you could have defeated them. 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.

• Aspect markers

  tiha ona — completed perfect

  tiha ona

  Stronger than 'ona' alone. Marks a completed action with ongoing relevance — closer to the English present perfect.

• 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.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• 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 hirus malu to'o ida-ida buka fatuk hodi tuda malu.They were angry at each other, to the extent that they each looked for rocks and threw them at each other.
• 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.
• Jesus dehan, "Hau hatene sira, no sira tuir ha'u."Jesus said, "I know them, and they follow me."
• Sira na'in rua la bele kaben tanba iha relasaun familiár.The two of them cannot marry as they are related.
• Sira sempre xave odamatan waiñira sira sai husi uma.They always lock the door when they leave the house.