This child respect us like his mother. When we go past, he always greets us. in Tetun

Labarik ne'e konsidera ita hanesan nia inan, ita liu nia sempre kumprimenta ita.

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.

  • Comparison

    liu — comparison 'more / most'

    liu

    Tetun comparison uses 'X liu Y' not 'mais X' — the adjective stays put and 'liu' follows. With a focus 'mak' it becomes superlative. Avoid Portuguese-style 'melhor' or 'mais boot'.

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.

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