This coffee isn’t good to drink because it is too bitter. You need to add some sugar. in Tetun

Kafé ne'e ita hemu la di'ak tanba moruk loos. Tenke tau masin midar uitoan.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

  • Intensifiers

    Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)

    loos

    Position matters. 'loos' / 'tebes' / 'demais' follow the adjective ('barak loos' = very many). 'laduun' PRECEDES the adjective ('laduun diak' = not very good). 'liu tan' = even more.

  • 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.

Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.

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