This friend has tuberculosis. That’s why he vomited blood just now. in Tetun
Kolega ne'e moras TBC. Ne'e mak nia ohin muta raan.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Focus
mak — focus marker
mak'mak' focuses the preceding constituent — used when English would bold or cleft ('it was X who...'). Also forms the superlative with 'liu'.
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.
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
- Uluk Paulo ha'u nia kolega di'ak, agora sai fali inimigu.Paulo used to be my good friend. Now he’s become my enemy.
- Ó tuur hanesan bos de'it, la hatene halo servisu, hein han de'it!You're just sitting there like a boss, not working, just waiting to be fed!
- Kolega Jinha ko'alia aat ha'u iha ema seluk nia oin tanba de'it nia laran moras ha'u.My friend Jinha bad-mouthed me in front of other people just because she is jealous of me.
- Se ita tensaun alta, tenke koko tensaun beibeik iha ospitál.If you have high blood pressure, you need to get your blood pressure taken regularly at the hospital.
- Inan-aman hanorin la rona ta'uk mak la'o sala dalan de'it.Parents educating you but when you don’t pay attention just be careful just be careful that you don’t go astray.
- 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.