This friend is happy only if given money or presents. Only if we buy something for her does she get on with us. in Tetun
Kolega ne'e oin osan; ita sosa buat ruma fó ba nia mak nia di'ak ho 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.
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'.
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
- Maria sateia hela de'it nia amá tanba osan.Maria keeps hassling her mother (to give her) money.
- Nia namoradu ne'e hais nia to'o lima sén mós la iha nia isin!Her boyfriend bled her dry till she didn't even have five cents left on her!
- Ha'u la hetan doit metan ida!I didn't get any money at all!
- Dete fó han nia koellu uza senoura de'it.Dete feeds her rabbit only carrots.
- Oinsá mak ita bele hetan osan atu selu eskola?How can we get money to pay for schooling?
- Tia sikat ulsuku iha fuuk.Auntie stuck her hairpin through her hair.