This large mango tree has lots of nearly-ripe fruit. We can pick them and eat 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.

• 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.

• Possibility & probability

  bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility

  bele

  Tetun hedges less than English, but has a cluster of markers. 'bele' before the verb = can / may. 'parese' at the start = 'seems'. 'dala ruma' at the start of a clause = 'perhaps, sometimes'. 'kala / kal' before a number = 'approximately'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• La bele han ai-fuan ne'e lai, tanba sei tara hela horok. Aban liurai sei hasai horok mak bele han.You can't eat the fruit yet, because it is still under the horok taboo. You can only eat the fruit once the king removes the horok.
• Haas iha toos lar tasak hotu ona, ami atu bá kait.The mangoes on the farm are all ripe, we’re about to go and hook them (to pick them).
• La bele ku'u estraga ai-fuan ne'ebé iha. Han ba sukat ho imi nia kabun.Don't pick the fruit wastefully. Eat up (but) according to what your stomach can accept.
• Karik labarik han rebusadu barak, bele halo nia nehan kuak tiha.If children eat a lot of lollies, this can give them cavities.
• Sira na'in rua konslet hela, la bele bolu mai tuur hamutuk.The two of them are aren't talking, you can't call them to sit together.
• Ha'u haree sira han iha restorante.I saw them eat in a restaurant.