This man’s armpit smells awful. Probably he hasn’t showered in a month! in Tetun
Maun ne'e nia kalilin dois loos, karik la hariis fulan ida!
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Conditionals
se / karik — conditionals
karik'se' opens a definite conditional ('if X, then Y'). 'karik' sits at the end of a clause and hedges it ('perhaps'); it can also mark an uncertain conditional.
Intensifiers
Intensifiers (loos, tebes, demais, laduun)
loosPosition 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)
laPlaced 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.
Related phrases
- Ó ne'e mane, tenke hatudu ó nia hahalok nu'udar mane, la bele hanesan fali feto.You’re a man, and should act like a man, not like a woman.
- Nia hola mane Manatuto.She married a Manatuto man.
- Mane ne'e nia hahalok aat loos.This man has a very bad behaviour.
- Horiseik señór ida mai vizita ha'u.Yesterday a man came and visited me.
- Nia sei moris. (Nia seidauk mate.)He’s still alive. (He hasn’t died yet.)
- Ha'u fiar ba José tanba nia ema ne'ebé onestu.I trust José because he is an honest man.