This person is very sensitive. Don’t hassle him. in Tetun
Ema ne'e sensitivu loos, ne'ebé keta ba book nia.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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.
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.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
ketaThree strengths of 'don't': 'lalika(n)' is softest — 'no need to, don't bother'. 'keta' is a direct prohibitive command. 'la bele' = 'not allowed, must not'.
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
- Ema ne'e matan mean, keta ranxu ho nia, se lae nia raan sa'e oho fali imi.This person is a murderer. Don't mix with him, or he could get angry and kill you.
- Ha'u ladún gosta ida ne'e.I don’t like this one very much.
- Ne'e ha'u nia sala. Keta fó todan ba nia!It was my fault. Don't blame him!
- Atoy ema ida ne'ebé bosok-teen. Keta fiar nia!Atoy is a liar. Don’t believe him!
- Liaun ne'ebá si'ak loos. Keta bá hamriik besik.That lion is very fierce. Don’t stand near it.
- Ai-moruk ne'e perigu loos, la bele hemu.This medicine is very dangerous, don't drink it!