Thousands of people died during the war. in Tetun

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

  nian

  '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.

Related phrases

• Uluk ema oho mate Timor oan barak iha funu laran.Many Timorese people were killed during the war.
• Durante okupasaun Indonezia, Timor oan barak mate.Many Timorese people died during the Indonesian occupation.
• Iha krize 2006 ema balu dehan, "Povu duni kaixaun, boot sira duni kadeira."During the 2006 crisis some people said, "The common people chase death, the leaders chase seats (of power)."
• Ema barak mate. Iha mós ema kanek na'in hitu mak ami konsege lori ba ospitál, maski dook.Many people died. There were also seven injured people whom we managed to take to hospital, even though it was a long way.
• Kuandu ema hala'o edukasaun sívika, sira hanorin povu kona ba lia polítiku nian, no mós kona ba direitu no responsabilidade reinu nian, atu foti povu nia konsiénsia polítiku.When people conduct civic education, they teach the people about political affairs, and also about the rights and responsibilities of the people, to raise their political awareness.
• Ita tenke hanoin maluk sira ne'ebé mate iha funu laran.We must remember those friends who died in the war.