To receive (your) money, come in one at a time; you can’t come in together. in Tetun
Atu simu osan, tama ida-ida; la bele tama hamutuk.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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.
Possibility & probability
bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility
beleTetun 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'.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
la beleThree 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
- Osan sei manán justisa mundu nian, tanba hodi osan ema sala bele sai ba loos.Money will defeat justice in the world, as with money people who have done wrong can be (judged) right.
- Sira servisu hamutuk hodi kaer metin prinsípiu moris ida katak, "Todan leba hamutuk, kmaan ita hi'it hamutuk."They worked together, holding firmly to the life principle that, "We carry heavy things together, we lift light things together."
- Loron ida ó sei simu ó nia masin ka'ut.One day you'll receive your comeuppance.
- Oinsá mak ita bele hetan osan atu selu eskola?How can we get money to pay for schooling?
- Ha'u foin primeira vés mai iha Dili.I’ve come to Dili for only the first time.
- Horiseik señora mai tuku hira?What time did you (senhora) come yesterday?