Today I was going to participate too, however because my younger sister was sick, I could not be present. in Tetun
Ohin ha'u atu bá partisipa hotu, komu alin feto moras, entaun la bele marka prezensa.
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
- Alin, ó bá ne'ebé?'Younger brother/sister', where are you going?
- Ha'u fó empresta motór ba ha'u nia kolega atu nia bele tula nia alin ba ospitál.I lent my motorbike to a friend so she could give her younger brother/sister a lift to hospital.
- Ina ohin la bá eskola, tanba moras.Ina didn't go to school today, as she is sick.
- Dadeer-dadeer ha'u nia alin sempre dasa rai.My younger sister does the sweeping every morning.
- Alin, orsida ó halo saida?'Younger brother/sister', what are you doing later?
- Ohin Maria la mai servisu. Dala ruma nia moras.Today Maria didn’t come to work. Perhaps she is sick.