Uncle Mariano snores badly when he sleeps. in Tetun
Tiu Mariano nakoron loos kuandu nia toba.
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.
Time expressions
Temporal connectors
kuanduCommon time words: 'bainhira / kuandu' = when; 'molok / antes' = before; 'depois' and 'liu tiha' = after; 'kedas' = immediately; 'foin' = only just, very recently; 'kleur' = a long time.
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
- Tiu Mariano lori nia karau bá oho iha matadouru.Uncle Mariano brought his cattle to be slaughtered at the abattoir.
- Tiu hamlaha ka?Are you ('uncle') hungry?
- Tiu Atoi hosi ne'ebé?Where is Uncle Atoi from?
- Tiu ne'e nia isin fulun mahar loos.Uncle has very thick body hair.
- Tiu kuandu nia hosu sempre tarutu.When uncle farts it’s always loud.
- Tia Martinha ne'e tiu Pedro nia kaben.Auntie Martinha is uncle Pedro’s wife.