Use nylon thread to fly the kite so it won't break. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Negation

  la — 'not' (general negation)

  la

  Placed 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

  bele

  Tetun 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 bele

  Three 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.

Related phrases

• Ami uza kareta ne'e ba ami nia an.We use this car for ourselves (i.e. for private use).
• Ema barak agora uza gás hodi te'in, no la uza ona ai-sunu.Many people nowadays use gas for cooking, and don’t use firewood any more.
• Atu sai kalan, uza matan helik, para inimigu keta hetan.If you are going out at night, use an invisibility charm, so that the enemy won't see you.
• Agora ami la uza ona lali'an, maibé uza fali fogaun hodi te'in.Now we are no longer use a hearth of three cooking stones, but instead use a stove to cook.
• Mai sedu, é!Come early, won't you.
• Ita uza ita nia matan hodi haree.we use our eyes to see.