Vánia used to be an English teaching assistant but now she has become a teacher. in Tetun
Vánia uluk ajudante hanorin lian Inglés, maibé agora nia sai ona mestra.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
ona — 'already' (perfective)
onaPlaced after the verb (or after the object), 'ona' marks that something has already happened. Cannot stand alone — must belong to a sentence. See also 'tiha ona' for a stronger completed aspect.
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.
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
- Uluk Paulo ha'u nia kolega di'ak, agora sai fali inimigu.Paulo used to be my good friend. Now he’s become my enemy.
- Uluk ha'u mehi atu sai mestra, agora ha'u realiza duni.I used to dream of becoming a teacher, and now I’ve achieved it.
- Ul-uluk sá ó di'ak loos, agora sá oin seluk.You used to be so good, but now you are different.
- Ohin loron mestra Marta moras, entaun ha'u mak hanorin fali iha nia fatin.Today teacher Marta is sick, so I am teaching in her place.
- Ha'u fó livru Ingles ba kolega para fó tutan ba profesora.I gave an English book to a friend to pass on to the teacher.
- Uluk Martinha krekas, maibé agora nia isin sa'e oituan.Martinha used to be skinny, but now she’s put on some weight.