Tetun Translator

We can't go forward any more, put (the car) into reverse so we can go backwards first. in Tetun

Ita bá oin la bele ona, muda ba marxa atrás para bá kotuk lai.

English → Tetun phrasebook

Grammar in this phrase

Aspect markers
lai — 'first' / polite request
lai
After the verb or object, 'lai' means 'first, for a moment' — often softens a request by implying the action won't last long.
Aspect markers
ona — 'already' (perfective)
ona
Placed 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.
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.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

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