We can’t study effectively because the children are so noisy. in Tetun
Ami estuda la di'ak tanba labarik sira estrundu loos.
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.
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.
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
- La bele han ai-fuan ne'e lai, tanba sei tara hela horok. Aban liurai sei hasai horok mak bele han.You can't eat the fruit yet, because it is still under the horok taboo. You can only eat the fruit once the king removes the horok.
- Agora ita bele lori kareta halai maka'as tanba rai tetuk.We can drive fast because the road is flat now.
- Kalan ami toba la dukur, tanba hanoin barak.At night we can’t sleep, because we are worried.
- Ita la bele halai sees hosi problema ne'e tanba ida ne'e mak realidade moris.We can’t avoid problems because they are a reality of life.
- Horiseik ha'u nia inan baku ami dasa tanba ami la estuda.Yesterday my mother beat each of us because we didn't study.
- Karik labarik han rebusadu barak, bele halo nia nehan kuak tiha.If children eat a lot of lollies, this can give them cavities.