We need a temporary house to stay in until we can build our own house. in Tetun
Ita presiza uma provizóriu ida atu hela to'o ita bele harii ita nia uma rasik.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
hela — 'currently' or 'reside'
helaAfter a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.
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.
Possibility & probability
bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility
beleTetun 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'.
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
- Ami nia orsamentu la to'o atu halo uma di'ak.Our budget is not big enough to build a good house.
- Ami nia uma kloot loos, ema barak bá la di'ak.Our house is very narrow/small, so not many people can go.
- Ha'u nia kompadre ajuda ami halo ami nia uma foun iha bairu Golgota.My godfather has helped us build our new house in Golgota suburb.
- Ami nia osan rai iha banku. Ami presiza mak bele bá foti.We keep our money in the bank. We can go and take it out when we need it.
- Ita han maek, bele halo ita nia ibun katar to'o bubu.When we eat elephant foot yam, it can make our mouth itchy until it swells up.
- Ami nia inan rasik mate kleur ona, nune'e ami nia inan hakiak mak tau matan ba ami.Our own mother died a long time ago, so it is our adoptive mother who looks after us.