We ourselves can’t help you, but we can ask for help from someone else. in Tetun
Ami rasik la bele ajuda ita, maibé ami bele husu ajuda ba ema seluk.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
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'.
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.
Prohibition & permission
keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition
la beleThree 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.
Translate your own text with the free English ↔ Tetun translator or look up individual words in the Tetun dictionary.
Related phrases
- Keta book. Ne'e ema nian.Don't touch it. It's someone else's.
- Ha'u iha fahi inan, ha'u husu ha'u nia kolega nia fahi aman para fó kaben lai.I have a sow, and ask for my friend's boar so that we can mate them.
- Mina rai bele sai bénsaun ba nasaun, maibé bele mós sai malisan.Petroleum can be a blessing to a nation, but can also become a curse.
- Ha'u sente kabun moras, karik bele husu lisensa atu bá uma.I am having a stomach ache. Maybe I can ask for permission to go home.
- Ha'u nia matan hateke dook la moos, maibé se ha'u uza okulu haree moos loos.I can’t see clearly in the distance. But if I put a glasses, I can see clearly.
- Imi atu bá ema nia rai tenke lori mapa, para la bele lakon.When you go to someone else’s country you should take a map, so you won’t get lost.