When I escaped to Atambua, I left my wife and children behind in Timor. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• 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.

• Permission

  husik / hataan / foo — permission verbs

  husik

  Three 'let / allow' verbs. 'husik' = leave, let, allow, abandon; 'husik hela' = leave behind. 'hataan' = agree, permit formally. 'foo' = let, give — also heads compound verbs like 'foo haan' (feed), 'foo hatene ba' (inform).

• Aspect markers

  hela — 'currently' or 'reside'

  hela

  After a verb, 'hela' marks continuous aspect ('is ...-ing'). As a standalone verb it means 'live, reside'. Often paired with 'sei' for 'is still ...-ing'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Hanesan aman ha'u tenke proteje ha'u nia kaben ho ha'u nia oan.As a father I have to protect my wife and children.
• La bele halo violénsia doméstika, por ezemplu baku ita nia feen ka oan.Don’t commit domestic violence, for instance beating your wife or children.
• Tiu Domingos sempre rei nia oan ho nia kaben molok nia bá servisu.Uncle Domingos always kisses his children and his wife before leaving for work.
• Labarik barak moras malária. Ne'e duni husu ba inan-aman atu uza muskiteiru ba labarik sira.Many children are sick with malaria. Therefore we appeal to parents to use mosquito nets for the children.
• Iha 2017, Sr Xanana Gusmão mak Timor-leste nia negosiadór prinsipál iha negosiasaun ho Austrália kona ba Tasi Timor.In 2017, Mr Xanana Gusmão was Timor-Leste's chief negotiator in the negotiations with Australia over the Timor Sea.
• Atu garante futuru diak-liu tan ba labarik sira iha Timor-Leste, governu ratifika tiha Konvensaun Direitus ba Labarik.To guarantee an improved future for the children of Timor-Leste, the government has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.