When you are about to cut down a banyan tree, you must first move its spirit to another place. in Tetun
Bainhira atu tesi hali huun, tenke muda tiha hali na'in ba fatin ruma lai.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
lai — 'first' / polite request
laiAfter the verb or object, 'lai' means 'first, for a moment' — often softens a request by implying the action won't last long.
Time expressions
Temporal connectors
bainhiraCommon time words: 'bainhira / kuandu' = when; 'molok / antes' = before; 'depois' and 'liu tiha' = after; 'kedas' = immediately; 'foin' = only just, very recently; 'kleur' = a long time.
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
- Se ita la tesi haas huun ne'e, nia abut sei estraga ita nia uma.If we don’t cut down this mango tree, its roots will damage our house.
- Ha'u haree manu pombu semo sai hosi nia fatin.I saw a pigeon flying away from its place.
- André monu tuun hosi ai-huun no mate liu.André fell down from a tree and died on the spot.
- Nia la'o lemo rai de'it, la iha fatin atu hela.He travels all over the place, with no place to live.
- Informasaun kona ba ema ne'e ita tenke rai metin hanesan segredu.The information about this person must be kept confidential.
- Sesaun primeiru iha konferénsia ne'e kona ba moris nu'udar ema Kristaun.The first session in this conference is about living as a Christian.