While I was standing, Abreu came and tapped me (on the shoulder), giving me a surprise. in Tetun
Ha'u hamriik hela, Abreu mai kebit fali ha'u, halo ha'u hakfodak.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Aspect markers
fali — 'again' / 'back' / 'instead'
faliPlaced after the verb. Can mean 'again / back' or mark an unexpected reversal ('instead'). Context decides which.
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'.
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
- Ema uitoan de'it mak mai.Only a few people came.
- Sira mai pás tuku rua.They came at exactly two o'clock.
- Horiseik señór ida mai vizita ha'u.Yesterday a man came and visited me.
- Saláriu fulan ne'e atrazu demais!Salaries this month came out much too late!
- Ó foin mai ka, mai horihorin ona?Have you just arrived, or been here a while?
- Agora ita servisu tol-tolu lai.Now we’ll work in groups of three for a while.