You are only fifteen years old, but you already know about dating. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Aspect markers

  ona — 'already' (perfective)

  ona

  Placed after the verb (or after the object), 'ona' marks that something has already happened. Cannot stand alone — must belong to a sentence. See also 'tiha ona' for a stronger completed aspect.

• 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.

• Time expressions

  Temporal connectors

  foin

  Common 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.

Related phrases

• Nia tinan ki'ik, maibé isin boot ona.He’s young in years, but already large in body.
• Deolindo tama komarka to'o tinan lima tanba violénsia doméstika.Deolindo is in jail for about five years for domestic violence.
• Atu tama iha programa ida ne'e, labarik tenke minimál tinan hitu.To join this program, a child must be at least seven years old.
• Mane ne'e laran aat, nia hanoin de'it atu bika feto klosan sira.This man is nasty, he thinks only about chasing after young women.
• Mestra Joana tinan neennulu ona, tinan oin hakarak pénsiun ona.Teacher Joana is sixty years old, and would like to retire next year.
• Tia ne'ebá ne'e ferik ona moos, sei uza kalsa badak de'it para la'o livre.That lady is already old, however she likes to wear shorts so she can walk freely.