You’re a gossip! Be careful or they could beat you up. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Focus

  mak — focus marker

  mak

  'mak' focuses the preceding constituent — used when English would bold or cleft ('it was X who...'). Also forms the superlative with 'liu'.

• Possibility & probability

  bele / parese / dala ruma / kala — possibility

  bele

  Tetun 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'.

• Prohibition & permission

  keta / lalika / la bele — prohibition

  keta

  Three 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.

Related phrases

• Sira hotu han to'o bosu. Han tiha, sira mós fahe malu.They all ate until they were satisfied. Having eaten, they went their separate ways.
• Sira ne'e oportunista de'it. Uluk rai susar, sira halai sai ba rai li'ur, maibé agora sira mai fali buka pozisaun iha governu.They are just opportunists. In the past when it was hard, they fled overseas, but now they have come back seeking positions in the government.
• Sira sempre xave odamatan waiñira sira sai husi uma.They always lock the door when they leave the house.
• Sira nia joga fo'er, lae karik imi mak manán tiha ona sira.They cheated, otherwise you could have defeated them.
• Sira hotu riku. Maski nune'e, sira lakoi ajuda ami.They are all rich. Nevertheless, they refused to help us.
• Sira provoka Juvinal atu hirus para hodi halo problema.They provoked Juvinal to be angry so he could stir up problems.