You're so much older than them, and still playing with kids! 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.

• Aspect markers

  sei — 'will' or 'still'

  sei

  Tetun has no verb conjugation. Aspect and tense are marked by particles. 'sei' sits immediately before the verb — marking a definite future ('will') or a continuative ('still'). Combine with 'hela' after the verb for ongoing action. Negation is 'sei la' = 'will not'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Ha'u boot liu nia lori tinan neen.I am six years older than he is.
• Ferik sira gosta liu konde fuuk duké kesi fuuk.Older women prefer rolling their hair into a bun than tying it.
• Sira na'in rua konslet hela, la bele bolu mai tuur hamutuk.The two of them are aren't talking, you can't call them to sit together.
• Ha'u buka xave la hetan, tanba livru helik tiha.I looked for my keys but couldn't find them, as a book concealed/covered them.
• Ha'u soe ha'u nia telefone tanba se lae halimar game demais.I threw out my telephone because otherwise I'd spend too much time playing games.
• Haas huun boot ne'e nia fuan barak mangál ona, ita bele ku'u hodi han.This large mango tree has lots of nearly-ripe fruit. We can pick them and eat them.