You should scald the meat before taking it to Dili, otherwise it will go smelly. in Tetun

Grammar in this phrase

• Comparison

  liu — comparison 'more / most'

  liu

  Tetun comparison uses 'X liu Y' not 'mais X' — the adjective stays put and 'liu' follows. With a focus 'mak' it becomes superlative. Avoid Portuguese-style 'melhor' or 'mais boot'.

• Conditionals

  se / karik — conditionals

  se

  'se' opens a definite conditional ('if X, then Y'). 'karik' sits at the end of a clause and hedges it ('perhaps'); it can also mark an uncertain conditional.

• 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'.

More patterns like these in the Tetun grammar guide.

Related phrases

• Ita sei liu iha imigrasaun hodi revista ita nia sasán hotu mak foin ita bele sai ba li'ur.We will go through immigration where they will inspect our goods before we can go outside.
• Kolega, ó nia liman kukun naruk ne'e tesi tiha. Se lae ema hanoin ó buan.My friend, you should cut your long fingernails. Otherwise people will think that you are a witch/wizard.
• Ha'u nia família sei halo selebrasaun Natal iha Dili.My family will celebrate Christmas in Dili.
• Aban ha'u sei tuir korida bisikleta hosi Dili ba Aileu.Tomorrow I will join a bicycle race from Dili to Aileu.
• Na'an la bele rai iha li'ur, se lae lalar hobur barak tan de'it.Don’t leave meat out, or lots of flies will gather around it.
• Define didi'ak problema ne'e antes buka solusaun.You should define the problem clearly before you look for a solution.