Your clothes are all wet; you’d better hang them out to dry. in Tetun
Ó nia ropa bokon hotu, di'ak liu habai tiha.
English → Tetun phrasebook
Grammar in this phrase
Comparison
liu — comparison 'more / most'
liuTetun 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'.
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.
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
- Neras ne'e ó kose ka, hoban de'it iha omu been foti ba habai ona?!Did you scrub the nappies, or just soak them in soapy water and then take them out to dry?
- Neras ne'e, ó kose ka lae? Ka hoban de'it iha omo been foti bá habai ona?Did you scrub these swaddling cloths? Or did you just rinse them in soap suds and then take them out to dry?
- Udan mai halo ha'u nia ropa bokon hotu.Rain fell and wet all my clothes.
- Ha'u kabidu hela Ob para ema mai fihir.I hang second hand clothes on hangers so that people will come and view them.
- Haas iha toos lar tasak hotu ona, ami atu bá kait.The mangoes on the farm are all ripe, we’re about to go and hook them (to pick them).
- Habai na'an, la bele maran liu. Haree mar-maran de'it, foti ona.When you dry meat, it mustn't be too dry. When you see it is nearly dry, get it (inside).