Accessibility

1. Fatin ne'e adekuadu ba ema ne'ebé uza kadeira-roda?

   Fa-tin ne-e a-de-kua-du ba e-ma ne-e-be u-za ka-dei-ra-ro-da?

   Is this place wheelchair accessible?

   Usage

   Ask staff at any venue whether wheelchair access is available

   Grammar Note

   Tetum yes/no questions are formed by rising intonation alone — no word order change. "ne'ebé" is a relative pronoun meaning "who/which/that."

2. Iha elevador ka lae?

   I-ha e-le-va-dor ka la-e?

   Do you have an elevator / lift?

   Usage

   Ask hotel or building staff about lift availability

   Grammar Note

   "ka lae" is a tag question meaning "or not?" It is the standard way to form yes/no questions in Tetum.

3. Hau presiza kuartu ho fasilidade ba ema ho nesesidade espesiál.

   Hau pre-si-za kuar-tu ho fa-si-li-da-de ba e-ma ho ne-se-si-da-de es-pe-si-al.

   I need a room with accessibility features.

   Usage

   Inform hotel reception at booking or check-in

   Grammar Note

   Tetum has borrowed heavily from Portuguese. "presiza" (need) and "fasilidade" (facility) are Portuguese-derived. "nesesidade espesiál" means "special needs."

4. Iha rampa ka entrada la iha eskada?

   I-ha ram-pa ka en-tra-da la i-ha es-ka-da?

   Is there a ramp or step-free entrance?

   Usage

   Check at a building entrance for step-free access

   Grammar Note

   "la" is the negation particle; "la iha" means "there is no / without". "Stairs / steps" is "eskada" (stairs, ladder, steps). "dalan-as" is merely "dalan" (road) + "as" (high); it does not mean "step". For "ramp", the Portuguese "rampa" is used as is.

5. Kaza de banhu ba ema ho nesesidade espesiál iha ne'ebé?

   Ka-za de ba-nhu ba e-ma ho ne-se-si-da-de es-pe-si-al i-ha ne-e-be?

   Where is the accessible restroom?

   Usage

   Ask for the location of the accessible toilet at any public venue

   Grammar Note

   "iha ne'ebé" is the Tetum phrase for "where is [it]?" "iha" functions as both an existence verb ("there is") and a preposition ("at/in"). "Toilet" is "kaza de banhu" (or "hariis fatin"). "nesesidade espesiál" means "special needs."

6. Hau la haree di'ak — ita bele ajuda hau?

   Hau la ha-ree di-ak — i-ta be-le a-ju-da hau?

   I am visually impaired — can you help me?

   Usage

   Explain a visual impairment to a passerby or staff member and request help

   Grammar Note

   "ita" in Tetum means "you" (polite) or "we/us" (inclusive). In everyday conversation it is commonly used as second-person singular.

7. Iha menu ho letra boot ka lae?

   I-ha me-nu ho le-tra bo-ot ka la-e?

   Do you have large-print menus?

   Usage

   Request a large-print menu at a restaurant

   Grammar Note

   "boot" means "big/large" in Tetum. Adjectives follow the noun they modify in Tetum.

8. Iha gia audio ka lae?

   I-ha gi-a au-di-o ka la-e?

   Are there audio guides available?

   Usage

   Check at a museum or tourist attraction for audio guide availability

   Grammar Note

   "Guide" is "gia" (also "matadalan"). For "audio guide", the English "audio" is simply postposed. Availability is asked with "Iha ... ka lae?".

9. Hau uza aparelhu auditivu — ko'alia klaru, favór ida.

   Hau u-za a-pa-re-lhu au-di-ti-vu — ko-a-li-a kla-ru, fa-vor i-da.

   I use a hearing aid — please speak clearly.

   Usage

   Ask staff or officials to speak slowly and clearly

   Grammar Note

   The polite request word is "favór ida" (also "halo favór"). The Portuguese "aparelho auditivo" is respelt as "aparelhu auditivu" following Tetun's loan rules (lh is kept; final -o becomes -u), the same rules that give "barulhu" and "bilheti".

10. Hau bele lori hau nia asu servisu?

    Hau be-le lo-ri hau ni-a a-su ser-vi-su?

    Can I bring my service / guide dog?

    Usage

    Ask permission to bring a service dog into a restaurant, hotel, or public space

    Grammar Note

    "hau nia" = "hau" (I) + "nia" (possessive marker). The possessive marker is written as a separate word after the pronoun (hau nia / ita nia / sira nia). "Dog" is "asu" in Tetun; "kachorro" is Portuguese/Spanish.

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