Local Drinks

1. Kafé arábika

   Arabica coffee

   Usage

   Timorese arabica, grown in the highlands around Ermera, much of it organic and shade-grown. The Timor Coffee Association (ACT) promotes both arabica and robusta at home and abroad

   Grammar Note

   Tetun modifiers follow the noun, so the order is "kafé" (coffee) + "arábika" — the reverse of English "arabica coffee".

2. Kafé robusta

   Robusta coffee

   Usage

   Timorese robusta, grown at lower altitudes than arabica and noticeably stronger and more bitter. Most everyday coffee sold at markets and roadside stalls is robusta

3. Kafé moruk

   Black coffee (no sugar)

   Usage

   Coffee without sugar. "moruk" has a dedicated sense "unsweetened (of tea, coffee)", which is a good sign that sweetened is the default — so say this if you do not want sugar

   Grammar Note

   "Moruk" means bitter and unsweetened (of tea or coffee), and also poison. With a drink it means unsweetened; "xá moruk" is unsweetened tea.

4. Kafé ho susubeen

   Coffee with milk

   Usage

   Coffee with milk; in most places it is sweetened condensed milk (susubeen kondensadu). In Tetun it is "kafé ho susubeen" — "leite" is Portuguese, not Tetun

   Grammar Note

   "Susubeen" is "susu" (breast/milk) + "been" (liquid). Condensed milk is "susubeen kondensadu".

5. Kafé rahun

   Ground coffee

   Usage

   Ground coffee — the word to use when buying some to take home. The synonym is "kafé uut"; whole beans are "kafé musan"

6. Xá moruk

   Unsweetened tea

   Usage

   Tea without sugar. As with coffee, it comes sweetened unless you say otherwise. In "Xá", the x is pronounced like English "sh"

7. Xá limaun

   Lemon tea

   Usage

   Tea with lemon, popular in the heat and available at eateries and cafés. The general citrus word is "sabraka"; lemon and lime are "limaun"

8. Jus

   Juice

   Usage

   Fruit juice. The native phrasing "aifuan nia been" (the liquid of the fruit) is also used. Note that ice or added water may come from an untreated supply; if that worries you, pair it with "Keta tau jelu" (no ice)

9. Sumu

   Cordial (sweet non-alcoholic drink)

   Usage

   A sweet drink made by diluting concentrated syrup. It is a "cordial (non-alcoholic drink)", Indonesian "sirup". Commonly served to guests and at celebrations

   Grammar Note

   Borrowed from Portuguese "sumo" (juice), but the Tetun "sumu" means a syrup cordial, while juice proper is "jus". Do not carry the Portuguese sense over unchanged.

10. Bee hemu

    Drinking water

    Usage

    Water that is safe to drink. Literally "water to drink". It works alongside "bee moos" (clean water), but this one is "potable water"

11. Bee matak

    Unboiled water

    Usage

    A word to avoid rather than to order. It means "unboiled water" — tap or well water served as is. Use it to check ("is this bee matak?"), not to order. Boiled water is "bee tasak"; sealed bottled water is "ákua"

    Grammar Note

    "Matak" means both raw and green. With water it means unboiled, opposing "tasak" (boiled, cooked).

12. Ákua

    Bottled water

    Usage

    Bottled water. It means "bottled water"; the word comes from the Indonesian brand Aqua, now used generically. It refers to the same thing as "Bee minerál" and is often the word shopkeepers use. Check that the seal is unbroken

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