Business & Work

1. Reuniaun iha ne'ebé?

   Where is the meeting?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the location of a business meeting.

   Grammar Note

   Tetun borrows heavily from Portuguese but respells the loans: "meeting" is "reuniaun", not Portuguese "reunião".

2. Hau hakarak konhese ita nia negósiu.

   I want to know about your business.

   Usage

   Used to express interest in a partner's business activities.

   Grammar Note

   "ita nia" is the polite possessive form meaning "your".

3. Ami bele asina kontratu ohin?

   Can we sign the contract today?

   Usage

   Used to confirm contract signing during a business meeting.

   Grammar Note

   "bele" is a modal auxiliary meaning "can/able to".

4. Presu ne'e bele halo negosiasaun ka lae?

   Is this price negotiable?

   Usage

   Used when attempting to negotiate a price in business.

   Grammar Note

   "negosiasaun" comes from Portuguese "negociação"; the verb takes "halo" ("halo negosiasaun"). Price is "presu" (or "folin"); "prezu" is not a Tetun spelling.

5. Hau reprezenta kompanhia husi Japaun.

   I represent a company from Japan.

   Usage

   Used to introduce one's company in a business context.

   Grammar Note

   "husi" is a preposition meaning "from" indicating origin.

6. Bainhira ita iha tempu livre ba diskusaun?

   When do you have free time for a discussion?

   Usage

   Used to schedule a business discussion.

   Grammar Note

   "bainhira" is the question word for "when".

7. Ami presiza aprovasaun husi governu.

   We need government approval.

   Usage

   Used when discussing regulatory requirements in Timor-Leste.

   Grammar Note

   "presiza" comes from Portuguese "precisar" meaning "to need".

8. Kafé Timor mak produtu internasionál.

   Timorese coffee is an international product.

   Usage

   Used when discussing Timorese coffee, a major export product.

   Grammar Note

   "mak" is Tetun's focus marker ("it is X that..."), which works like a copula here. Coffee is spelled "kafé"; "kofee" is an ad-hoc respelling of English.

9. Ita iha kartaun negósiu?

   Do you have a business card?

   Usage

   Used when exchanging business cards.

   Grammar Note

   "ita" is the respectful second person pronoun, more polite than "ó".

10. Ami bele establese parseiru iha Dili.

    We can establish a partnership in Dili.

    Usage

    Used to propose a business partnership in Dili, East Timor's capital.

    Grammar Note

    "parseiru" is borrowed from Portuguese "parceiro" meaning "partner".

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