Contacts & SNS

1. Ita naran saida?

   i-ta na-ran sa-i-da

   What is your name?

   Grammar Note

   "Saida" = "what" (it has no glottal stop). "O naran saida?" = "What is your name?"

2. Hau naran ___

   hau na-ran ___

   My name is ___

   Grammar Note

   "Hau" = I/me/my. In Tetum, the same pronoun serves as subject and possessive.

3. Bele fó númeru telefone ida?

   be-le fo nu-me-ru te-le-fo-ne i-da

   Could you give me your phone number?

   Grammar Note

   "Númeru" (from Portuguese "número"). "Ida" can mean "one" or serve as an article.

4. Ita bele sai kolega

   i-ta be-le sai ko-le-ga

   We can become each other's friend

   Grammar Note

   "Kolega" (from Portuguese "colega"). Inclusive "we" is "ita"; "ami" excludes the addressee and therefore cannot be used for "we (you and I) can become friends" (the Convenience Store category uses "ami" correctly for the shop side).

5. Ita mai husi ne'ebé?

   i-ta mai hu-si ne-e-be

   Where are you from?

   Grammar Note

   "Husi" = "from". Tetum uses prepositions (not postpositions like many Asian languages).

6. Hau mai husi ___

   hau mai hu-si ___

   I came from ___

   Grammar Note

   "Mai husi" = "come from". Tetum verbs are not conjugated for tense — context clarifies time.

7. Kontenti atu hasoru ita

   kon-ten-ti a-tu ha-so-ru i-ta

   Happy to meet you

   Grammar Note

   "Kontenti" comes from Portuguese "contente"; it is spelt kontenti and is more common than haksolok in Dili. "Atu" is the infinitive marker.

8. Hau nia númeru telefone mak ___

   hau ni-a nu-me-ru te-le-fo-ne mak ___

   My phone number is ___

   Grammar Note

   "Mak" is a focus/identificational particle, emphasizing what follows as the specific item. Possession is "hau nia" written as two words; bare "hau" is not a possessive.

9. Buka hau iha WhatsApp

   bu-ka hau i-ha WhatsApp

   Find me on WhatsApp

   Usage

   WhatsApp is widely used for communication in East Timor

   Grammar Note

   "Buka" = to search/find. A native Tetum verb for searching.

10. To'o oin dala ida tan

    to-o o-in da-la i-da tan

    Until we meet again some day

    Grammar Note

    "To'o oin" = "until/towards the future". A farewell implying "see you in the future".

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