Greetings

1. Bondia

   Bon-di-a

   Hello / Good morning

   Usage

   Morning greeting, derived from Portuguese "Bom dia"

   Grammar Note

   Tetum belongs to the Austronesian family and has heavy Portuguese loanwords. "Bondia" is adapted from Portuguese "Bom dia" (good day/morning).

2. Botarde

   Bo-tar-de

   Good afternoon

   Usage

   Afternoon greeting, from Portuguese "Boa tarde"

   Grammar Note

   Adapted from Portuguese "Boa tarde." Time-specific greetings in Tetum are largely Portuguese-derived.

3. Bonoite

   Bo-noi-te

   Good evening / Good night

   Usage

   Used as both an evening greeting and a goodnight farewell

   Grammar Note

   From Portuguese "Boa noite." Tetum uses the same word for both the evening greeting and goodnight.

4. Di'ak ka lae?

   Di-ak ka la-e?

   How are you? / Are you well?

   Usage

   Most common way to ask how someone is. Reply: "Di'ak" (I'm well)

   Grammar Note

   Literally "Good or not?" Tetum uses the structure "A ka B?" to form alternative questions. Basic word order is SVO.

5. Di'ak

   Di-ak

   I'm well / Fine

   Usage

   Response to "Di'ak ka lae?" — the basic word for "good"

   Grammar Note

   Core Tetum adjective meaning "good." Used contextually for "I'm fine," "that's good," etc.

6. Obrigadu / Obrigada

   O-bri-ga-du / O-bri-ga-da

   Thank you

   Usage

   Male speakers say "Obrigadu," female speakers say "Obrigada" — gender distinction inherited from Portuguese

   Grammar Note

   Borrowed from Portuguese "Obrigado/Obrigada." The gender distinction is inherited from Portuguese, though native Tetum has no grammatical gender.

7. Deskulpa

   Des-kul-pa

   Sorry / Excuse me

   Usage

   Used for both apologies and getting someone's attention

   Grammar Note

   Direct loanword from Portuguese "desculpa" (forgive me). Versatile phrase for both apologies and catching attention.

8. Hau nia naran mak...

   Hau ni-a na-ran mak...

   My name is...

   Usage

   Self-introduction phrase — fill in "..." with your name

   Grammar Note

   "Hau nia" means "my" (possessive). "Mak" is a focus/copula particle. The apostrophe in Tetum marks a glottal stop.

9. Hau mai husi...

   Hau mai hu-si...

   I come from...

   Usage

   Phrase for stating your origin — fill in "..." with country or city

   Grammar Note

   "I / me" is spelt "hau". "husi" is the ablative preposition. Classic Tetum SVO structure.

10. Ate logo

    A-te lo-go

    See you / Goodbye

    Usage

    Farewell phrase suitable for both casual and formal contexts

    Grammar Note

    Direct loanword from Portuguese "Até logo" (until soon). Pattern "Ate + time" creates various farewells, e.g. "Ate aban" (see you tomorrow).

11. Ita ko'alia Inglés ka lae?

    I-ta ko-a-li-a In-gles ka la-e?

    Do you speak English?

    Usage

    Essential language check. Timor-Leste has English, Portuguese, and Tetum as official languages

    Grammar Note

    "ka lae?" is the standard yes/no question marker in Tetum, equivalent to "or not?". The second person splits into polite "Ita" and familiar "Ó"; a stranger takes "Ita" (as in "Ita bele ko'alia Inglés?"). Tetum has two main varieties: Tetun Dili (urban) and Tetun Terik (classical).

12. Hau la hatene

    Hau la ha-te-ne

    I don't understand / I don't know

    Usage

    Used when you cannot understand or do not know something

    Grammar Note

    Tetum negation places "la" before the verb. "hatene" covers both "to know" and "to understand." Pre-verbal negation in SVO structure.

13. Hau sei fila fali

    Hau sei fi-la fa-li

    I'll come again

    Usage

    Said when leaving a shop

14. Hau kontenti tebes

    Hau kon-ten-ti te-bes

    I had a great time

    Usage

    Said when parting ways (literally "very happy")

15. Obrigadu, ate logo

    O-bri-ga-du, a-te lo-go

    Thanks, see you

    Usage

    A casual way to say goodbye

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