Internet & WiFi

1. Wi-Fi iha ne'e?

   Wi-Fi i-ha ne-e?

   Is there Wi-Fi here?

   Usage

   Used to ask if Wi-Fi is available at a hotel or café

   Grammar Note

   iha ne'e is an existential expression meaning "there is here"

2. Senha Wi-Fi nian saida?

   Se-nha Wi-Fi ni-an sai-da?

   What is the Wi-Fi password?

   Usage

   Used to ask for the Wi-Fi password

   Grammar Note

   nian follows a noun to mark possession, similar to English "'s"

3. Hau presiza karga bateria telefone nian.

   Hau pre-si-za kar-ga ba-te-ri-a te-le-fo-ne ni-an.

   I need to charge my phone battery.

   Usage

   Used when looking for a place to charge a phone

   Grammar Note

   Technical vocabulary in Tetum is largely borrowed from Portuguese

4. Internét ne'e lais ka neineik?

   In-ter-net ne-e lais ka nei-neik?

   Is this internet fast or slow?

   Usage

   Used to inquire about internet speed

   Grammar Note

   "lalais" is indeed a reduplication of "lais", but it means "quickly / in a hurry" — not the opposite. "Slow / slowly" is "neineik"

5. Hau bele uza komputadór ne'e?

   Hau be-le u-za kom-pu-ta-dor ne-e?

   Can I use this computer?

   Usage

   Used to ask permission to use a shared computer

   Grammar Note

   "bele uza" ("can use") forms a permission request. Tetun respells Portuguese c as k, hence "komputadór" (computador is the Portuguese spelling)

6. Sinál ne'e fraku liu.

   Si-nal ne-e fra-ku li-u.

   The signal is too weak.

   Usage

   Used to describe poor mobile or Wi-Fi signal

   Grammar Note

   liu placed after an adjective indicates excess, meaning "too" or "overly"

7. SIM card foun iha ne'ebé?

   SIM card foun i-ha ne-e-be?

   Where can I get a new SIM card?

   Usage

   Used to ask where to purchase a local SIM card

   Grammar Note

   foun means "new" and follows the noun it modifies

8. Hau presiza hatama data selulár.

   Hau pre-si-za ha-ta-ma da-ta se-lu-lar.

   I need to top up my mobile data.

   Usage

   Used when mobile data is running low and needs topping up

   Grammar Note

   hatama means "to add" or "to put in" and is used in the context of topping up data

9. Letra iha email ne'e ki'ik liu.

   Le-tra i-ha email ne-e ki-ik li-u.

   The email text is too small.

   Usage

   Used when text on screen is difficult to read due to small size

   Grammar Note

   "letra" means letter/character. "fali" means "again / back" and cannot be used to talk about size

10. Prínter ne'e servisu hela?

    Prin-ter ne-e ser-vi-su he-la?

    Is this printer working?

    Usage

    Used to check if a printer is working at a hotel or office

    Grammar Note

    hela is a continuative aspect marker indicating an action is still ongoing

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