A collection of useful phrases in Tetum, a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken mainly in East Timor, and also in West Timor in Indonesia
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: m = said by men, f = said by women.
| English | Lia-Tetun (Tetum) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Ksolok Bodik Mai Bemvindu |
| Hello (General greeting) | Elo Hi |
| How are you? | Diak ka lai? O di'ak ka lae? |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Hau diak. Obrigadu. Ita mo's di'ak? (m) Hau diak. Obrigada. Ita mo's di'ak? (f) |
| Long time no see | Kleur ona la hetan ita |
| What's your name? | Ita nia naran saida? O nia naran sa? |
| My name is ... | Ha'u nia naran ... Men dak narana ... |
| Where are you from? | Ita mai husi rai ida ne'ebe? O mai husi nasaun ida ne'ebe? |
| I'm from ... | Hau mai husi rai ... |
| Pleased to meet you | Laran kontenti tebes atu hasoru malu ho ita Obrigo burodo |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Bondia Dader diak Boasdias |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Botarde Lorokraik diak Boastarde |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Bonoite Kalan diak Boasnoite |
| Good night | Bonoite Kalan diak Boasnoite |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Hau ba lai Hepeye Heppi Adeus Atelogu Ate amanyá |
| Good luck! | Sorti diak Boasorte |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Saúde! |
| Have a nice day | Sorte diak ba loron ohin |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Serbida Han ho gostu |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Lao didiak Boa Viajem |
| I understand | Ha'u komprende |
| I don't understand | Ha'u la comprende Ha'u la hatene |
| Yes | Sin |
| No | Lae |
| Maybe | Kal |
| Please speak more slowly | Favor ida koalia neneik ituan |
| Please say that again | Favor ida bele dehan fali Favor ida bele repete fali |
| Please write it down | Favor ida hakerek Favor ida halo nota ba |
| Do you speak English? | Ita, bele ko'alia Inglês? |
| Do you speak Tetum? | Ita, bele ko'alia Tetun? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
Sim, ituan |
| How do you say ... in Tetum? | ... iha tetum dehan saida? |
| Excuse me | Kolisensa Deskup pelici Desku pihcih |
| How much is this? | Ida ne'e folin hira? |
| Sorry | Deskulpa! |
| Please | Favór ida Ibrig |
| Thank you | Obrigadu (m) Obrigada (f) Obrigadu barak (m) Obrigada barak (f) |
| Reply to thank you | La iha buat ida Lalika temi |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Sintina iha ne'ebe? |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Senhor ida ne'e mak sei selu buat hotu-hotu |
| This lady will pay for everything | Senhora ida ne'e mak sei selu buat hotu-hotu |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Ita hakarak dansa ho hau |
| I love you | Hau hadomi O |
| Get well soon | Diak lalais |
| Leave me alone! | Sai tiha husi ne'e! Dook tiha! Husik hau mesak! |
| Help! | Ajuda! |
| Fire! | Ahi! |
| Stop! | Para! |
| Call the police! | Bolu polisia! |
| Christmas greetings | Ksolok loron natal nian |
| New Year greetings | Boas entradas! |
| Easter greetings | Feliz Paskua |
| Birthday greetings | Ksolok Loron Tinan Nian |
| One language is never enough | Lian ida deit la to'o |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | Hau nian ro hovercraft maka busu ho tuna barak la halimar |
Tetum translations by Antonio
Hear some Tetum phrases
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Tetum | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel
Other collections of Tetum phrases
http://visiteasttimor.com/good-to-know/talk-tetum-in-timor/
http://wikitravel.org/en/Tetum_phrasebook
http://www.gnu.org/software/tetum/contributors/cliffMorris-xhtml/
http://gov.east-timor.org/AboutTimorleste/tetum.htm
http://navigatedili.com/Phrases.html
Balinese, Banjar, Central Dusun, Chamorro (Guam dialect), Chamorro (North Marianas dialect), Coastal Kadazan, Fijian, Iban, Indonesian, Javanese, Malagasy, Malay, Māori, Palauan, Tetum, Yapese
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