Tower of Babbling: Tetum
I started learning Tetum in January 2025.
The goal was conversational fluency in preparation for a trip to East Timor in March 2025.
Want to learn Tetum?
Here's what I did for 30 days.
Day 1
Learned basic phrases
This channel was a good start for the basics.
Writing a children's story in Tetum (with ChatGPT)
Bibi ho Haksolok (The Happy Goat)
Iha laran ai-laran ida, bibi ki’ik ida naran Lulu hela. Lulu mak bibi haksolok-liu iha sira nia aldeia. Hela iha laran ai-hanesan, Lulu sempre hariis iha mota ki’ik ho bee malirin.
Lor-loron, Lulu gosta haan ai-manas no ai-dila. Nia sempre tau matan ba rai-funan ho lia-fuan:
"Obrigadu, Rai, tamba ita hatudu ha’u ai-manas no ai-dila! Ha’u sei haksolok sempre!"
Hahú loron ida, Lulu bolu nia belun fuik:
“Oi, Fuik, mai ita baa loke mata ida barak ho kafeu no flores maran. Ita bele buka liafuan matenek iha to’os ida!”
Lulu no Fuik baa haksolok ona. Iha to’os ida, sira hetan ai-manas bo’ot no fahi balu. Lulu dehan ho isin-matenek:
"Oi, ita sei fiar ba natureza. Rai hatudu ema sira hanesan ha’u sempre haksolok!"
Loron nee remata ho rai loron-tolus halai tan, no Lulu ho Fuik fila ba ai-laran. Haksolok Lulu sei iha foho nee!
Translation
Let’s translate the story sentence by sentence:
Title:
Bibi ho Haksolok
The Happy Goat
- Iha laran ai-laran ida, bibi ki’ik ida naran Lulu hela.
In a forest, there lived a small goat named Lulu. - Lulu mak bibi haksolok-liu iha sira nia aldeia.
Lulu was the happiest goat in the village. - Hela iha laran ai-hanesan, Lulu sempre hariis iha mota ki’ik ho bee malirin.
Living among the trees, Lulu always bathed in a small stream with cool water. - Lor-loron, Lulu gosta haan ai-manas no ai-dila.
Every day, Lulu loved eating bananas and papayas. - Nia sempre tau matan ba rai-funan ho lia-fuan:
She always looked at the plants and said: - "Obrigadu, Rai, tamba ita hatudu ha’u ai-manas no ai-dila! Ha’u sei haksolok sempre!"
“Thank you, Earth, for giving me bananas and papayas! I will always be happy!” - Hahú loron ida, Lulu bolu nia belun fuik:
One day, Lulu called her friend, the monkey: - “Oi, Fuik, mai ita baa loke mata ida barak ho kafeu no flores maran.
“Hey, Monkey, let’s go explore the forest full of coffee plants and dried flowers. - Ita bele buka liafuan matenek iha to’os ida!”
We might find something interesting in a field!” - Lulu no Fuik baa haksolok ona.
Lulu and Monkey went happily. - Iha to’os ida, sira hetan ai-manas bo’ot no fahi balu.
In a field, they found a big banana tree and some pigs. - Lulu dehan ho isin-matenek:
Lulu said wisely: - "Oi, ita sei fiar ba natureza. Rai hatudu ema sira hanesan ha’u sempre haksolok!"
“Hey, we must trust nature. The Earth shows us how to always be happy!” - Loron nee remata ho rai loron-tolus halai tan, no Lulu ho Fuik fila ba ai-laran.
That day ended with the sunset, and Lulu and Monkey returned to the forest. - Haksolok Lulu sei iha foho nee!
Lulu’s happiness remained on the hill!
Write by hand to drill it in
Listened to this Tetum news podcast
To get an ear for the language
Learned a few phrases from this video
Day 2
Write Tetum story then translate into English
Steps:
1) write story with ChatGPT
2) Refine English output
3) Translate into Tetum using Google Translate
Learn more phrases from video
Day 3
Continue writing/translating Tetum story
Day 4
Continue writing/translating Tetum story
Learn more phrases from video
Day 5
Began reading Tetum textbook
Day 6
More story translation with Google Gemini (AI)
This was a much more vocabulary strengthening activity, because of the options the AI presented when I asked for translation.
Really helped reinforce the the mechanics of the language.
Example:
PROMPT: Translate the following sentence into Tetum:
Tasi softly knelt to child level, his bird-sharp eyes searched Lulik’s face.
RESPONSE:
The phrase "knelt to child level" is the key difference here. It implies adjusting one's height to be at the same level as a child. Here are a few ways to express this in Tetum:
Option 1 (More literal, focusing on lowering the body):
- Tasi hakne'ak ho lian mamar hodi tuun ba nivel labarik nian, ninia matan manu-fuik nian hateke ba Lulik nia oin.
- Tasi hakne'ak ho lian mamar: Tasi knelt softly
- hodi tuun ba nivel labarik nian: to lower himself/to descend to the level of the child (literally "to descend to level child's")
- ninia matan manu-fuik nian: his bird-like eyes
- hateke ba Lulik nia oin: looked at Lulik's face
This is a literal translation of "knelt to child level," but it's a bit wordy.
Option 2 (More concise, focusing on being at the same height):
- Tasi hakne'ak ho kalma hodi hanesan ho labarik, ninia matan manu-fuik nian hateke ba Lulik nia oin.
- Tasi hakne'ak ho kalma: Tasi knelt calmly
- hodi hanesan ho labarik: to be the same (height) as the child (literally "to be like with child")
- ninia matan manu-fuik nian: his bird-like eyes
- hateke ba Lulik nia oin: looked at Lulik's face
This version uses "hodi hanesan ho labarik," which is a more concise way of saying "to be at the same height as the child."
Option 3 (Focusing on kneeling down to the child):
- Tasi hakne'ak ho lian mamar ba Lulik, ninia matan manu-fuik nian hateke ba Lulik nia oin.
- Tasi hakne'ak ho lian mamar ba Lulik: Tasi knelt softly to Lulik (implying he knelt down to be at Lulik's level)
- ninia matan manu-fuik nian: his bird-like eyes
- hateke ba Lulik nia oin: looked at Lulik's face.
This option uses the preposition "ba" (to/towards) to imply the action of kneeling towards or down to Lulik. This is more natural in Tetum and effectively communicates the meaning.
Option 4 (Using a more descriptive verb for kneeling):
- Tasi tuku ain ho kalma hodi hasoru Lulik, ninia matan manu-fuik nian hateke ba Lulik nia oin.
- Tasi tuku ain ho kalma: Tasi squatted/knelt down calmly (literally "Tasi hit leg with calm")
- hodi hasoru Lulik: to face/meet Lulik
- ninia matan manu-fuik nian: his bird-like eyes
- hateke ba Lulik nia oin: looked at Lulik's face
"Tuku ain" literally means "to hit the leg" and is a common way to describe kneeling or squatting, especially when lowering oneself to someone's level.
Which is best?
Option 3 ("Tasi hakne'ak ho lian mamar ba Lulik, ninia matan manu-fuik nian hateke ba Lulik nia oin.") is probably the best, as it's concise and naturally implies the action of kneeling down to be at the child's level. Option 2 is also good. Option 4 is excellent if you want to be more descriptive about the action of kneeling. Option 1 is understandable but a bit wordy.
When it came to dialogue it was also very good.
The main character of my story is a 7-year-old Timorese boy. The AI was able to tailor his speech with appropriate nuance to show his age.
Day 7
More Tetum story translation.
Here's a sample:
PROMPT: He didn’t know how to give to spirits.
RESPONSE:
Here are several ways to translate "He didn't know how to give to spirits" into Tetum, with varying nuances:
1. Straightforward and literal:
- Nia la hatene oinsá fó ba espíritu sira.
- Nia: He/him
- la hatene: Did not know
- oinsá: How
- fó: Give
- ba: To
- espíritu sira: Spirits
This is a grammatically correct and easily understood translation.
2. More natural/idiomatic:
- Nia la hatene dalan atu fó ba espíritu sira.
- dalan: Way/method
This translates to "He didn't know the way to give to spirits." It's a more natural way to express the idea of not knowing how to do something.
3. Emphasizing the lack of knowledge about proper rituals/offerings:
- Nia la hatene seremonia atu fó ba espíritu sira.
- seremonia: Ceremony/ritual
This translates to "He didn't know the ceremonies/rituals to give to spirits." This is suitable if the context implies a specific ritual or offering.
- Nia la hatene buat ne'ebé atu oferese ba espíritu sira.
- buat ne'ebé atu oferese: What to offer
This translates to "He didn't know what to offer to the spirits." This version focuses on the lack of knowledge about the appropriate offerings.
4. A more concise option:
- Nia la hatene fó ba espíritu sira.
- This omits "oinsá/dalan atu," making it more concise. While grammatically simple, the context would usually make it clear that he didn't know how to give.
5. Focusing on the concept of giving respect or tribute:
- Nia la hatene oinsá atu hametin relasaun ho espíritu sira.
- hametin relasaun ho: To strengthen the relationship with/to show respect to
This translates to "He didn't know how to strengthen the relationship with the spirits." It shifts the focus from a literal giving of objects to a more abstract idea of giving respect or tribute. This may be suitable if the context is about maintaining a harmonious relationship with the spiritual world.
Which option is best?
For most contexts, "Nia la hatene dalan atu fó ba espíritu sira" is the best option. It is natural, concise, and accurately conveys the idea of not knowing how to give.
If the context specifically refers to rituals or offerings, "Nia la hatene seremonia atu fó ba espíritu sira" or "Nia la hatene buat ne'ebé atu oferese ba espíritu sira" would be more appropriate.
If the context is about maintaining a relationship with the spirits, "Nia la hatene oinsá atu hametin relasaun ho espíritu sira" would be a good choice.
"Nia la hatene fó ba espíritu sira" is acceptable in casual context.
Therefore, I recommend "Nia la hatene dalan atu fó ba espíritu sira" as the most suitable translation for general use.