Looking for practical Alur to Tetum phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Alur phrase first, then the Tetum translation (Tetum) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Tetum.
Tip: when a Tetum phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Alur wording — noticing word order differences helps you understand grammar naturally.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Alur to Tetum translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
Salam
Olá
Matur nuwun
Obrigadu
Selamat pagi
Bondia
Selamat sore
Bona tarde
Selamat malam
Bona noite
Selamat bobo
Bona noite
Sampai jumpa
Ami hanesan
Selamat tinggal
Adeus
Sapa nama mu?
Quale naran ida?
Nama ku John
Naran hau John.
Kabar apa?
Kona ba o?
Senang bertemu denganmu
Diak ba halo ho o.
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Nyo nyi ngana Inggris?
Keta fala Inglês?
Nyo ngana Hindi badi.
Hau la fala Hindi diak.
Nyo ngana nyo.
Hau la hatene.
Tolong nyi lempang.
Favor fala ba moris.
Nyo bisa nyi lagi?
Keta bele fala fali?
Di mana kamar mandi?
Onde mak banheira?
Nyo nyi ka pusat kota?
Kona ne'ebe hau bele baa sentru cidade?
Belok kiri.
Virar ba hadau.
Belok kanan.
Virar ba direita.
Nyi terus.
Baa diretamente.
Berapa harga tiket?
Iha ne'e barak?
Satu tiket, tolong.
Ticket ida, favor.
Apakah jauh dari sini?
Iha ne'e laran ka?
Nyo hilang.
Hau nune'e.
Di mana bisa beli kartu SIM?
Onde mak hau bele compra SIM card?
Everyday conversation
Small talk, feelings, opinions, and common chat phrases for daily life.
Iyo
Sim
Ayi
La
Mungkin
Talvez
Ngeye
Hau hakarak
Ayi ngeye
Hau la hakarak
Iya, enak
Nia mak diak
Napa pendapatmu?
Ita nian ideia sa?
Bisa bantu saya?
Mak bele ajuda hau?
Saya butuh bantuan
Hau precisa ajuda
Tunggu sebentar
Hakarak momentu
Saya minta maaf
Hau mós
Tidak masalah
La problema
Selamat
Parabens
Selamat ulang tahun
Parabens ba aniversario
Semoga selamat dalam perjalanan
Hau haruka viagen diak
Directions and getting around
Asking where something is, left and right, distances, and finding your way.
Dika stasiun kereta?
Onde está a estacão de trem?(Onde está a estacão de trem?)
Dika halte bis?
Onde está a paragem de autocarro?(Onde está a paragem de autocarro?)
Platform mana?
Iha ne'e plataforma sa'e?(Iha ne'e plataforma sa'e?)
Jam berapa ia berangkat?
Hora ne'e sai?(Hora ne'e sai?)
Apa ini jalan yang benar?
Ema ne'e dalan certo ka?(Ema ne'e dalan certo ka?)
Iya dekat sini
Iha ne'e perto(Iha ne'e perto)
Iya jauh dari sini
Iha ne'e laran(Iha ne'e laran)
Bisa tunjukkan di peta?
Kona ba mapa?(Kona ba mapa?)
Berhenti di sini, tolong
Parar iha ne'e, favor(Parar iha ne'e, favor)
Berapa lama waktu yang dibutuhkan?
Kona tempu hira?(Kona tempu hira?)
Shopping and dining
Ordering food, asking prices, paying the bill, and shopping at markets or stores.
Berapa harga ini?
Ita nia presu sa'o?(ita nia presu sao?)
Itu terlalu mahal.
Esa mak baratu demais.
Apakah ada yang lebih murah?
Ita iha coisa baratu seluk?
Bisa bayar pakai kartu?
Posu ka la, hau bele paga ba kart?
Saya mau meja untuk dua.
Hau hakarak mesa ba rua.
Tagihan, tolong.
Fatu, por favor.
Apakah layanan sudah termasuk?
Servisu iha ka?
Saya vegetarian.
Hau vegetarian.
Tidak ada makanan pedas, tolong.
Labele comida spicy, por favor.
Ini enak.
Esa mak saboru.
Bisa minta menu?
Posu ka la, hau bele hakarak menu?
Segelas air, tolong.
Kopa agua, por favor.
Emergencies and health
Help, police, doctor, pharmacy, and urgent situations when you need assistance fast.
Bisa ngelap polisi
Liga ba polícia
Bisa ngelap ambulans
Liga ba ambulansia
Aku butuh dokter
Hau precisa doutor
Aku merasa sakit
Hau sente sick
Aku alergi kacang tanah
Hau iha alergia ba karu
Di mana rumah sakit terdekat?
Onde iha ospitál ne'ebe mais perto?
Sakit di sini
Ita hakarak iha ne'e
Aku kehilangan paspor
Hau hasai passport
Bisa telepon hotelku?
O pode liga ba hotel hau?
Tolong!
Help!
Work and business
Meetings, email tone, schedules, and professional phrases for the workplace.
Ngomong bareng kowe
Hau kontente hatoo ho ita
Ayo kita atur rapat
Kita halo reunião
Jam pira sing cocog kanggo kowe?
Hora ne'ebe mak diak ba ita?
Aku bakal ngirim laporan dina iki
Hau sei hatoo relatoriu ona
Apa kita bisa ngomong sesuk?
Ita bele halo conversa fali?
Mangga deleng file sing dilampirake
Favor buka arquivo ne'e iha
Matur nuwun kanggo wektu kowe
Obrigadu ba ita-nia tempu
Aku ngarep-arep bisa kerja bareng kowe
Hau hakarak trabalha ho ita
Apa kowe bisa nerangake titik kuwi?
Ita bele klarifika ponto ne'e?
Ayo aku bali menyang kowe
Hau sei volta ba ita
Wektu pungkasan yaiku Jumuah
Prazo mak sexta-feira
Time, days and numbers
Clock times, days of the week, months, quantities, and counting for appointments and plans.