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Common Tetum to Lingala phrases

100 practical Tetum to Lingala phrases for travel, study, work, and daily conversation.

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Looking for practical Tetum to Lingala phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Tetum phrase first, then the Lingala translation (Lingala) — 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 Lingala.

Tip: when a Lingala phrase looks unfamiliar, compare it with the Tetum 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 Tetum to Lingala 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.

  1. Olá

    Mbote

  2. Obrigadu

    Melesi

  3. Bondia

    Mbote na ntango ya mokolo

  4. Bona tarde

    Mbote na ntango ya midi

  5. Bona noite

    Mbote na ntango ya soir

  6. Bona noite

    Malamu na butu

  7. Ami hanesan

    Tala yo nsima

  8. Adeus

    Kende malamu

  9. Quale naran ida?

    Nkombo na yo nani?

  10. Naran hau John.

    Nkombo na ngai ezali John

  11. Kona ba o?

    Ozalaki malamu?

  12. Diak ba halo ho o.

    Nayoki malamu na yo

Useful phrases for travellers

Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.

  1. Keta fala Inglês?

    Ozali koloba lingala? (ozali koloba lingala)

  2. Hau la fala Hindi diak.

    Nasalaka hindi malamu te (nasalaka hindi malamu te)

  3. Hau la hatene.

    Nalingi te (nalingi te)

  4. Favor fala ba moris.

    S'il vous plaît, koloba butu (koloba butu)

  5. Keta bele fala fali?

    Okoki koloba yango lisusu? (okoki koloba yango lisusu)

  6. Onde mak banheira?

    Bato ya nzoto ezali wapi? (bato ya nzoto)

  7. Kona ne'ebe hau bele baa sentru cidade?

    Nakanisi ndenge nini nakokende na centre? (nakokende na centre)

  8. Virar ba hadau.

    Tika na mobali (tika na mobali)

  9. Virar ba direita.

    Tika na mwasi (tika na mwasi)

  10. Baa diretamente.

    Kende na ntango (kende na ntango)

  11. Iha ne'e barak?

    Mbala nini ezali? (mbala nini)

  12. Ticket ida, favor.

    Billet moko, s'il vous plaît (billet moko)

  13. Iha ne'e laran ka?

    Ezali na esika ya mbali? (ezali na esika ya mbali)

  14. Hau nune'e.

    Nazali na esika ya mabe (nazali na esika ya mabe)

  15. Onde mak hau bele compra SIM card?

    Nakanisi wapi nakokota SIM card? (nakokota SIM card)

Everyday conversation

Small talk, feelings, opinions, and common chat phrases for daily life.

  1. Sim

    Oyo

  2. La

    Te

  3. Talvez

    Soki

  4. Hau hakarak

    Nalingi

  5. Hau la hakarak

    Nalingi te

  6. Nia mak diak

    Eza malamu

  7. Ita nian ideia sa?

    Oyo olingi nini?

  8. Mak bele ajuda hau?

    Okoki kosalisa ngai?

  9. Hau precisa ajuda

    Naza na bosenga ya kosalisa

  10. Hakarak momentu

    Sunga moke

  11. Hau mós

    Nasalaki mabe

  12. La problema

    Nani azali na problème

  13. Parabens

    Mokolo malamu

  14. Parabens ba aniversario

    Mokolo ya mbotama malamu

  15. Hau haruka viagen diak

    Zala na nzela ya malamu

Directions and getting around

Asking where something is, left and right, distances, and finding your way.

  1. Onde está a estacão de trem?

    Eko zali wapi? (Eko zali wapi?)

  2. Onde está a paragem de autocarro?

    Eko zali wapi na bis? (Onde está a paragem de autocarro?)

  3. Iha ne'e plataforma sa'e?

    Eko zali na esika nini? (Iha ne'e plataforma sa'e?)

  4. Hora ne'e sai?

    Ekozanga na ntango nini? (Hora ne'e sai?)

  5. Ema ne'e dalan certo ka?

    Oyo ezali nzela ya malamu? (Ema ne'e dalan certo ka?)

  6. Iha ne'e perto

    Ezali pene awa. (Iha ne'e perto)

  7. Iha ne'e laran

    Ezali mbali awa. (Iha ne'e laran)

  8. Kona ba mapa?

    Okoki kolakisa ngai na kati ya mape? (Kona ba mapa?)

  9. Parar iha ne'e, favor

    Tika awa, s'il vous plaît. (Parar iha ne'e, favor)

  10. Kona tempu hira?

    Ekozala ntango nini? (Kona tempu hira?)

Shopping and dining

Ordering food, asking prices, paying the bill, and shopping at markets or stores.

  1. Ita nia presu sa'o?

    Mbongo ya yango eza nini? (ita nia presu sao?)

  2. Esa mak baratu demais.

    Yango eza mabe na mbongo.

  3. Ita iha coisa baratu seluk?

    Ozali na makambo mosusu ya mbongo moke?

  4. Posu ka la, hau bele paga ba kart?

    Nalingi kobonga na carte?

  5. Hau hakarak mesa ba rua.

    Nalingi meka mpo na mibale.

  6. Fatu, por favor.

    Liyangani, s'il vous plaît.

  7. Servisu iha ka?

    Service eza na kati?

  8. Hau vegetarian.

    Nazali mvegetarian.

  9. Labele comida spicy, por favor.

    Bokoya biloko ya mabe, s'il vous plaît.

  10. Esa mak saboru.

    Yango ezali malamu.

  11. Posu ka la, hau bele hakarak menu?

    Nalingi menu, s'il vous plaît.

  12. Kopa agua, por favor.

    Leki ya mayi, s'il vous plaît.

Emergencies and health

Help, police, doctor, pharmacy, and urgent situations when you need assistance fast.

  1. Liga ba polícia

    Tindá polisi

  2. Liga ba ambulansia

    Tindá ambulance

  3. Hau precisa doutor

    Nalingi médecin

  4. Hau sente sick

    Nazali na maladi

  5. Hau iha alergia ba karu

    Nazali na allergie na mbala

  6. Onde iha ospitál ne'ebe mais perto?

    Hospital ya liboso ezali wapi?

  7. Ita hakarak iha ne'e

    Ezalaka na nse awa

  8. Hau hasai passport

    Nazwi passport na ngai

  9. O pode liga ba hotel hau?

    Okoki kotinda hôtel na ngai?

  10. Help!

    S.O.S!

Work and business

Meetings, email tone, schedules, and professional phrases for the workplace.

  1. Hau kontente hatoo ho ita

    Nasepeli na yo

  2. Kita halo reunião

    Tika tozala na mitema

  3. Hora ne'ebe mak diak ba ita?

    Ngai nalobi ntango nini ekozala malamu na yo?

  4. Hau sei hatoo relatoriu ona

    Naboya raport lelo

  5. Ita bele halo conversa fali?

    Tango tozali na mposo?

  6. Favor buka arquivo ne'e iha

    S'il vous plaît, tala fichier oyo ezali na nzela

  7. Obrigadu ba ita-nia tempu

    Mersi mpo na ntango na yo

  8. Hau hakarak trabalha ho ita

    Nasalela yo na mosala

  9. Ita bele klarifika ponto ne'e?

    Okoki kosala likambo yango malamu?

  10. Hau sei volta ba ita

    Napesi yo nzela

  11. Prazo mak sexta-feira

    Mokolo ya kokanga ezali Vendredi

Time, days and numbers

Clock times, days of the week, months, quantities, and counting for appointments and plans.

  1. Hora ne'ebe?

    Nini tango ezali? (ni-ni tan-go e-za-li)

  2. Iha hora tolu.

    Ezali ntango ya misato (e-za-li n-tan-go ya mi-sa-to)

  3. Oin loron

    Lelo (oin loron)

  4. Amanhã

    Bokoko (amanha)

  5. Kona ba

    Kaka (kona ba)

  6. Segunda-feira

    Lundi (segunda-feira)

  7. Terça-feira

    Mardi (terca-feira)

  8. Quarta-feira

    Mercredi (quarta-feira)

  9. Ida

    Moko (ida)

  10. Dua

    Mbala (dua)

  11. Tolu

    Misato (tolu)

  12. Sira

    Libwa (sira)

  13. Nehun

    Sankuru (nehun)

  14. Metade

    Bato (metade)

  15. Lain

    Soki (lain)

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