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Tetun is one of Timor-Leste’s official languages. It has been with the Timorese through prolonged periods of colonisation and occupation. Yet, what voice does Tetun have and how has it expressed the pain and resistance that shaped the country on the long, hard road to independence?

For nearly 500 years, Timor-Leste suffered at the hands of colonisers and occupiers. The Portuguese first came to the island of Timor in the sixteenth century and stayed for over 450 years. History shows that they brought Catholicism to the island and exploited its sandalwood resources for trade. But they were not the only outsiders to stake a claim to Timor. During this period, and after a bitter conflict with the Dutch, the Portuguese retreated to Timor’s eastern half, which they ruled as a formal colony.

During the Second World War, the Japanese controlled Timor between 1942 and 1945. A few decades later, in 1975, Portugal abruptly withdrew from Timor-Leste, which bred hopes of Timorese independence. However, the dream did not last long. Just over a week after the colonisers left, Indonesia launched an unprovoked, all-out assault on the territory, where they stayed until 1999. During this time, the invaders subjected Timor-Leste to a brutal occupation.

These incursions came at a colossal human cost. Thousands of Timorese died through violent suppression or the ravages of famine, and the country was stripped of its assets. But Timor-Leste did not falter. In fact, history shows that, in the face of hardship and oppression, the place endured. And by May 2002, having survived centuries of subjugation, Timor-Leste finally gained its liberty.

What is Tetun?

Tetun, or Tetum, is spoken in Timor-Leste. It is one of the country’s two official languages, along with Portuguese, and is something of a culture shock to new arrivals. Many visitors, through no fault of their own, know little about Timor-Leste, and even less about Tetun.

This lack of knowledge does not last long. A visitor will soon find that the language bristles with a kinetic rhythm, quick, impassioned, and decisive. A packed bemo minivan ride around the capital city of Dili, for instance, soundtracked by three or four loud Tetun conversations at once, can pummel the senses and cause wide-eyed culture shock.

When things settle down, though, most visitors get used to the pace of both Tetun and Timor-Leste. And they soon learn that both country and language embody the same strength and resilience.

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Types of Tetun

The 2002 Constitution, which came into being when Timor-Leste gained formal independence in May of that year, enshrined, via Article 13, both Portuguese and Tetun as the country’s official languages.

While the former bears the burden of education, governance and officialdom, it is the latter that acts as Timor-Leste’s lingua franca and gives voice to everyday life across the country.

Timor-Leste has around 25 indigenous languages and dialects, such as Bunak, Kemak, Makasae and Mambai. And whilst some of these tongues share many elements, others do not. It makes sense, therefore, to have a common language for trade, governance and community. Tetun plays such a role. But even then, comprehension is not guaranteed. In places like Lospalos and Oecussi, people rely more on Fataluku and Baikeno, respectively, than Tetun.

Centuries of Portuguese rule left their mark on Timor-Leste. In Dili, many street names – Avenida Portugal, Rua de Angola, Rua de Moçambique and so on – bear a strong Lusophone flavour. And in the same city, colonial buildings serve as a constant reminder of Portugal’s rule. The whitewashed Palácio do Governo and the Farol de Dili lighthouse, with its striped green and white base, both draw their fair share of glances.

Portuguese influence

Equally, Tetun has varying degrees of Portuguese influence. The former soaked up many European loan words – avenida, adeus, azul, deskulpa, etc – from the latter. This is certainly true of Tetun Dili, a simplified version of Tetun, understood and used across most of Timor-Leste.

Historically, traders would use Tetun Dili in the capital’s markets. They would take then take this shared language with them and spread it wherever they went. Thus, Tetun Dili also became known as Tetun Praca, or market Tetun. Its name comes from the Portuguese word ‘praça’, or ‘town square,’ and reflects the language’s directness and widespread nature.

Tetun Dili derives from Tetun Terik, the older and more rural version of the language. Terik lacks the European loanwords of its offspring, relying more on Austronesian root words.

Different tones of Tetun

Both versions differ in their grammar. Terik, for instance, employs verb conjugation and subject marking, such as prefixes and suffixes. The Dili type, which focuses on ease of use, does away with such things.

Such refinement leads to a kind of linguistic disconnect. Most Terik speakers will understand Dili, but the majority of Dili speakers will find Terik too complex to grasp, on account of its grammar. And if a Dili speaker sprinkles European loan words into their dialogue, the Terik listener will be equally confounded.

The farther a person goes from Dili, the deeper they go into the terrain of Terik. Venturing to the south coast, to places like Same, Suai and Viqueuque, will reveal many speakers of this form of Tetun.

Those who head west, meanwhile, to the border with Indonesia, find that around Bobonaro and Maliana, Terik takes on an even more distinct form. Here, Bahasa asserts itself into the language in the form of borrowed words and phrasing. And once a person goes across the border into East Nusa Tenggara, they will find Terik in the regencies of Belu and Melaka.

Of how Tetun spread in Timor-Leste

The Tetun people, whose origins trace back to either Sumatra or the Malay peninsula, settled on the fertile central plains around Dili, Suai and Viqueque in the 1300s. Their mastery of trade and diplomacy meant they soon came to power in the region.

And as their influence grew, so too did the reach of their language, a distant relative of Tetun Terik. The more powerful the Tetun became, the more widespread and dominant their words. Soon enough, this early version of Tetun became an accepted lingua franca across the land.

Cultural importance of Tetun

Tetun has sacred roots in the form of lulik, a term that places language as a gift from ancient ancestors, but which no summary by EitM can do justice.

Instead, a look at the more recent past shows the stature of Tetun in Timor-Leste. Four-fifths, or eighty per cent, of the country’s population knows at least one form of Tetun, and many have a grasp of both.

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A symbol of anti-colonial resistance

The Indonesian occupiers, keen to assert their dominance, heavily restricted the use of Tetun and Portuguese. Instead, they established Bahasa Indonesia as the sole language of entertainment, education and bureaucracy.

The Indonesians could not fully ban Tetun, however. In the same way that architecture, food and street names signify Timor’s time as a former Portuguese colony, Tetun became a cultural vestige, a symbol of opposition against the occupation.

Soon enough, the language found its way underground. There, it became the voice of resistance, the sound of defiance and the vessel of Timorese identity.

Catholic Church

Something sacred watched over Timor-Leste during this period. First, in 1980, the Vatican granted Tetun official status, meaning it could be used in church services and civic functions. And then, in 1981, the Catholic Church designated Tetun Dili the official liturgical language in Timor-Leste.

For the next twenty years, holy authorities delivered all sermons and prayers, and all Catholic texts, in Tetun. The church preserved the voice of the oppressed, and did not allow them to be silenced.

FRETILIN

The FRETILIN party, which sought Timor-Leste’s independence, chose to communicate in Tetun and Portuguese rather than Bahasa. This approach had a twofold goal. First, it would distinguish the Timorese from the Indonesians. And second, because the occupiers could not understand Tetun, it allowed for clandestine connection between grassroots guerrilla resistance in all parts of Timor.

Maubere

One way the resistance established support was to create a sense of civic pride, as shown by their adoption of the term ‘maubere’, which the Portuguese colonisers used as a slur to disparage rural highlanders, whom they perceived as backward and illiterate.

FRETILIN, however, took pride in such a slight and turned it into a unifier. ‘Maubere’ became pregnant with notions of resilience and identity, which Xanana Gusmão, leader of FALINTIL, helped foster. FALINTIL was the armed wing of FRETILIN, and Gusmão lived alongside guerrilla fighters in the mountains. There, he established Tetun as the official language of the resistance’s bases and compounds.

The freedom movement strove to educate the population through Tetun literacy programmes, songs and music. By focusing on the notion of ‘maubere’ and celebrating the indigenous Timorese, the revolutionaries engendered feelings of pride and defiance and gave the people agency, even as the outsiders sought to erode their liberty.

Bahasa Indonesia in Timor-Leste

Even after the occupation ended in 1999, Bahasa Indonesia remained entrenched in Timor-Leste, where it was used in education, trade and other formal matters.

In 2002, the balance was redressed. Timor-Leste, newly independent, designated Tetun and Portuguese the country’s only official languages. Bahasa was relegated to the level of ‘working language,’ which distanced the young nation from the influence of the former occupiers.

Bahasa remains in common use in Timor-Leste. Many people enjoy Indonesian sinetron and music, such as dangdut. Moreover, generations of Timorese adults, especially those who grew up between 1975 and 1999, were educated in Indonesian.

But Bahasa also carries scars upon its currents. The forced and brutal occupation left upwards of 150,000 Timorese dead and traumatised whole swathes of the population. Beneath the prevalence of Indonesian pop culture, the language reminds many Timorese of a time of great pain. Thus, demoting the official status of Bahasa helped reclaim Timor’s sense of self and cast aside a distressing reminder of the past.

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Main grammar points

Disclaimer: These are the main grammar points we picked up, and they cover the basics pretty well. Look at it as a snapshot, not a definitive guide.

Word order (SVO)

For all the underlying tension between Tetun and Bahasa, both share at least a few common traits. They are Austronesian languages, and both adhere to a subject-verb-object order. In Tetun, for instance, a sentence might read ‘hau gosta inus’ (I like [the] nose*). Both languages also tend to follow nouns with modifiers: the phrase ‘hot chicken**” translates into the Tetun ‘manu ai-manas’ and ‘ayam pedas’ in Bahasa; both reverse the wording so it reads ‘chicken hot’.

*long story

**In this context, ‘hot’ refers to ‘spicy’

Verb tenses

Like Bahasa, Tetun does not conjugate or otherwise change verbs to show the timing of an action. Instead, the words rely on context or time words, such as an adverb [e.g., aban / tomorrow], to clarify when something occurred or is about to occur.

• To indicate an ongoing action, add ‘hela’ after the verb (e.g., Hau hare fitun hela / I am watching the stars)
• To indicate a completed action, use ‘ona’ (‘already’) or ‘tiha’ (‘done’) after the verb phrase (e.g., Hau hare fitun tiha / I watched the stars)
• To indicate a future action, use particles like ‘atu’ (‘about to’) or ‘sei’ (‘will’) before the verb phrase (e.g., Hau atu hare fitun / I’m about to watch the stars)

Glossary

NB: This is a Tetun Dili list, which we compiled from conversations we had around Dili and talking to a chatty, friendly stranger in Gleno. There might be a few errors here and there, but nothing life-threatening, we think.

English Tetun

Hello Elo

Good morning Bon dia / Dader di’ak

Good afternoon / day Boa tarde / Loron di’ak

Good evening / night Boa noiti / Kalan di’ak

Goodbye Adeus / Hau ba lai

See you soon / later Atelogu

See you tomorrow Atemanha

Yes Sin / Diak / Los

No Lae

Please Favor ida

Thank you (very much) Obrigadu (barak) [NB: Men say ‘obrigadu’, women say ‘obrigada’]

No, thank you Diak, obrigadu

You’re welcome De nada

Excuse me Kolisensa

I’m sorry Deskulpa

How are you? Diak ka lai?

I’m fine, thank you. And you? Diak, obrigadu. Ita diak ka lae?

What is your name? Ita nia naran saida?

My name is… Han nia saida…

Pleased to meet you Prazer honhese ita

Happy to meet you Contenté hasoru ita

Where are you from? Ita hosi nebe?

I’m from (England) Hau hosi (Inglatera)

Do you speak English? Ita koalia Ingles?

Yes, I do speak English Hau koalia Ingles

No, I don’t speak English Hau la koalia Ingles

I speak a little Hau koalia itum

See the way [nb: sign of respect when people are leaving] Haré daran

I like to watch stars with you again Hau gosta hare fitun o ita fila fali

With you O ita

It’s beautiful Kapas

I’m learning a little bit Ha’u aprende uitoan

I don’t know Ha’u la hatene

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What is this? Nee saida?

How far is it? Dook ka lae?

Where is…? Iha nebee…?

Bus station Terminal bis nian

Road to (Dili) Dalan ba (Dili)

What time does the … leave / arrive? Tuku hira maka … ba / to?

Stop here, please Para di’ak

Aeroplane Aviaun

Bus Bis / Biskota

Minibus Mikrolet

What … is this? Saida … maka ae?

City Sidadi / Kota

Street Dalan / Estrada / Luron

Village Vila / Desa

Does this bus go to …? Bis ida ne ba … ka lae?

How much? [Nee folin] hira? / Selu kira?

Where are you going? Bá nebee ?

Just walking La’o de ’it [NB: similar to ‘jalan jalan’ in Bahasa Indonesia]

I’m going (home) Hau ba (uma)

Home Uma

Market Mercado

Hotel Otel

Airport Aeroportu

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I like your nose Hau gosta o ita nia inus*

I like your nose too Hau mós gosta Ita-nia inus 

Get outta here! / You’re kidding! Lae, ita bosok! 

Beard Hasrahun

Bald Botak

Bald Englishman Orang Ingris botak / gundul

I like to (laugh) Hau gosta (hamnasa)

Laugh Hamnasa

Play Halimar

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Eat / Food Han / Hahan 

Drink / Drink Hemu / Hemu 

I would like [cigarettes] Hau hakarak [sigarru] sira (NB: ‘sira’ pluralises a noun)

Do you have [rice]? O iha [etu] ka?

How much? Hira?

Water Bee

Beer Serveja

Cigarettes Sigarru

Lighter Iskeru

Chicken Manu 

Fish Ikan

Meat Isin / Na’an

Rice Foos (uncooked) / Etu (cooked)

Noodles Mie / Masa

Soup Supa

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I’ve spent one week in Timor-Leste Semana ida ona iha Timor-Leste

How long have you been in Timor-Leste? Cleorona iha Timor-Leste?

Day Loron

Week Semana

Month Fulan

Year Tinan

Today Ohin / Ohin loron 

Tomorrow Aban 

Yesterday Horisehik 

Die (death) Maté

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Numbers Numeru 

0

1 Ida

2 Rua

3 Tolu

4 Haat

5 Lima

6 Neen

7 Hitu

8 Ualu

9 Sia

10 Sanulu 

11 Sanulu resin ida

12 Sanulu resin rua

13 Sanulu resin tolu

14 Sanulu resin haat

15 Sanulu resin lima

16 Sanulu resin neen

17 Sanulu resin hitu

18 Sanulu resin ualu

19 Sanulu resin sia

20 Ruanulu

30 Tolunulu

40 Haatnulu

50 Limanulu

60 Neennulu

70 Hitunulu

80 Ualunulu

90 Sianulu

100 / Hundred Atus ida / Atus

1,000 / Thousand Rihun ida / Rihun

1,000,000 / Million Tokon ida / Tokon

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Grandparent Abo

Mother Inan

Father Aman

Uncle / Aunt Tiu / Tia

Older brother Manu

Older sister Mana

Younger sibling Alin

Useful resources

• CARE: Long-term sustainable development projects in Timor-Leste

• Global Survivors Fund: Pirilampu, Timor-Leste’s first women’s survivor network

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Support for communities and helping the country recover post-occupation

• OniT Tetun Translator: A popular and well-regarded Tetun translation with a dictionary, phrasing and grammar

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READ MORE: EitM’s language primers

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