Daily Activities
Master the fundamentals of Daily Activities
Module 3: Daily Activities
Skill 2 – Asking and Talking About Time
This lesson gives you simple, ready-to-use Tetum expressions for asking and telling the time, and talking about when something happens. You'll also learn how to connect time phrases to daily activities, so you can plan, meet, or arrange something in conversation.
You will learn to:
- Ask the time politely.
- Tell the time in a clear way.
- Use time in daily conversation about events and plans.
1. Key Phrases
| Tetum | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Oras hira ona? | What time is it? |
| Tuku ida / Tuku rua / Tuku tolu | One o'clock / Two o'clock / Three o'clock |
| Iha ______ | At ______ (time) |
| Bainhira? | When? |
| Agora | Now |
| Depois | Later |
| Antes | Before |
| Ohin dadeer | This morning |
| Ohin lokraik | This afternoon |
| Kalan | Night |
2. Examples & Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1 – Asking the time
A: Bondia! oras hira ona?
B: tuku sanulu.
Dialogue 2 – Talking about a meeting
A: Bainhira ita encontra?
B: Iha klok tolu lokraik.
Dialogue 3 – Telling time for an activity
A: Bainhira ita baa merkadu?
B: Agora.
3. Practice
A. Fill in the blanks:
- ______ hira agora? (What time is it now?)
- Ami encontra iha ______ hitu lokraik. (We meet at seven in the afternoon)
- Ita ba eskola ______? (When are you going to school?)
B. Translate to Tetum:
- Now.
- We will meet later.
- I'm going to the market at three o'clock.
4. Answer Key & Explanation
A. Fill in the blanks
- Tuku → "Oras hira agora?"
- Tuku → "Ami encontra iha tuku hitu lokraik."
- Bainhira → "Ita baa eskola bainhira?"
B. Translation
- Agora.
- Ami sei encontra depois.
- Hau baa merkadu iha tuku tolu.
Explanation:
- Oras hira? is the standard way to ask the time.
- Combine iha + tuku + number to say "at [time]."
- Bainhira? means "when" and works for both past and future contexts.