Peace Corps Tetun 1-10

Tetun (Tetum) Praça, otherwise known as Tetun Dili is the lingua franca of East Timor. During and after the Portuguese rule of Timor Leste, Tetun Praça evolved from Tetun Terik with the incorporation of Portuguese, Indonesian and English words and elements of grammar. This set of Brainscape classes presents vocabulary and phrases from the Peace Corps East Timor Tetun Language Course (3rd edition, 2015) by Catharina Williams-van Klinken of the Dili Institute of Technology. The classes were created, with permission from the author. The full textbook and recordings can be found at [http://www.tetundit.tl/Publications.html](http://www.tetundit.tl/Publications.html) I can give you access to the full course. Just send me an email. Kind regards Craig Allen [mail@craigallen.net.au](mailto:mail@craigallen.net.au) --- **PRO tip for practising the Tetun you learn in this course** You can use the ChatGPT chatbot to get text for reading practise. You can signup for and log into the chatbot here: [https://chat.openai.com](https://chat.openai.com). The Open AI project, which is behind ChatGPT, is described here: [https://openai.com](https://openai.com). Open AI has ingested the entire internet, including all webpages written in Tetun, so ChatGPT can now write in Tetun about any topic. You can ask questions or make requests like this: >Tell the mythical story of the creation of East Timor in less than 100 words, with translations in English, Tetun Praça and Portuguese. And you will get an answer like this: > Lia-Loos and Lia-Fnac are two Timorese creation beings who carved the island of Timor out of a giant crocodile after defeating it. Lia-Loos used a thunderbolt to shape the mountains, valleys, and rivers, while Lia-Fnac used a knife to create the beaches and shores. > >Tetun Praça: Lia-Loos no Lia-Fnac mak entidade kriasaun Timor nian ne’ebé eskulpir ilha Timor husi korpulu krokodilu raksasa nia depois sira matak. Lia-Loos uza trovoada atu kria muntanha, bairo no riu, maibé Lia-Fnac uza kudelu atu kria praia no tanalan. > >Portuguese: Lia-Loos e Lia-Fnac são duas entidades de criação timorenses que esculpiram a ilha de Timor a partir de um crocodilo gigante depois de derrotá-lo. Lia-Loos usou um raio para moldar as montanhas, vales e rios, enquanto Lia-Fnac usou uma faca para criar as praias e costas. (Although be careful, sometimes the translations are not 100% accurate.) You can even ask about subjects that are not on the internet in Tetun. For example, I asked: > In less than 50 word, with translations in English and Tetun Praça, explain how to make a merangue pie. ChatGPT: >English: To make a meringue pie, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually add sugar, pour onto pie filling and bake until golden brown. > >Tetun Praça: Hodi halo pastel merangue, bati klara ovo to'o nia forma kaku, gradualmente di'ak hodi hamenus kareta, to'o iha pastel, no tama asu to'o sae. I then asked: >Translate 'hamenus'. ChatGPT: >The word 'hamenus' in Tetun Praça translates to 'mix' or 'combine' in English. Me: >Translate 'kareta'. Chat GPT: >The word 'kareta' in Tetun Praça can translate to 'batter' or 'dough' in English, depending on the context. However, in the given sentence "gradualmente di'ak hodi hamenus kareta" which is part of the instructions on how to make a meringue pie, 'kareta' refers to the 'filling' or 'custard' of the pie. Me: >Explain di'ak ChatGPT: >In Tetun Praça, 'di'ak' means 'good' or 'well' in English. In the given sentence "gradualmente di'ak hodi hamenus kareta", 'di'ak' modifies the verb 'hamenus' and emphasizes that the sugar should be added slowly and in a good or proper way to achieve the desired consistency of the filling. The whole sentence translates to "gradually add sugar well in order to mix with the pie filling.