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Travel tips

Languages of Timor-Leste

Tetum, Portuguese, English and Bahasa — where each one actually works, plus a phrasebook and a built-in translator.

Timorese elders and children greeting in their mother tongue
  • Tetum: everyone
  • Portuguese: official + ceremonial
  • Bahasa: market + youth
  • English: tourism + NGOs

Two official languages, one that everyone actually speaks

  • 2 Official languages
  • 32 Indigenous languages
  • ~90 % Tetum speakers nationwide
  • 5–10 Phrases get you everywhere

Timor-Leste has two official languages — Tetum (Tetun) and Portuguese — and two recognised working languages, English and Bahasa Indonesia. On paper that sounds like a polyglot's paradise. In practice the picture is simpler, and a little different from what most guidebooks suggest.

Tetum is the lingua franca that genuinely connects the country. You will hear it in markets, microlets, taxis, on the radio, between villagers from different districts and across every generation. Portuguese is the language of government, the courts, formal education and the older Catholic clergy, but fewer than 30% of Timorese can hold a real conversation in it — it is far more ceremonial than practical for travellers. English is concentrated in Dili: hotels, dive shops, tour guides, NGO offices and younger urban professionals. Step outside the capital and it thins out fast. Bahasa Indonesia is widely understood by anyone schooled before 1999 — broadly speakers aged 40 and over — a legacy of the Indonesian occupation period, and remains especially useful near the western border.

Beyond the official and working languages, Timor-Leste is home to around 16 indigenous mother tongues — Mambai, Makasae, Bunak, Tokodede, Galolen, Fataluku, Baikenu and others — each rooted in a particular district. Tetum is what stitches them together, which is exactly why learning even five phrases of it will change how your trip feels.

Smile-guaranteed phrases: Learning "Bondia" (good morning) and "Obrigadu/a" (thank you, male/female speaker) will earn you a real smile everywhere — from the airport taxi driver to the woman selling mandarins in Maubisse market.

Phrases at a glance

Six everyday Tetum openers that buy goodwill instantly — what they mean in English, and when locals expect to hear them.

  • Bondia

    Good morning.

    5 am – noon

  • Botarde

    Good afternoon.

    Noon – 6 pm

  • Obrigadu / Obrigada

    Thank you (male / female speaker).

    Always — use freely

  • Diak ka lae?

    How are you? (literally "well or not?").

    Casual greeting

  • Hau hatene Tetun uitoan

    I know a little Tetum.

    Buys instant goodwill

  • Hau-nia naran maka…

    My name is…

    Introducing yourself
Two Timorese elders greeting each other in Tetum on a village porch
Elders greeting one another at sunrise — Tetum carries the warmth between generations and across district borders.

Where each language is actually spoken

A realistic map of who speaks what, and how useful each language is for travellers passing through.

Language Where you'll hear it Useful for travellers
Tetum (Tetun) Everywhere — markets, microlets, villages, taxi drivers, on the radio and at home. Essential. Learn ten phrases and you will use them every day.
Portuguese Government offices, the courts, formal schools, older Catholic priests, official documents. Mostly ceremonial. Do not rely on it for everyday travel — even most Timorese under 30 don't use it.
English Dili hotels, dive shops, tour guides, NGO staff, younger Dili professionals. Works in Dili and at most tourist-facing businesses. Not reliable outside the capital.
Bahasa Indonesia Older generation (40+), markets near the western border, Indonesian visitors. Useful if you already speak it — not worth learning from scratch for a single trip.
Mambai Aileu, Ainaro and the Maubisse highlands. A greeting in Mambai is hugely appreciated in coffee country.
Fataluku Lospalos and the far east (Lautém district). Greetings only — locals love hearing visitors try.
Makasae Baucau and the eastern districts around Viqueque. Greetings appreciated; otherwise use Tetum.
Bunak Bobonaro and Cova Lima districts in the south-west. Greetings appreciated; Tetum bridges everything else.
"I arrived with two words of Tetum. By the third day, every microlet driver, every market vendor, every guesthouse host was answering me with a wider smile than I deserved — Timor-Leste rewards trying like nowhere else I have travelled." — Returning traveller, Dili waterfront
Multilingual street sign on Avenida Marginal, Dili
Avenida Marginal, Dili — public signage often layers Tetum, Portuguese and English on the same plate, a quiet portrait of how the country speaks every day.

Essential Tetum phrases

Pronounce Tetum the way you read it — vowels are crisp like Italian, and stress almost always sits on the second-to-last syllable. The pronunciation hints below are a rough English-speaker guide.

  • Bondia

    BON-dee-ah — Good morning.

    PT: Bom dia

  • Botarde

    bo-TAR-deh — Good afternoon.

    PT: Boa tarde

  • Boanoite

    bo-ah-NOI-teh — Good evening / good night.

    PT: Boa noite

  • Diak ka lae?

    dee-AHK kah LAY — How are you? (literally "well or not?").

  • Hau diak

    OW dee-AHK — I'm well.

  • Obrigadu / Obrigada

    oh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah — Thank you (male / female speaker).

    PT: Obrigado / Obrigada

  • Favor ida

    fah-VOR EE-dah — Please / I'd like.

  • Dezkulpa

    dezh-KOOL-pah — Sorry / excuse me.

    PT: Desculpa

  • Ita-bot naran sá?

    EE-tah-boat na-RAHN SAH — What's your name? (formal).

  • Hau-nia naran ___

    OW-nee-ah na-RAHN — My name is ___.

  • Hira?

    HEE-rah — How much?

  • Karun!

    kah-ROON — Too expensive!

  • Hau hakarak ___

    OW ha-kah-RAK — I'd like ___.

  • Iha nebee?

    EE-hah neh-BAY — Where is ___?

  • Loos

    LOHSS — Straight / correct.

  • Karuk

    kah-ROOK — Left.

  • Tuir

    TWEER — Right; also "follow".

  • Bee

    BEH — Water.

  • Hahán

    hah-HAN — Food.

  • Adeus

    ah-DAY-oos — Goodbye.

    PT: Adeus
Child reading a Tetum-language primer in a classroom
A child reads aloud from a Tetum primer — the language is now formally taught in schools, a generational shift since independence.

Quick Tetum translator

Use the widget below to translate words and short phrases between English, Tetum, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesia. Choose your target language from the dropdown — Tetum is "Tetun" in Google's list.

A small caveat: Google Translate does not yet support Tetum — the widget above is configured for Portuguese, Bahasa Indonesia and English. For Tetum specifically, use the offline phrasebook in the Stays Traveler app (iOS and Android), or ask your host or guide.

Tetum in the Stays Traveler app

Mobile data coverage is reliable in Dili and along the main north-coast road, but it thins out quickly once you cross into the mountains or head south. To keep you covered when you lose signal, the Stays Traveler app (iOS and Android) ships with a built-in Tetum glossary and offline phrasebook — the same essentials you see on this page, organised by situation (greetings, transport, eating out, market haggling, emergencies) and available without a connection.

Coming next: An AI translator inside the app that handles regional dialects — Mambai in the coffee highlands, Fataluku in Lospalos and Makasae around Baucau — so a friendly greeting in the local mother tongue is one tap away even before your guide arrives.

Practical etiquette tips

  • Always greet first ("Bondia", "Botarde" or "Boanoite") before asking a question. Walking up and launching straight into a request feels abrupt — a short greeting transforms the same exchange.
  • "Obrigadu" and "Obrigada" are gendered by the speaker, not by the person you're thanking. Male speakers say Obrigadu; female speakers say Obrigada. Get this one right and locals will notice.
  • "Ita-bot" is the polite, formal "you" — the right default for strangers, elders, officials and anyone serving you. "O" is informal and reserved for friends, children and people clearly younger than you. Start formal until your host invites otherwise.
  • Numbers 1 to 10 in Tetum: ida, rua, tolu, haat, lima, neen, hitu, walu, sia, sanulu. Tetum also borrows the Portuguese numbers for prices ("dolar sinco" for $5) — both are understood.
  • A small nod and slight smile is the universal "I heard you, I just don't have the words yet". Locals are extraordinarily forgiving of visitors who try.
One last thing: Even basic Tetum carries enormous goodwill here. Locals know how few visitors try — a single "Bondia, diak ka lae?" at the right moment opens doors that no amount of English ever will.