Timor-Leste culture

So you wanna learn Tetun?

If you’re going to spend a long period of time in Timor-Leste then it makes sense to try and learn some of the language, which is Tetun. The level of English in Timor-Leste is very low and so if you want to interact with the locals, you can meet them halfway by at least picking up a few words and phrases.

One of the best places to start is with the Peace Crops East Timor Tetun Language Course book. It was written to accompany working with a tutor, but it’s a handy reference tool to work through even on your own so long as there is someone you can practice your pronunciation with from time to time.

The book costs $17.50 and is available at a number of copy shops around Dili. There are lots of copies at the Sylvia copy shop just down the road from the Vila Verde restaurant, near Tropical Bakery and the Ministry of Interior.

The book starts right at the beginning and is a great resource to have. It may be a little expensive, but it is almost 350 pages long.

There is also a Lonely Planet East Timor Phrasebook that was first published in 2001. Although it’s a tiny book, it’s crammed full of useful examples and a basic dictionary in the back. The Peace Corps book is large and heavy and nobody is going to want to carry that around in their pocket, so a phrase book is worth having on the side. Likewise Lonely Planet’s guide to East Timor has some basic phrases in the back.

There are, of course, lessons in Tetun offered in Dili. People say good things about the one-week crash courses offered by Dili Institute of Technology. They cost $120, but are only available during certain weeks. You have to book in advance and you can find more information by emailing tetundit at gmail dot com. There are three different courses available: absolute beginner, beginner mid and intermediate.

Tetun, which is similar to Portugese, is relatively straightforward to pick up. There are a number of languages spoken in East Timor. Each of the 13 districts has its own. Portuguese, Indonesian and English are also spoken. The main language spoken in Timor-Leste is Tetun, of which there are two main forms: Tetun Terik and Tetun Dili. Tetun Dili is the one that’s most useful to people visiting Timor and it’s the language focused on in the Peace Corps study book.