Ná - Like, as if (See: Ná chhin-chhiuⁿ; nā)
Ná (ē) … – How can…? / how come…?
Ná … ná … / ná lâi ná … – The more … the more …
Ná (chhin) chhiūⁿ (…kāng-khóan) – be like / act just like
Nā … ê sî-chūn – If … / When …
Ná-thang – Why can … / How can …
Nā beh A, put-jû B - Rather than A, it would be better to B (see: put-jû)
How can…?; how come…?
I chit-ê lâng chin láu-si̍t, ná ē kā lí hó· leh?
He’s very honest, so how could he cheat you?
Lí ê a-phah-thò· ná ē hiah-ni̍h-á tōa?
How come your apartment is so big?
Lí m̄ sī kóng beh lâi, ná ē bô khòaⁿ lâng iáⁿ?
Didn’t you say you would come? How come you haven’t shown up?
The more … the more …
Related: lú (lâi) … lú …
Tńg–lâi chhù–ni̍h ê sî-kan, ná lâi ná té, ná lâi ná khòaⁿ tio̍h, i chi̍t-ji̍t chi̍t-jit̍ it-ti̍t lāu–khì.
The times when I returned home got shorter and shorter, and each time I would see him he was getting older and older.
Ji̍t-kun ná phah ná su, kàu lō͘-bóe chí-hó tâu-hâng.
The more the Japanese army fought, the more losses they suffered, and in the end they had to surrender.
If …; when …
Lán nā mn̄g-lâng kóng i ê “bó-gí” (bô chí-tēng sī kò-jîn he̍k-chiá cho̍k-kûn bó-gí) sī siáⁿ ê sî-chūn, thong-siông ē tit-tio̍h 2 chióng bô-kāng koan-tiám ê hôe-èng.
When you ask someone to tell you his “native language” (without indicating if it’s his personal or his ethnic group’s native language), you will usually get an answer from one of two different kinds viewpoint.
Otherwise; or else
Related: bô
Bô ōe-seng ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ m̄-thang chia̍h, nā-bô ē chia̍h-pháiⁿ pak-tó.
You mustn’t eat unsanitary food, or else you’ll ruin your stomach.
Ka-chài lí ū lâi, nā-bô, góa tio̍h chhám ah!
Fortunately you came, otherwise I would have been screwed!
Bo̍k-chiân, tio̍h sī chi̍t tōa tīn “khá-lô·-châi” sêng-tam ka-kī chek-jīm ê sî-chūn ah. Nā bô siā-hōe tông-chêng ê siaⁿ-sè chin kín tio̍h ē chóan-hiòng ah.
Now, it’s time that this group of “credit card slaves” takes responsibility for themselves. If not, society’s sympathetic view could quickly reverse itself.
Either … or…
Related: bô tio̍h … , bô tio̍h …
Lí nā bô tio̍h chá-khí cha̍p-tiám, nā bô tio̍h àm-sî la̍k-tiám, ki-thaⁿ ê sî-kan lóng í-keng khì hōng iok iok khì ah.
You can do either in the morning at 10:00, or in the evening at 6:00, all other times are already taken.
As for …; as to …; when you mention
Related: Chì-î; chì-û
Góa khah kah-ì kó·-tián kap jazz im-ga̍k, nā kóng tio̍h hiān-chhú-sî liû-hêng ê rap im-ga̍k, góa sī chi̍t-tiám-á hèng-chhù mā bô.
I prefer classical or jazz music; as for that rap music that’s popular these days, I don’t even have a bit of interest.
Kiàn-pái nā kóng tio̍h kā Tâi-gí tēng chòe Tâi-ôan ê kok-gí, tō ū lâng ē án-ne kóng: “Góa sī Tâi-ôan-lâng, m̄-kó Tâi-gí m̄ sī góa ê bú-gí.”
Whenever you mention establishing Taiwanese as the national language of Taiwan, people will say something like, “I’m Taiwanese, but Taiwanese isn’t my mother tongue.”
If
Nā-chún lí piàn hó-gia̍h, lí beh chò sím-mi̍h?
If you became rich, what would you do?
Nā-chún bîn-á-chài lo̍h hō·, lí ē àn-chóaⁿ?
If it rains tomorrow, what will you do?
Nā-chún lí it-tēng ài chai-iáⁿ, góa ē-sái kā lí kóng.
If you absolutely have to know, I can tell you.
Be like; act just like
Related: chhin-chhiūⁿ ; ká-ná
Chin beh miā! Thiⁿ-khì nā chi̍t piàn, góa ê kha-thâu-u tio̍h ē thiàⁿ–khí-lâi, ná-chhiūⁿ khì-siōng-tâi kāng-khóan leh!
Darn it! As soon as the weather changes, my knee flares up with pain. It’s just like a weather station!
I khoàⁿ tio̍h ná chhin-chhiūⁿ sī chhit-thô· gín-á leh.
He looks just like a gangster!
