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Palauan Adjectives

The following is a brief discussion about Palauan adjectives. For a longer exploration, please refer to discussions of state verbs in the Joseph Handbooks. According to the official Lewis Joseph grammar book of Palauan, there are no Palauan parts of speech called adjectives. However, Palauan does, of course, have words used to describe other words. In English, we call these words adjectives. Examples of English adjectives are dangerous, beautiful, and hot.

Palauan Resulting State Verbs

In Palauan, words corresponding to English adjectives are called state verbs. There are several types of Palauan state verbs. The most common are resulting state verbs which occur as a result of a verb. Some examples:

Here is a list of seven random Palauan verbs and their resulting state verbs:

bldoel, v.r.s.having something in the hand.
a
a
See also:
chelsuar, v.r.s.(face) slapped; slapped in the face.
a
a
mla
See also:
cherritem, v.r.s.having had a sticky substance applied.
a
mla
er
a
er
a
el
oba
See also:
klderaol, v.r.s.moored with outrigger away from shore.
a
a
a
er
a
a
er
a
See also:
kldib, v.r.s.hit with rapid slap of hand.
See also:
klisem, v.r.s.chopped with clam-shell axe.
a
el
mla
el
mo
a
er
a
el
See also:
telecheb, v.r.s.removed; scraped up; cut out; uprooted.
a
el
mla
a
a
a
a
See also:

 

Palauan Anticipating State Verbs

Anticipating state verbs in Palauan are like resulting state verbs. However, instead of describing the state of something after a verb has modified it, these describe the state of something before a verb is anticipated to modify it. Here's seven random Anticipating State Verbs:

bekukall, v.a.s.is to be puffed up.
See also:
bretall, v.a.s.is to be shaken.
See also:
chederedall, v.a.s.is to be explained.
See also:
odkelall, v.a.s.is to be made to move; (person) is to be made active.
a
el
a
el
mo
See also:
sekesakel, v.a.s.is to be cut, sliced or flattered; (pig) is to be castrated.
a
a
See also:
sudall, v.a.s.is to be erased; is to be dried or wiped off.
a
a
kim
a
See also:
techelball, v.a.s.is to be bathed or baptized.
a
el
See also:

 

State Verbs with Related Nouns

In English, a common thing to do is to ask 'how XXXX is something,' where XXXX is an adjective. For example, 'how hot is that,' or 'how dangerous is that,' are common English expressions.

This is true in Palauan as well in a form like, 'ng uangarang a kleldelel,' which translates literally perhaps to something like, 'it is like what, its heat,' or figuratively as, 'how hot is it.' The word kleldelel is a possessed noun meaning 'its heat.' See the nouns page for a longer explanation of possessed nouns.

Many of these Palauan nouns have related state verbs which translate to, and are used as, English adjectives. Here is a list of seven random Palauan nouns along with their corresponding state verbs.

Palauan_NounEngish_NounPalauan_AdjEnglish_Adj
chadman; person; human being; living being; someone; somebody; anyone; anybody.chadman; person; human being; living being; someone; somebody; anyone; anybody.
bengtpurple colored sweet potato.bengtpurple colored sweet potato.
rechorechstealing; theft; robbery; selfishness.delibuksurechorech(knot) tied securely so as not be loosened.
kelmolmaction of tickling (lightly).mekelmolmticklish; tingling; sensitive.
smuuchscorpion fish (hardly moves in water).smuuchscorpion fish (hardly moves in water).
martilionghammer.martilionghammer.
chiukl(singing) voice.cheiukl(person) having a good singing voice.

Reng Idioms as Adjectives

There are many Palauan expressions which use a state verb to describe the Palauan word reng which means spirit or heart. These are idioms which mean their literal and figurative meanings are not the same. Typically, but not always, the figurative meaning describes an emotion. An example is kesib a reng, which literally means a sweaty heart but figuratively it means to be angry. Here is a list of seven random examples of these reng idioms:

PalauanEnglish
melaok
a
: Palauan of melaok a rengul'>
a
adulterous; acquisitive.
mekikngit
a
: Palauan of mekikngit a rengul'>
a
feel rather sad or sorry about; rather mean or inconsiderate.
omult
er
a
: Palauan of omult er a rengul'>
er
a
convince; persuade.
ungil
er
a
: Palauan of ungil er a rengul'>
er
a
fine or all right with.
mesbeda
a
: Palauan of mesbeda a rengul'>
a
(person) come to realize or accept (fact, etc.).
techetech
a
: Palauan of techetech a rengul'>
a
stubborn; obsessed; determined.
deuil
a
: Palauan of deuil a rengul'>
a
his/her happiness; his/her joy


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