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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:

chelisngekl, v.r.s.(head) turned to look.
See also:
delechors, v.r.s.(penis) made erect; stimulated.
a
See also:
derrau, v.r.s.(fish) caught with a hand net.
a
a
el
el
el
.
See also:
telboid, v.r.s.(lantern etc.) turned on.
a
mla
a
a
a
See also:
ulengmongm, v.r.s.lowered slowly and carefully.
a
mla
a
er
a
a
See also:
ulitech, v.r.s.made to lean to side; capsized; lying on one's side.
a
mla
el
e
le
ng
a
See also:
ultut, v.r.s.suckled; nursed.
a
mla
mla
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:

bekesengchall, v.a.s.is to be forced open/pulled apart by force.
a
el
a
See also:
bsuull, v.a.s.is to be bent down.
a
el
el
me
a
a
a
See also:
okebesall, v.a.s.is to be let to hang down.
a
el
a
a
See also:
okekiaol, v.a.s.is to be awakened.
See also:
osiseball, v.a.s.is to be put, pushed or forced in.
a
el
el
el
a
ice
er
a
See also:
otelochel, v.a.s.is to have something put on top of it.
a
el
el
er
a
el
a
See also:
sedelall, v.a.s.is to be torn or dismembered.
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
chemadechcoconut sap.chemadech (plant) unripe or green; (food) raw or uncooked; be in full standing position when dancing; brand new.
secheleifriend; companion; boyfriend; girlfriend; lover; term of address from a woman to a group of people.bekesecheleifriendly; having many friends.
chedechuulknack/magical power for doing things; blueprint; plan (for house, bai, etc).chedechuulingenious; clever; inventive.
riamelfootball fruit (Pangi; Payan).bekeriamelsmell like football fruit; sweaty; have a strong body odor (especially, as result of diet or poor hygiene).
tangtikebikelsee-saw; teeter-totter.tangtikebikel(object) wobbly or in danger of falling over.
burekswelling.oburekswollen.
mechasold woman; titled woman; foreign woman; male's father's sisters; girlfriend; wife.mechasget blackened with soot or ink; (pot) get burned or discolored.

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
smuuch
a
: Palauan of smuuch a rengul'>
a
(person) calm/placid.
becheremremangel
a
: Palauan of becheremremangel a rengul'>
a
greedy; stingy.
derengul : Palauan of derengul'> also, used a as friendly expression of envy.
blosech
a
: Palauan of blosech a rengul'>
a
having strange feelings about; be suspicious of.
rrau
a
: Palauan of rrau a rengul'>
a
confused/puzzled by/about.
berngel
a
: Palauan of berngel a rengul'>
a
anything discouraging to one's spirit.
suebek
a
: Palauan of suebek a rengul'>
a
worried; anxious.


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