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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:

chelduib, v.r.s.carved; whittled; seduced by flattery.
a
mla
mla
a
See also:
cheleklachel, v.r.s.cleaned by shaking with water inside; shaken.
a
mla
a
See also:
tellechekl, v.r.s.put aside; cringing; inconspicuous.
a
el
el
See also:
teluchakl, v.r.s.deflected.
See also:
uldars, v.r.s.lifted up; (arm, leg) stretched or extended.
a
mla
oba
el
mo
er
a
a
a
See also:
ulekdakt, v.r.s.frightened; scared.
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:

chebiball, v.a.s.is to be made round or rounded.
See also:
chebuul, v.a.s.to have ashes put on it.
a
el
er
a
See also:
chelekelekall, v.a.s.is to be rubbed (between hands).
See also:
chietall, v.a.s.(food) is to have squeezed coconut milk added to it.
a
el
a
a
See also:
chitemetall, v.a.s.(hand) is to be closed to make fist; is to be crushed into ball.
See also:
eleball, v.a.s.is to be covered (with blanket, etc.).
a
el
er
er
a
a
er
a
See also:
tetekill, v.a.s.is to be plucked or torn off; is to be pulled at.
a
el
a
er
a
a
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
bikodelhives or rash from allergies; allergic reaction affecting the skin.bikodelhives or rash from allergies; allergic reaction affecting the skin.
klukuktomorrow; the next or following day.klukuktomorrow; the next or following day.
telengtungdwild tamarind; lead tree.telengtungdwoven with small weave.
teberoishin; (large, triangle-shaped) coconut candy.teberoishin; (large, triangle-shaped) coconut candy.
silssun; day.bekesils(boys) smell sweaty or gamey (after perspiring in sun).
chuisworm; maggot.bederechuis(starchy food) spoiled (by water); decomposing or moldy.
cheludechwooden float for fish net; light weight wood used to make corks.cheludechwooden float for fish net; light weight wood used to make corks.

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
metitngall
a
: Palauan of metitngall a rengul'>
a
lonesome; sad (at broken friendship).
Rengulbai : Palauan of Rengulbai'> title of chiefs in Imeliik.
omtechei
a
: Palauan of omtechei a rengul'>
a
get back at; do to someone as he does to you.
kedidai
a
: Palauan of kedidai a rengul'>
a
stubborn; scornful; condescending.
mengerar
er
a
: Palauan of mengerar er a rengul '>
er
a
criticise; insult; put down; make someone feel ashamed; hurt someone's feelings.
mengedidai
er
a
: Palauan of mengedidai er a rengul '>
er
a
act stubbornly, scornfully or condescendingly.
moalech
a
: Palauan of moalech a rengul'>
a
disappointed; dismayed.


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