Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

belkul

, n.poss.3s

meaning.
belkul a ultutelel; skuul a klou a belkul, omesuub a ngar ngii a belkul.

buil

, n.

moon; month.
buil a klou el chaibibeob el btuch el kmard a le klebesei er a eanged; tab el buil, orakiruu, oidudur.

kid

, mod.

contentless word used for emphasis.

rak

, n.

year; age; a long while ago (Each Palauan year contains 6 months and corresponds to a period of continuing easterly or westerly winds).
rak a uldekial a 12 el buil; ngar er ngii a 360 el klebesei er a chelsel a ta el rak; kot el rak el ngalek a ta rekil.

rekil

n.poss.3s

rekil a rak er ngii; ildisel a rak el le ngar; tela rekil a ngelekem?

er se el me el rak

expr.

the year after next.

er se el mlo merek el rak

expr.

the year before last.

er tia el me el rak

expr.

next year.

er tia el mlo merek el rak

expr.

last year.

Examples:

Ng tela a rekim?

> How old are you?

Ng ieta rak.

> The year is over.

Te rua techa tirke el mle kesib a rengul er tir a Dios el 40 el rak?

> With whom was God angry for forty years?

Ng locha bekord el tela a rekil a rubak.

> I wonder what the approximate age of the old man may be.

Proverbs:

Rekil-ongos.

> Year-east.

The word rak in Palauan is commonly used to mean year (rekil: year of). Actually the traditional Palauan year lasted six months, dividing the solar year into two parts conforming generally to spring-summer and fall-winter. The "Year-east," when the wind blows from the east, is the time of spring-summer.

Rekil-ngebard

> Year-west.

The Palauan year, conforming roughly to fall-winter, when the wind blows generally from the west.

More Examples:

Ng teruich me a eai a rekil.

> He's 18 years old.

Ng tela rekil a delam?

> How old is your mother?

Ng tela rekil a udelem?

> How old is your older sister? (only said by a female)

Ng tela rekil a obekum?

> How old is your older brother? (only said by a male)

Ng tela rekil a ochellem?

> How old is your younger brother? (only said by a male)

remiid

, v.i.

get lost; wander off; leave; go astray.
remiid a mla mo dibus; riiedang, merael mo cheroid, mla remiid a udoud, oridii, oriid, rureulngau.

sandei
/Sangdei

, n., [From English]

week; Sunday.
Sangdei a ongeuid el sils er a ta el sangdei; ulengull el sils.

se
/sei
/isei

, pro.

that object far from speaker and far from listener.
sei a melutk er a cheroid er a mengedecheduch; ngar sei; diak el tiang; sei er a mong a skuul.

se el

conj.

when (in the future); whenever.

se el sekum

conj.

if (used in negative sentences).

sel

cont.

se el

er se er a

expr.

when (in the past).

er se er a Sebadong

expr.

last Saturday.

er se er a taem er a mekemad

expr.

during the war.

er sei

expr.

over there; in that place.

mekera isei

expr.

[used to refer to a method of doing something that the speaker has forgotten.]

ngera isei

expr.

thingamajig; thingamabob; whatchamacallit. [used to refer to something whose name the speaker has forgotten.]

se di kau

expr.

it's up to you.

se el soam

expr.

whatever you want; it's up to you.

se el tebel

expr.

that table (over there).

se er a

expr.

conj. when (in the past).

tela isei

expr.

[used to refer to a number that the speaker has forgotten.]

tia isei

expr.

what's-his-name; what's-her-name. [Used to refer to someone whose name the speaker has forgotten.]

Examples:

A blik a di kea lengar er sei.

> My house is no longer located here.

Ng mocha er se el taem el leblechoel el mo oldingel a Fern.

> It was almost time for Fern to visit.

Ngara me ke di olibngokl er kau er a rengelekel se el morael.

> Why are you always leaving your children behind when you go out?

A reungil el chad a ungil a rengrir, er se el leseterir a remekngit el obals.

> Good people are glad, when they see the wicked punished.

Se el blai a meteet er a chemachel.

> That family is well-known to have resources in betel nut.

Proverbs:

Se el obutek a medak.

> When my eyes are closed.

When one dies the eyes are "closed"; hence, to be dead. The term for "death" is mad as is the term for "eye," (mad; madak: "my eye"). Some sources suggest that the term for death refers to the closed eyes of a dead person.

More Examples:

Ng Ngiradaob, el ochedal a Dirasils, a silkur se el kldait el mlo chelbechiil.

> It was Ngiradaob, Dirasils's brother, who received the keldait that was put in for the marriage.

Tiang ngera isei a ngklel el basio?

> What is the name of this place?

Tiang ngera isei el leko kuker er ngii?

> What was it that I wanted to ask?

Se el sungata er a ngke el ngalek a ko er a kmal el ungil.

> The silhouette of that woman is very attractive.

Ak mla mtengii se el kuabang el mileuukel.

> I propped up that guava tree that fell.

tia
/tiang

, pro.

this object near speaker and near listener .
tiang a olsechall er a melekoi er a klalo el kmeed er ngii; tia el babier, tia el udoud, tia el kall.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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