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.

Ng locha bekord el tela a rekil a rubak.

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

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?

Proverbs:

Rekil-ngebard

> Year-west.

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

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.

More Examples:

Ng tela rekil a ochedam?

> How old is your opposite sex sibling?

Ng tela rekil a delam?

> How old is your mother?

Ng teruich me a eai a rekil.

> He's 18 years old.

Ng tela rekil a ochellem?

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

Ng tela rekil a merrengem?

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

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.

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 bilis a oteb er sei.

> The dog is barking there.

A Droteo a melamech a dekool se el losuub.

> Droteo smokes cigarettes when(ever) he studies.

Ng mo metirem a rengum er a Ekipten, el di ua se er a lemetirem a rengum er a Asiria.

> You will be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria.

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 milskak tiang ... ngera isei a ngklel el klekedellel a balech er a ngikel.

> He gave me this ... whatchamacallit piece for a speargun.

Ak mla mtengii se el kuabang el mileuukel.

> I propped up that guava tree that fell.

Alii, k emo kerekikl se el momecholo a ngikel e ke mo metacheb.

> Be careful descaling the fish so that you don't get hurt from its spikes.

Ng mekera isei sel doruul a subliual?

> How do we make pumpkin soup again?

Ak mera el mo oureng er a demak me a delak se el bebil er a taem.

> Sometimes, i really miss my father and mother.

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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