Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

be betei

, expr.

(You) come down!.

mei
/me

, v.i.

come; arrive.

mei a okedongel a chad; mei er tiei, mei me kulekoi, ka mei.

be

v.imp.

be a ta er a telengtengil a tekoi el mengai er a tekoi el mei; be bong, be metengel.

ble

v.past.hypothetical

mera

cont.

mei er a

merekung
/merkung

v.i.pred.

is about to come or arrive.

mermang
/meremang

v.inch.

meremang a merael mei; ngar er a omerolel el mei; dumiang er a dmuil.

mlei
/mle

v.past

came; arrived.

mlei a mla mei me ngar tiang; skoki a mlei er a tutau.
mle a melekoi er a rrekui; Bung a mle tmuu; ng mle mekerang?

mlera

cont.

mlei er a

be kbong

expr.

goodbye; I'm leaving.

me e mong

expr.

pass by; go on; "(in a direction) towards me and then keep going (past me)."

nguu el mei

expr.

bring.

ta el buil er mla me e mong

expr.

one month ago.

Examples:

Be msesei.

> Move a little closer.

Ng di mle ngii a blai er a Ngerchemai el milseseb el me er a eou.

> The building in Ngerchemai burned down by itself.

Ngara uchul me ke mlo er a Saibal?

> Why did you go to Saipan?

Me krellii.

> Let me fix it.

Aki mle kasoes a chuungam.

> We could see each other's shadows.

Proverbs:

Ng ko er a debar er a Ngechur, el klungang e me ngal modekriker.

> Like the duck of Ngechur, he became industrious after growing old.

The idiom is applied to a person who has more or less vegetated into maturity and old age and who, already far past his prime, suddenly tries without success to do all the things he might have done when younger. It may be used with reference to an elder who tries to be a dandy.

Ke mera el ngelekel a ulled.

> Really a child of the back.

A child (sometimes an adult) that behaves well whether its parents are present or not; a child that is good when one's back is turned.

Ng ko er a Beriber me a Chemaredong.

> It's like the case of Beriber and Chemaredong (who for a long time lived in adjacent caves unaware of each other's existence but who finally discovered each other and began to share their surpluces).

People wasting things and not sharing or cooperating as they should. Cooperative reciprocity among equals should be patterned on that exemplified by these two men. Beriber, who harvested coconut syrup, and Chemaredong, who was an expert fish trapper, lived in two small caves near the village of Oikuul in Airai (central Palau). These caves are side by side, separated by a natural wall about one foot thick. However, for a long time the neighbors did not know that the other existed. Finally, they discovered one another, and from that time on they engaged in mutually profiitable exchange of their surpluses in fish and syrup. An elder source said that this is more than a proverb (blukul a tekoi) and referred to it as ollach idnger, the "law of neighborliness."

Ngara eseos e olengimech el mera dalem.

> From the mature tree the sapling dribbles.

Eseos is a mature tree, dalm is a sapling; olengimch means to drip, drizzle, or dribble. Application is to the similarity of the child to its parents, generally its father.

A rengud me chodab.

> The heart and assessment.

This might better be translated, "Assessment with knowledge." The mind or head is thought to be the locus of knowledge in Palau, but such knowledge is made useful or is measured with the heart (reng). Chodab, in this context, would appear to mean "to take stock of" or "to measure." In essence, then, the phrase cautions one who seems on the point of making a rash decision to temper his thoughts with his heart.

More Examples:

Ng mera el chituuk mla rullii a umengel a bechil.

> He's very resourceful and made his wife a kitchen.

Ngar er ngii a rechad el kuk mera el saualkii.

> There are people who are just nasty.

Ak miltik a ngelekel a babiiureomel me ak mildemech a teblong.

> I found a litter of wild piglets and I was able to catch two of them.

Kau ka mchilt a keled el blauang er a tsiam me a batabinats.

> Fix us some jelly sandwichesand peanut butter.

Ak milenga a beras me a techel a kerebou me a iasai.

> I ate rice and beef with vegetables.

remei

, v.i.

go or come home.

remei a lmuut el mo er a blil; remei er a blirir.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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