Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

bong

, n.

drainage ditch surrounding taro patch.

ka

, mod.

contentless word proceeding polite imperatives.
ka a kau; Bung ka mei, ka morael, ka bo ruchei.

mong

, v.i.

go (in a direction not towards either the speaker or listener).
mong a merael mo cheroid; skuul a ngar a mong.

Bong!

v.imp.

Go! Go ahead!.

bocha
/bochang

v.inch.hypo.

may become.

bochung
/bochu

v.hypothetical

is about to go.

bong

v.hypothetical

mlong

v.past

went.
mlong a mla mong; mlo er a skuul.

mochang
/mocha

v.inch.

is beginning to arrive; is just arriving.
mochang a omerolel el mong; locha mochang.

mochung
/mochu

v.pred.

is about to go.
mochung a kmeed el mong; ke mochung? ak mochung.

el mo

expr.

until.

el mo el mong

expr.

(do something) in a continuous fashion; go on or keep on (doing something).

ng mochu er ngii

expr.

there is about to be.

nguu el mong

expr.

take.

Examples:

A chad a rruul el mo songerenger.

> Human beings are made or born to be hungry.

Ak mo er a mesei el mo melai a teblo er a brak.

> I'm going to the taro garden to get some yellow taro.

Ng diak lsoam el mo er a mubi, me a ka lsoam el mo er a restorangd, e kau a di ngara a soam?

> You don't want to go to the movies, and you don't even want to go to the restaurant, so what do you really want to do?

Ng sebechem el mo ngmai a betotem er sel tmolch?

> Can you pick up something from the bottom of that deep water/ocean?

Ng mochu er ngii a chull.

> It's about to rain.

Proverbs:

Metkul a bkul a Ngirair, e klou el Belau el mo er a Ngerechelong.

> From the Metkul boundary point at Ngirair, Palau is yet huge up to Ngerechelong.

This saying is given two meanings, both negative, pertaining to the people of northern Palau and to Ngaraard particularly: (i) the people of northern Palau are so provincial that they still think Palau is a huge country; (2) the people of northern Palau are the biggest liars (a play on "to deceive," which sounds like Belau [Palau] ). The idiom may be shortened to "Men of the point" (Chad ra bkul), referring to a point of land at Ngirair marking the boundary of Ngaraard. Or the act of patting the elbow (bkul) may carry the same meaning. Actually, the idiom is of fairly recent vintage, pertaining in part to resistance on the part of some of the people of northern Palau to administrative programs instituted by the Japanese.

Ng ko er a chad er a Ngerechelong, el di bita el mo dechor er a debsel a lei.

> Like the people of Ngerechelong, standing together on the base of the coconut tree.

The mound or hump that forms at the base of the coconut tree is said to represent the highest ranking village clan. The leader of that clan is spoken of as "standing on the mound." In the idiom, it is suggested that the people of Ngerechelong (northern Palau) would all like to be leaders-all standing on the mound at the same time. The idiom may be applied where too many people try to direct an operation; too many leaders.

Ng ko er a ebedel a Mengellakl el di mochu meleketek.

> Like the clouds of Mengellakl that just pile up

High points like Mengellakl in Palau sometimes create clouds as the moisture-laden air is lifted by the wind to higher cooler altitudes. This saying applies to a situation or a fad that spreads; drinking to excess.

Ng kora osechel a mengur, el di ngar er a milkolk el mo er a milkolk.

> Like coconut water, passing from darkness to darkness.

Water, drunk from a coconut, passes from the dark of the nut to the dark of the mouth. Some discussions, such as those of village leaders, are secretively passed from mouth to mouth without public discussion.

More Examples:

A remesesuau a di mesesuau el mo er a kodall.

> Idiots will always stay idiots until death.

A orekemel ngii el udoud a diak di lultuil er a klungel el meliuekl, ng mo uldak er a rengelel a omelsechel me a ngeiul el mo er a Beluulechab el ngar er a debii.

> The value of such stone money is not only the sheer size of the discs, but the physical and treacherous labor of carving them, and then transporting them back to Yap via outrigger canoe.

Ailecha el itotech a ungil mecherdoched el mo er a makit.

> Those emperor fish should be fried and be sold at the market.

Bengii a lius el mo er bitang.

> Crack the coconut into halves.

Me dorael el mo melim a rrom.

> Lets go drink alcohol.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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