Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

e

, conj.

and; (and) then or consequently; (if...,) then; while; but.
e a omechoel; omuchel e omech a bebil er a tekoi, e sechelei, toktang echad er a chei; e ngerang?

eng

cont.

e ng

Examples:

Msall, e kulidai er kau!

> Wait! Give me a lift!

A kerierengel a Droteo e ng ririid a ududel.

> Droteo had the misfortune of losing his money.

Ng di soal el melelemelamech e diak loureor.

> He just likes to chew (betel nut) and doesn't do any work.

Chelechang el ledu a rechad er a Siria el kmo 'A Rubak a rubak er a bukl e diak lerubak er a oberberek,' e ak mo loia tia el klou el ildois er a cheroel a chimam.

> Now that the Syrians say that God is the lord of the hills and not the lord of the plains, I will give you victory over their huge army.

Ak dirrek el mo omrotech a chimak , e mo dobodeb a ngsechel a renguk.

> I also will clap my hands, and my anger will be over.

Proverbs:

Melim e menga er a ngar er a ucharm.

> To eat and drink by the mast tip.

The ucharm (bird) is the hardwood tip at the top of the canoe mast. The person to whom the idiom is applied is accused of thriving on gifts from other places. Particularly it may be applied to persons of a highranking village who rather expect that visitors in canoes from other villages will come provisioned with gifts-thus, those who watch for the canoes. Sometimes the idiom goes: Ngkora chad ra Oreor, "Like the man of Koror," with reference to the high ranking community of Koror in central Palau.

Ng ua kukau el omertort a ditel e chemoes.

> Like taro, though the leaves are tall, still immature.

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is mature only when the leaves produced by the plant are small. When the plant produces its largest leaves the tuber in the ground is still quite small. The saying may be applied to a person who, while yet young and inexperienced, is proud and boastful.

Ng ko er a uul, el teleu a blil e oleker er a chull.

> Like the uul [Cettria cantans?] with its house open, calling for rain.

The uul may be heard to call out usually just before it rains; some say that it is calling for rain. This seems foolish, since the bird constructs its house with an opening at the top that will let rain in. A person who makes a decision or starts some action without adequate preparation is likened to the uul.

Ng ko er a chad er ker el melechong e ngak a mekerasem.

> Like a person somewhere taking a bath, but I'm cold.

Applies to any embarrassing act, such as boasting or gossiping, on the part of a friend.

Ng ko er a chelatngikl el diak lebeldakl oltellel e dingemuu.

> Like the honey bee, celebrating without first boiling down the coconut syrup.

Once coconut syrup, dripping from the cut flower stem, is collected it is thickened by boiling. The honeybee, however, collects his nectar, puts it in the hive without boiling it, then proceeds to fly around noisily as though celebrating the completed task. Hence, to talk or boast loudly about successes and accomplishments when one has none; to make plans but never carry them out; to celebrate without cause.

More Examples:

Ka mdort ailecha el kukau ngkung e ke ko er a kmeed.

> Would you clean them taros as you are closer to them.

Ng uluusekool a mases e medul.

> He or she played with matches and burned himself or herself.

Ak mo omadel a teblo er a diokang e mengiis a chemutii.

> I'm going to harvest some tapioca and dig up some sweet potato.

Tia el iasumba er a eungel a iedel a mera el mechuu e mechecheluut.

> The bamboo bench under the mango tree is shaded and breezy.

Ngka el Ulang a mera el sekebdebid el di omriuch a mla sidai e kuk metord.

> Ulang keeps dwelling and fermenting in the past and gets all worked up and shut down.

e

, mod.

contentless word (used with name when addressing someone).

Examples:

A chobetik a ungil, e kom lotkid.

> If you find something good, then remember us.

A sils a ngmasech er a Ongos e mo ngmelt er a Ngebard.

> The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

A sensei a menguiu me a lechub e ng di ngii a ngalek el lmuut el chuieuii a kot el paragraph.

> The teacher reads, or the child reads the first paragraph again on his own.

A Juda er se er a lesang, e ng ulemdasu el kmo ng oteruul el redil e le ng dilkedekii a medal.

> When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, because she had her face covered.

A lsoal a rengum el me kmeed er a renguk, e ng di ua chad el soal el merael el mo er a chiloil el ngar er a chelmoll.

> When your heart wants to come close to my heart, it's like a person who wants to travel to the rocks in the reef.

Proverbs:

Ng okouik me ng obached, e a lokouim eng diak lobached.

> If it is my lunch it can be divided, if it is yours then it cannot

Two men habitually trapped fish in the same region of the lagoon. One would occasionally ask the other to join him at lunch, the other would always refuse. One day the man who refused arrived with no lunch. When the usual invitation was extended the man refused, saying that, anyway, he had no lunch. The invitation was insistently pressed until the reluctant one gave in. As they split the taro between them the one who shared made the above statement. The idiom is a mild rebuke of a retentive person

A remeteet a ko er a redechel a bngaol el di ruebet e oulkou.

> Those of high family are like the seed pod of the bngaol tree, which falls with its leafy cap upright.

The bngaol, a mangrove tree, bears a long pod which is sharply pointed on one end and has a leafy "cap" on the other. When it falls from the tree it generally lands standing in the mud with "cap" end up. Hence, the quality of being socially elite (meteet) is gained naturally at birth. One is born in good standing with a cap or insignia of high rank. It follows, then, that the elite need not display their high standing, everyone knows they are elite when they are born (and there is no other way to become elite). Going a step further, the elite may display proper humility and refer to a group including themselves as kid a remechebuul (we commoners).

Ng ko er a terriid el teloi er a klab e di mengerem.

> Like the terriid, in the taro garden but hungry

The terriid, a bird, is often seen in the taro garden but, unlike the purple swamp hen which eats taro corms, the terriid seems to eat nothing. The idiom may apply to anyone who works hard without recognition, or to a man frequently in the company of women but with no success as a lover.

Ngiull e ngedall.

> To accompany and send back.

Used of the people of Ngaraard district, especially Ngebuked villagers, as a reference to cowardice. When the clubhostess system (mongol) was practiced, in which a group of women from one village would be "abducted" (with the consent of village leaders) to serve as hostesses in the men's club of another village, it was customary for the women of Koror to be taken to a men's club in Ngebuked. This involved four trips by the men of Ngebuked past the hostile villages of Aimeliik: (i) to go to Koror to "abduct" the girls at a pre-designated place; (2) to bring the girls "secretly" back to Ngebuked; (3) to take the girls back to Koror for the payment (money payments to the girls' village chief, to the club to which the girls belong, and to the fathers of the more active girls); (4) the final trip home by the men. In each instance, the canoes of Ngebuked would be joined, by prearrangement, by canoes and warriors from Ngeremlengui as an escort past Aimeliik.

Tuich el kelulau e loubuch er a ralm.

> Firebrand politics extinguished with water.

In a sense this is a response to "Fire brand politics," but it appears to be a fully developed technique none the less. It involves responding to anger with quiet calm and kind words. If it has a character of its own it would be called compromise. Buying the opponent off is approved. J. Useem names this strategy, but was perhaps unaware of the wider significance, For him the phrase pertained to "a small time official who use his authority for his own benefit but shrewdly avoids being detected by superiors." I think that most Palauan political leaders would agree that any political tactitian,knowingly using the strategy of his training, would expect to accomplish as much.

More Examples:

Se el lomrechorech a meduu e ke lmuut el mechirei el locha teruich me a eim el bung.

> When it starts boiling, let it boil for about 15 more minutes.

Ng klalo el lusbechall er a temel a cheliuaiu er a resechal me a redil el moktek er ngii a tomer a kldiull e merrob a rakt me ng diak lemoiuul er a delongelir.

> It's the object used when a man and a woman go to bed together whose purpose is to prevent pregnancy and to prevent the transmission of disease between them.

A debar a mlo chebecheb e odbechii tia el ulebangel er ngais el mo bedul a Templeton.

> The duck bent down and pushed the unhatched egg towards Templeton.

Mruul a ochim e tia bellum el di ultom.

> Fix your legs, I can see your privates.

Se el soam el mei er a blik e ke omekedong el kot.

> When you want to come to my house, call first.

e ng di

, mod.

but.

kele

, mod.

don't ... (because); I wonder if; maybe.
kele a tekoi el kirel a omengelechel; alii ng diak; kele bochu mongesuch; kele morutech er tilecha el kall.

klebesei

, n.

night; tonight.
klebesei a ngeltel a sils el mo lmuut er a ngesechel a sils, milkolk.

le
/e le

, mod.

[contentless linking word]; because.

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:

Ng kuk oberaod er a chelechol er a rriil, me lak lemechas a rengmiu er a tekoi el kulekoi.

> They would weigh more than the sands of the sea, so my wild words should not surprise you.

A Droteo a kmal mlo smecher me a lolkakl a chimal e ng di mo medeu.

> Droteo is so sick that when he tries to lift himself up with his arms, they just bend (in weakness).

Ak mle uleksaul er a rengelekek.

> I was exhausted by my children.

Ngara me ke di dechor e omengur?

> Why are you standing up while eating?

A Droteo a mle dmik er a blil a Toki.

> Droteo was living away from Toki's house.

Proverbs:

Ke mera el di medochii el rouar.

> You grab and then you pick it up.

Like telling a joke, you're still telling it yet you laugh like you just heard it.

Ng mlenga a telochel a demal me ng uai ngii.

> Like his father, for he ate his father's premasticated food.

Applied to a child by adoption, with the implication that the adopted child resembles his adoptive father

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 kora bechars er a Ngerdobotar, el di kiei me ng chelengang

> Like the cockroach of Ngerdobotar, staying on till it became white.

Presumably if a cockroach remains in the darkness for a long time, as one at Ngerdobotar (in Aimeliik) apparently did, it will turn white. Application pertains to a visitor who stays on and on, especially one who is not helpful in the household. Such behavior is not properly human; the person is somehow different, like a white cockroach.

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.

More Examples:

Aki mlo mukai er a ochedak el mlei el ngar er a ngebard.

> We went to pick up my brother that flew in from the states.

A rechad er a olai me a temall a kdekudel.

> People associated with magic and voodoo are feared.

Ng mera el sulebelab el chull.

> It's raining heavily and continuously.

Ka bo mriso aike el mekebud e dongerdoched me a dousasimi.

> Go wash the sardines real good so we can fry some and have some for sashimi.

Be mtobed.

> Come outside.

melechang

, v.t.

put (into particular position); take (to particular place).
melechang a lochang; ngmai el mechei; loiang, lechengel.

merekui

, v.t.

finish (completely; entirely); consume; accomplish.
merekui a mochu merek; merekui er a urrereel a blai; kmedu el mo merek.

ngikel

,

/uploads/pics/5479.jpg, n.

fish.
ngikel a charm er daob me a ralm el kall; temekai me a meas a ngikel.

obo e

, conj.

but.

omechei

, v.t.

leave around; leave alone; let.
omechei a diak lolai, mecherei, merael e mechei a klalo.

omilt

, v.t.

repeat or rehash (matter).
omilt a omelekl; melekoi a mla medung; omilt a mla memong.

rael

, n.

road; path; way; canal; means; solution; way out (of); way to someone's heart; connection (between families, etc.).
rael a ulekrael el usbechall er a omerael; ledes a rael el mo er a blai; rolel a mlai; ngar ngii a ungil rolel a omengedecheduch, rolel a tekoi.

rolek

n.poss.1s

rolem

n.poss.2s

rolel

n.poss.3s

rolel a rael er ngii.

rolam

n.poss.1pe

roled

n.poss.1pi

roliu

n.poss.2p

rolir

n.poss.3p

Rael Kedam

n.

The mountain range that runs North-South on Babeldaob. In Palauan legend, it comes from Uab's spine. It marks the boundary of many states in Babeldaob. The name literally means the flight path of the kedam.
Ng ikel rois el meliud er a Keiukl me a Desbedall.

rael el beluu

n.

person without a fixed residence.

chad er a rael

expr.

outsiders.

ng diak a rolel e

expr.

there's no way to/have no way to.

ngalek er a rael

expr.

fatherless child; bastard.

rolel a ralm

expr.

ditch.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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