di, mod.only; just; any.
di
a
olkael;
di
kau
a
mei
e
diak
a
ngodech;
di
tedei
el
buik
a
mong;
se
di
kau,
se
di
ngii.
el di mle ngiiexpr.all by himself; on his own.
ngii di lebongexpr.whatever it is; whatever there may be.
Examples:
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.
Ng
kesib
a
rengrir
e
le
a
remeklou
el
chad
a
di
melekoi
e
ng
diak
el
loruul.
> They are angry because the adults are all talk and no action.
Te
di
tir
a
rengalek
el
mlo
mesisiich.
> The children were becoming strong on their own.
Ke
mo
omekedong
a
katuu
er
a
ngii
di
el
chad?
> Are you going to call anyone's cats?
A
bdelum
a
di
kelkat.
> Your head is wounded all over.
Proverbs:
Ng
ko
er
a
tengadidik
el
di
melekoi
el
suebek.
> Like the kingfisher, chattering while taking to wing.
The kingfisher, a restless, bullying bluebird, may be heard to chatter loudly when flying up from the ground or from a perch. The saying applies to one who suddenly spouts instructions to a group, then leaves, or to a leader at a meeting who impatiently interrupts a discussion with a burst of pronouncements, then ends the meeting.
Ke
di
lotkii
a
Chelechang,
e
diak
mletkii
a
Cherechar.
> You think only of Present, not of Future.
Chelechang (Present) and Chrechar (Future) were brothers. Present was the favorite of his mother. These are the words of Future reprimanding his mother. The idiom is used of those who inadequately plan for the future.
Ng
ko
er
a
omenga
el
Raus,
el
sosokod
e
di
keang.
> It's like the way they eat in Ngeraus (where food is scarce): as soon as they get to like or enjoy the food, it's gone.
Just as something becomes popular, it becomes unavailable. Ngerraus is a small village in Ngchesar (central Palau). The idiom suggests a person who begins to feel hungry just as the food runs out. The reference is to the meager food resources of a small village. In contemporary Palau the idiom may be applied to some popular import that soon disappears from the shelves of the stores.
Ng
ko
er
a
bekerurt
el
chebis
el
di
ruebet
e
melalem.
> He's like a good (lit. fast) top that steadies itself soon after touching the ground.
i.e. he understands or learns quickly. In Palau the top is spun in the air and dropped to the ground where it usually wobbles for a spell before it becomes "planted" or stable. The better the top, the less the wobble. A statement that is right to the point, or a decisive and good decision, is like a good top. The idiom may be applied to a person who is quick to get the point or learn a new skill.
Ng
ko
er
a
kim
er
a
Murael,
el
di
dengarech
e
oker
a
chais.
> She's like the clams at Murael, lying face up (and open) and asking for news.
i.e., she just sits at home asking passersby about what's going on outside. Murael is a reef near Ngerechelong where, as elsewhere in Palau, the various kinds of tradacna shell bask, open and feeding, in the shallow lagoon. The saying applies to gullibility combined with high curiosity for news and to persons who simply sit at home, letting the happenings of the community come to them via passing persons.
More Examples:
A
ochellek
a
di
tang.
> I have one younger brother. (Can only be said by a maile).
Ng
mera
el
mbesaol
a
ngalek
me
ng
di
dekimes
a
bilel.
> That kid drools so much that his shirt is always wet.
Ng
diak.
Ng
di
ungil
a
cheral
> No. The price is reasonable
Ng
mla
er
ngii
a
chermek
el
bilis
e
ng
di
mla
mad.
> I had a pet dog but he died.
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.

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