Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

klebesei

, n.

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

luk

, n.

silence.
luk a lmuk; diak a tekingel.

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 mle kisets.

> He was in a faint or knocked out.

Bo er a skuul me mlengir a oriik.

> Go to school and borrow a broom.

Ng di mle ngii a ngikel er a omoachel el mlad.

> The fish in the river died on their own.

Ng ketengel el me er a Hawaii.

> It's her first time coming to Hawaii.

A klukuk e te me er a blik.

> Tomorrow they're coming to my house.

Proverbs:

Ak meruul me kau er a terudel?

> I build it and you destroy it?

May be applied to a person who feels his aims or projects are being destroyed by the actions of another.

Ng ko er a ibuchel er a Ngemai el di kiei me a dekedekel.

> He's like the sea urchins between Ngiwal and Melekeok, on the ocean floor with its cover.

The sea urchin can be seen lying quietly on the lagoon floor, occasionally with a leaf like a hat covering its head. Applied to a man who acquires a wife or great wealth without working for it.

Ng ko er a remechas el kerekikl er a klukl me a rames.

> Like an old woman who is cautious about coughing and breaking wind.

Among elderly women, it seems, coughing sometimes produces the unwanted effect of breaking wind. The idiom may be applied to any action that might produce an undesirable side effect, such as a hasty decision at a political meeting. As a caution, it suggests the need for leaders to consider all the consequences.

Ng ko er a char er a Kosiil, el lecheraches e ng mong me a lekeriik e ng mei.

> Like seaweed at Kosiil, out with the tide and in with the tide.

Kosiil is a location in the lagoon where the seaweed can be seen to bend in and out with the tide. The idiom is applied to a leader who is too flexible and unreliable. In the short form (Kora char ra Kosiil) it may simply mean, "I'll go along with what you decide."

Ng ko er a beab er a Ngerard, el kma a lisiu me a lisam.

> It's like the rat of Ngerard, which eats up all your coconuts and (then) all of ours.

It's a decision, plan etc. that will backfire. A pet rat owned by Mad, chief of Ngaraard, ate the coconuts of most of the chief's neighbors, then, still hungry, ate the chief's own coconuts.

More Examples:

Ng sebeched el kmo ng mera el redil er a Ngerchelong.

> We can say she is really a woman from Ngerchelong.

Ng mera el klou a terreter.

> Cold/flu is spreading.

Ngak me a ngelekek a chadecheduch el kirel a skulel.

> My daughter and I are talking about her schooling.

Ak mesobil. Ng dirkak a tang me ng bechiil.

> I'm single. I have never been married.

Ulang a mera el melusech el miltik er a kiande.

> Ulang was really lucky and found some candy.

mla

, v.s.

was/were (located); existed.
mla a melekoi er a rrekui el tekoi; mla mong; mla er ker; mla er a skuul.

bla

v.s.hypothetical

mla

aux.

has (done something).

mlar

cont.

mla er

mlara

cont.

mla er a

a lebla er ngii

expr.

if there had been.

mla mo

expr.

has become.

ng mla er ngii

expr.

there has or have been; there was or were.

Examples:

A rrat a mla er tiang.

> The bicycle was right here.

Ak mla tmurk er a omelekoi el mo er tir.

> I've done as much talking to them as I can (with no results)./I've had it with talking to them.

Ng mla mo ua ngara a chubs er a chimam?

> How's the wound on your arm healing?

Ng mla mengai a chesmerel a Toki.

> Toki is now free to roam around./Toki's on the loose.

Me ng mla er a blil a ongdibel el mesaod a tekoi e melasem el meledaes a rengrir a rechad er a Judea me a rechad er a Gris.

> He held discussions in the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks.

Proverbs:

Ng mla merekakl a tekingel.

> He swallowed his words.

An inconsistent person, especially one who has stated that he would never do something, then does it.

Ng mla mkelii a tual.

> He cut down his own banana.

A man supplies fertilizer (money) for a banana tree that, eventually, provides fruit (gifts of food). The cycle, in this saying, is compared with that of the food-money cycle of a marriage in which the wife's clan provides food and service, while the husband's clan provides occasional payments of money. If a banana tree is cut down before it bears fruit, the cycle is interrupted. Hence, a man who marries incestuously within his own clan and thereby inhibits the foodmoney cycle.

Ng ko er a Ngiramesemong, el omilt a mla me e mong.

> Like Ngiramesemong, rehashing what has been finished.

Pertains to a person who repeatedly reminds another of past favors or continually recalls the mistakes of others. (My sources no longer recalled the episode or story from which this idiom derives.)

Ng ko er a chad er a Ngesias, el ngemuu er a mla mokom.

> It's like when the men of Ngesias clamored over what they had lost (after a party of raiders had attacked without warning and taken a head as a trophy).

The men of the Ngesias (Peleliu) village club were sitting near their clubhouse one evening when raiders broke through the brush, shouted wildly, and excaped with the head of one of them. When they recovered their senses, the men jumped to their spears and shouted threats into the darkness of the surrounding brush. Aroused by the commotion, the village chief appeared and ,when appraised of the situation, admonished them to be quiet since the fuss would gain nothing. "Don't cry over spilt milk."

A rekung el daob a mla otitech a rekung el beluu.

> Sea crabs have pushed out land crabs.

Outsiders have taken over the land or titles of local people. An outsider (e.g., adopted child, friend) has become more important than a blood relative.

More Examples:

Achedil! Mla mad a dengki!

> Oh no! Electricity went out!

Ng mla er ngii a meses el eolt er a Guam er a idelsebel.

> There was a typhoon here in Guam three days ago.

Mla mo kirek el mochar a beches bilek le ng a bilek a mla mo mekekerei.

> I need to buy new clothes because my clothes are already small.

Ng mla mo suibes a deromukang me ng omelloes er a bab.

> The drum was overfull and flowed over the top.

Mla er ngii a ngesul a ngisel a malk er a lukel er a elii.

> There was significant lower number of chicken eggs from her nest yesterday.

nguemed

, v.i.

finish; die out; run out; get used up; get depleted.
nguemed a mo diak; mla nguemed a remechuodel el chad.

omilt

, v.t.

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

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

Search for another word: