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
/memong

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:

Ngak a ngit me kau a ngoi?

> I just asked for it (and got it), and now you want to take it?

A Masaharu a omak er a chebechiielel a Droteo me a Toki.

> Masaharu is arranging for Droteo and Toki's marriage.

A recherroued a mla me er a Dan.

> Our enemies are already in the city of Dan.

A elolem el klok me a tedobech e ak mo melechong e buras.

> At 6:30 a.m. I take a shower and brush my teeth.

A bersoech a chilebeldkak me ak killii.

> The snake tricked me into eating it.

Proverbs:

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."

Kau, ke ngelekel a Redechor, me ke di dechor?

> Are you the son of Redechor

is that why you're standing around so much?

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

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.

Mengar me a mecherocher.

> Bitter and salty.

The strategy of "doing things the hard way." When alternatives are available, the appropriate choice is the more difficult one. In voice, expression, and action there is a positive accent on personal ability.

More Examples:

Ka bo er a oreomel e mues aike el rambotang el kmo mla mo marek e mngai a bebil mei. Ke mo ungil mart me ng diak leues a rechad el lolengit er a uchei er a be mrei.

> Go check the rambutan in the rain forest. If there are ripe ones, bring them home but make sure to hide them so people don't bum them off you.

Ak mo telkib el meoud el me remei er a klukuk. Ng kmal betok a urerek.

> I'm going to be a little late tomorrow. I have a lot of work.

Ng betok a cheldim me a kuk kesengil e beskak a chimo el keremlal.

> You caught a lot of fish so at least give me one red snapper.

Kom kmal mera el dengerodek el ngalek el mla chidir a chiklel a belochel me ng medei.

> Unruly kids that have twisted the pigeon's neck so it died.

Ng sebechek el mo mechiuaiu me a klukuk.

> May I go to sleep until tomorrow.

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:

Ng mla mo ua ngara a chubs er a chimam?

> How's the wound on your arm healing?

Ke mla chemoit?

> Are you satisfied (sexually)?

Ng mla imiit a cheokl er a rengul.

> It's a big relief.

A rebek el babii el mla mo ungil el odoim a leblechoel el omekoad se el lebo lemekelekolt a beluu.

> All the pigs that are ready to eat are always killed in the winter.

Ke mla metik er a soam?

> Have you found something you like?

Proverbs:

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.

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.

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."

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.)