Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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 ngii

expr.

all by himself; on his own.

ngii di lebong

expr.

whatever it is; whatever there may be.

Examples:

Ng di kot e keroker.

> This is the first and last time (I do this, etc.).

E ng mla er ngii a chebuul el chad el kiliei er ngii el beluu el kmal mle mellomes a rengul me ng mle sebechel el osebelii a beluu, e ng di dimlak a llotkii ngii el chebuul el chad.

> And there was a poor man who lived in that village whose heart was so light that it was his ability to make the town survive, but there wasn't anyone who thought about him.

Ak mo remuul a beluu er a Juda el di mo cheloit el diak a rechad el kiei er ngii.

> I will make the towns of Judah like a desert where no one lives.

Ngii el siseball a di mle ngii el mengai a chesmerel.

> The gate opened for them by itself.

A kloklek a klilia er a kmo ng ngarang a di kea kudengei.

> I put my things somewhere or into something or other, but I can't remember where.

Proverbs:

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).

Ke ko er a cherabrukl el di blsiochel e reborb.

> You're just like a lobster (flambuoyant in color but prone to hide under rocks.

You dress up fancy but never go anywhere. Applicable to a person who prides himself on great wealth but does not put it to work; or to one who dresses to the hilt, then stays home. It may once have been applied to villages that were well armed, but peaceful.

Ng di ngmai a llechul er a rael.

> He gets his law from the streets.

Rael has the general meaning "way," applicable both to method and to a street. The implication is that if a child will not learn from his parents, he will learn the hard way from experience. It may be used in the positive sense of someone who is quick to learn from experience.

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.

Ke di medochii e rouar; kemam a mekerang?

> You pluck the fruit and pick it up; what of us?

Why don't you share or let us participate in your activity?/Why are you the only one to laugh at your joke? Usually one person climbs the tree or uses a long stick to knock down the fruit while an assistant shares the task and rewards by catching the falling fruit or picking it up. The saying may be applied to a person who prepares something to eat by himself, then eats it without sharing. It can apply also to a person who laughs at his own joke, leaving his audience unmoved.

More Examples:

A rubak me a remekekeriei el chad er a ngar er a mong a di ulusaker.

> Men, young and old wore loin clothes.

Ng di mesesechull.

> It's raining lightly and continuously.

Aika chemais a kmal di milengemais er a kesus; kele lengar ngii a secher.

> The crickets were really chirping last night; maybe someone is sick or died.

Ng locha bai kirel el lmuut el mo er ngii a bul er a beluu e meruul a skoki el di me soiseb se el mellomes el ua ngar e mong.

> I think there should be a curfew on land and have flights only come in during the day like before.

Ng soal mo meses a eolt er a klukuk, ngii di lak lsal kmal mo mesisiich.

> it is likely that it will be windy tomorrow, lets just hope it doesnt get too strong.

medengei

, v.s.t.

know (person or thing); understand; memorize.
medengei a ngar er ngii a klaodengei er ngii; medengelii a tekoi.

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:

Ke mle subedii a Ulang?

> Did you tell Ulang?

A Droteo a dimlak longang me a ka lullim a merael.

> Droteo neither ate nor drank and just left.

Ke klsakl me ng diak momengur?

> Why aren't you eating?

Dosei kom oungalek, me bo mkaubuch.

> At any rate, you (two) have a child, so you might as well get married.

Ng mle ngiuk.

> I was sent for.

Proverbs:

A rengud me chodab.

> The heart and assessment.

This might better be translated, "Assessment with knowledge." The mind or head is thought to be the locus of knowledge in Palau, but such knowledge is made useful or is measured with the heart (reng). Chodab, in this context, would appear to mean "to take stock of" or "to measure." In essence, then, the phrase cautions one who seems on the point of making a rash decision to temper his thoughts with his heart.

Ng ko er a debar er a Ngechur, el klungang e me ngal modekriker.

> Like the duck of Ngechur, he became industrious after growing old.

The idiom is applied to a person who has more or less vegetated into maturity and old age and who, already far past his prime, suddenly tries without success to do all the things he might have done when younger. It may be used with reference to an elder who tries to be a dandy.

Ng diak kobetik rengii recheroid e me douchi er a rebai.

> Without looking afield, it was cut down behind the house.

From the folk tale concerning Mesubed Dingal, the inventor of the Palauan kite (see also No. 73). After his wife had been kidnapped, he constructed a kite using feathers from all the birds of Palau and he needed also wood from an Edebsungel tree to fashion the body of the bird-kite. After looking all over Palau and being on the point of giving up, he found the tree he needed behind his own house. The saying may be applied to anyone who does things the hard way, or who goes far afield to find something which is close at hand.

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

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

> Are you the son of Redechor

is that why you're standing around so much?

More Examples:

Ngerang a sebechem el rullii er a delengcheklem me ng mo diak msal kurusii?

> What can you do in your household that would help relieve your stress?

Tia el isngel a mera el odbachel.

> His nose is broad.

Tiang chad a mera el tedobched.

> These people are stupid

Ng mlo telkib el ngesonges a ududek me ng dimlak kucherar a chemelek el dekool.

> My budget was low, I could not buy cigarettes.

Aika el kim a mera el diak a ngisel.

> These clams just released their eggs.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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