Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

mei
/me

, v.i.

come; arrive.

mei a okedongel a chad; mei er tiei, mei me kulekoi, ka mei.

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:

Ak kmal mlo merur me ak di kileed e kisets.

> I was so embarrassed I thought I'd die.

Me klechesii.

> Let me write it.

Ak mo kolii se el ringngo me aike el tuu.

> I am going to eat up that apple and those bananas.

Rechedam me a rechedil, lak molengasech a rengrir a rengelekiu.

> Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry.

A Mary a oureachel a saks me a sportsiuus.

> Mary is wearing socks and sport shoes.

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 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.