Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

bebil

, n.

a little; a few; some; other.
bebil a sesei; bebil er a kall, bebil er a udoud.

elechang
/chelechang
/elecha
/chelecha

, n.

now; just now; today; these days.
elechang a chelecha el sils; elecha el dekasoues; chelecha el taem; chelecha el de katekoi.

kldeb

, n.

shortness (esp. compared with someone/something else).
kldeb a kldebengel; kedeb.

mekemad

, n.

war.
mekemad a klakoad er a delongelel a beluu me a beluu.

mengaisisiu

, v.t.redup.

equal the height of; become as tall as; compare to; pretend as if.

merekui

, v.t.

finish (completely; entirely); consume; accomplish.
merekui a mochu merek; merekui er a urrereel a blai; kmedu el mo merek.

oleached

, v.t.

rush (against time, tide, deadline, etc.).
oleached a orreched; oeached el melekoi, oleached er a dolech, oechedii, oechedel.

se
/sei
/isei

, pro.

that object far from speaker and far from listener.
sei a melutk er a cheroid er a mengedecheduch; ngar sei; diak el tiang; sei er a mong a skuul.

se el

conj.

when (in the future); whenever.

se el sekum

conj.

if (used in negative sentences).

sel

cont.

se el

er se er a

expr.

when (in the past).

er se er a Sebadong

expr.

last Saturday.

er se er a taem er a mekemad

expr.

during the war.

er sei

expr.

over there; in that place.

mekera isei

expr.

[used to refer to a method of doing something that the speaker has forgotten.]

ngera isei

expr.

thingamajig; thingamabob; whatchamacallit. [used to refer to something whose name the speaker has forgotten.]

se di kau

expr.

it's up to you.

se el soam

expr.

whatever you want; it's up to you.

se el tebel

expr.

that table (over there).

se er a

expr.

conj. when (in the past).

tela isei

expr.

[used to refer to a number that the speaker has forgotten.]

tia isei

expr.

what's-his-name; what's-her-name. [Used to refer to someone whose name the speaker has forgotten.]

Examples:

A lsekum te ngar er ngii a remo 50 el melemalt el chad el ngar er se el beluu, e ...

> If there are fifty innocent people in the city, then ...

Ak mo olengull se el kbo kmechas.

> I'm going to take it easy when I'm an old woman.

Se el ungil el teletelel a se el mosaod a klemerang.

> The good way is for you to explain the truth.

Ng sebechem el mo ngmai a betotem er sel tmolch?

> Can you pick up something from the bottom of that deep water/ocean?

Ak milengang aike el tuu me se el ringngo.

> I was eating those bananas and that apple.

Proverbs:

Se el obutek a medak.

> When my eyes are closed.

When one dies the eyes are "closed"; hence, to be dead. The term for "death" is mad as is the term for "eye," (mad; madak: "my eye"). Some sources suggest that the term for death refers to the closed eyes of a dead person.

More Examples:

Mera el ungil a katelengel buik se el lousirubak.

> That guy is so darn good when he does jitterbug.

Ng sebechem el ngmai a betotem er se el dilochel?

> Can you dive down into this channel and collect something from the sea floor?

Ak mera el mo oureng er a demak me a delak se el bebil er a taem.

> Sometimes, i really miss my father and mother.

Ng locha ungil a cheliuir se el klebesei.

> Bet they sleep in peace at night.

Ochoi, se er a tutau el me er elechang el di lechull.

> Yes, it's been raining since morning.

Siabal

, n., [From English]

Japan.
Siabal a beluu er a Asia.

taem

, n., [From English]

time; occasion.

tedeb

, v.s.

short.
tedeb a di kedeb; di mle tedeb el delengchokl e ng merael.

tedeb el taem	expr.	a short while.
See also:

telkib

, v.s.

a little; a bit; part of piece of.
telkib a diak le klou; kekerei; telkib el kall.

di telkib

expr.

only a little; just a bit.

el telkib

expr.

for a while.

telkib a bebetok

expr.

a shade too much.

telkib el betok

expr.

a bit too much.

telkib el kekesai

expr.

just barely not enough.

telkib el kesai

expr.

not enough.

telkib el taem

expr.

a short while; a short time.

telkib er a Ngiual

expr.

part of the village of Ngiual.

telkib er a kall

expr.

part of the food.

telkib er a lius

expr.

small piece of coconut.

See also: ,

Examples:

Ak di olengull er tia el telkib e merael.

> I'll just rest here for a while and then go.

A telkib er a kerrekar a mla motaut.

> Some of the wood has been burned up.

Ak di telkib el smecher.

> I'm a bit sick.

Ak di telkib e merael.

> I'll be here for just a short while and then go.

Ak mle telkib el smecher er a elii.

> I was a bit sick yesterday.

Proverbs:

Ng ko er a Beachedarsai el di telkib, e diak bo lak

> Like Beachedarsai's food, only a little but it does not disappear.

Beachedarsai and a friend, one day, went to heaven. On arrival they were very hungry, so they visited one of the gods who provided food for them. The "food" was one tiny piece of taro and a bit of fish. Beachedarsai thought to himself that this would hardly suffice, but he picked up the taro and ate it. As he did so another piece appeared on the plate. He ate the piece of fish and another piece of fish appeared. His friend also ate and on his plate as well a new piece of taro or fish appeared as each was consumed. When they were satisfied, there remained on their plates a piece of taro and fish. The idiom is applied to any small blessing, such as a small but steady income, or Western meals that, in contrast with the Palauan tray full of food, are served in small portions, and so on.

More Examples:

Karui e obekuk...Hal e kusiik rolel ea bol uangerang ek dik beskau a telkib emelem ra tutau lmo oureor

>

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.

Ak locha di telkib e te odikak.

> Pretty soon they'll disown me.

ek dik beskau a telkib emelem ra tutau lmo oureor

>

Ak telkib el olbechall se el kuloik.

> Im a bit awkward when dancing.

oechedii	v.pf.3s	oechedii a oleached er ngii; orreched er ngii.
ulechedii	v.pf.3s.past
oeached	v.pf.3p.inan.	oeached a oleached, okiuechei el meruul, melekoi; oechedii, orreched; oechedel a dolech.
uleached	v.pf.3p.inan.past
moeached	v.erg.	moeached a uleached; orreched el meruul; chad a mla okiuechei el ngmai; oleached el souchii a buuch; oechedel
oechedall	v.a.s.	is to be rushed against. oechedall a kirel el moeached; omech; orreched; orechudel; oechedii, oechedall a dolech, oechedel.
uleached	v.r.s.	uleached a mla moeached; okiu a uchei er ngii; ulerreched el melai; mlengaidesachel; oleached er a dolech, oechedii; oechedel a dolech.
uliached	v.r.s.	rushed against.
oleached er a chull	expr.	rush to do something before it begins to rain.
oleached er a dolech	expr.	beat the low tide; reach one's destination just before low tide.
oleached er a sils	expr.	beat the heat; do something while sun is still out.
oleached er a taem	expr.	beat deadline.
See also:

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

Search for another word: