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 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.

A Droteo a mengimd a rechelel se el kerrekar.

> Droteo is cutting off that tree's branches.

Ng meral melemalt a lomechas me ng di mo mas er sel kired el melecholech er ngii.

> It is exactly marked and it is to cut when when we need to saw it.

Ng mocha er se el taem el leblechoel el mo oldingel a Fern.

> It was almost time for Fern to visit.

Ak milsuub er se er a leme a Droteo.

> I was studying when Droteo came.

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:

Ng locha ungil a cheliuir se el klebesei.

> Bet they sleep in peace at night.

Ka mnguu se el sualek e dorael mo er a mesei.

> Go and bring my basket so we can go to the taro patch.

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 soam el ngmai bebil er aika el kall se el bo mrei?

> Do you want to take some of these food home when you leave?

Ng milskak tiang ... ngera isei a ngklel el klekedellel a balech er a ngikel.

> He gave me this ... whatchamacallit piece for a speargun.

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 omengur el menga er a telkib el ngikel.

> I'm eatin a piece of fish.

A di kkilungii a renguk el telkib el meketeket e ng ultebechel el ngar er ngii a mo ungil el kudesuii.

> Whenever I was just patient and waited for a little while, I was certain to have a good idea.

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.

A telkib er a kerrekar a kultaut er ngii.

> Some of the wood I burned up.

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:

Ak telkib el mechad a dingak.

> Im a bit hard of hearing.

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

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

Ng telkib el meringel er ngak el menguiu a tekoi er a Belau.

> I have a hard time reading Palauan.

Ak telkib el olbechall se el kuloik.

> Im a bit awkward when dancing.

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.

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

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