Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

Ke ua ngarang?

, expr.

How are you?

mellemau

, v.s.

blue; green; black and blue; bruised.
mellemau a bedengel a toachel; a blai a melelemau, oumellemau.

ngera
/ngerang
/ngarang
/ngara

, pro.

what; which; what kind of; anything (but or except).
ngerang a ker; ngera ke melekoi? tia ng ngerang? ngera soam?

omerrous

, v.t.

dream about.
omerrous a berrusel; merrusii a mla mad el demal; merrous a meklou el blai.

ua
/uai

, mod.

like; as.
ua a ko er a; ua medal a demal; chad er a Belau e ua bedengel a chad er a ngebard.

uaisei

cont.

ua se

ua se
/uai sei

expr.

like that.

Synonyms: ,

Examples:

Ng ua ngara a kedel a blim?

> How close is your house?

Ng ua ngara a telemtemul a kall?

> What does the food taste like?/How is the food?

Ng ua ngara a kldidiul a kerrekar?

> How high is the tree?

Ng ua ngara a chetul a blim?

> What's the condition of your house?

Ng ua ngara a ultikillel a bilsengem?

> How many passengers can your boat carry?/What's the capacity of your boat?

Proverbs:

Ng ua beab el mengard.

> Nibbling like a rat.

Activity that slowly destroys another person or institution. Generally applied to verbal actions; spreading malicious gossip; a speech loaded with subtle insults. However, it can be applied to wider behavior such as economic behavior that destroys the resources of the country: killing fish by dynamite; cutting forests without planting

A ungil el merreder a ua chull el melemedem er a daob.

> A good leader, like rain, stills the ocean.

Rain falling during an ocean squall often seems to wipe away the winds and still the ocean. A good leader should be able to dispel the problems facing his people. He can calm down disputes and settle problems easily.

Ng di ua dorael er a medal a oles.

> It's as if we were walking on the blade of a knife.

i.e., we're treading on dangerous ground; if we make one wrong move, we're finished.

Ng ua lemechebiso tolekngel a Modelab

> Like making a whirlpool in Modelab's water tub.

Probably having reference to a folk tale, this saying is applied to any state of general social confusion. Some worldly Palauans used it with reference to the state of world affair

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

More Examples:

Ng ua lsal meringel a cheral a dengki er chelecha el buil.

> The electric bill this month is a bit high.

Ng mle ua ngera kall?

> How was the food ?

Ng ua ngara a bedengel a bilel a Tina?

> What color is Tina's dress?

Ng ua ngara a odimiu?

> How's your meat?

A delal a mesesuau me ng kmal di ua ingii.

> Her mother is an idiot and she is just like her.

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

Search for another word: