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 teliudelel a bobai?

> How has the papaya been cut?

Ng ua ngara a telkelel a subelengem?

> What's the measurement of your trousers?

Ng mla mo ua ngara a chubs er a chimam?

> How's the wound on your arm healing?

Ng mo ua kerrekar el mla medul er a ngau a rechelel, me a bngal a mosebek er a eolt el mo cheroid.

> They will be like trees whose branches are burned by fire, whose blossoms are blown away by the wind.

Ng ua ngara a blekerdelel a urerem?

> How are your working conditions?

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

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

Ng ua kukau el omertort a ditel e chemoes.

> Like taro, though the leaves are tall, still immature.

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is mature only when the leaves produced by the plant are small. When the plant produces its largest leaves the tuber in the ground is still quite small. The saying may be applied to a person who, while yet young and inexperienced, is proud and boastful.

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

More Examples:

Ng ua ngara a bedengel a bilel a Tina?

> What color is Tina's dress?

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

> The electric bill this month is a bit high.

Ng ua techa ngikal el chad?

> What is this person like?

Ng ua ngera a imeliu?

> How's your drink?

Ng ua ngara omelechesel tia el tekoi?

> How do you spell or write this word?

Palauan Language Online: Palauan-English Dictionary

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