Quick links:

Palauan Adjectives

The following is a brief discussion about Palauan adjectives. For a longer exploration, please refer to discussions of state verbs in the Joseph Handbooks. According to the official Lewis Joseph grammar book of Palauan, there are no Palauan parts of speech called adjectives. However, Palauan does, of course, have words used to describe other words. In English, we call these words adjectives. Examples of English adjectives are dangerous, beautiful, and hot.

Palauan Resulting State Verbs

In Palauan, words corresponding to English adjectives are called state verbs. There are several types of Palauan state verbs. The most common are resulting state verbs which occur as a result of a verb. Some examples:

Here is a list of seven random Palauan verbs and their resulting state verbs:

blir, v.r.s.(arm) swung; (rope) twirled.
a
mla
a
mir
a
See also:
blsiich, v.r.s.adorned; decorated.
See also:
klimut, v.r.s.grabbed and thrown down; overpowered.
a
er
a
mla
e
le
ng
a
See also:
llud, v.r.s.having had sexual intercourse.
a
mla
er
See also:
selebech, v.r.s.tried on; adjusted; equalized.
a
a
a
el
a
el
a
See also:
telutk, v.r.s.pointed at; appointed.
a
mla
el
mo
er
a
er
See also:
ulekbat, v.r.s.(something) hidden or hard to find.
a
el
a
er
a
el
kar
er
a
er
a
a
mla
See also:

 

Palauan Anticipating State Verbs

Anticipating state verbs in Palauan are like resulting state verbs. However, instead of describing the state of something after a verb has modified it, these describe the state of something before a verb is anticipated to modify it. Here's seven random Anticipating State Verbs:

bekesall, v.a.s.(leg) is to be moved to walk.
a
el
el
er
See also:
bengkengkoll, v.a.s.(object, usually long) to be laid on ground; exposed quickly by outgoing tide.
a
el
a
er
See also:
besebesechall, v.a.s.is to be continually contradicted/opposed.
a
el
er
See also:
chederedall, v.a.s.are to be put together or into order; are to be arranged.
See also:
chilotel, v.a.s.is to be oiled, greased or anointed.
See also:
ngbatel, v.a.s.(clothes; etc.) are to be taken off; is to be pulled out/freed/absolved.
a
el
a
er
a
a
a
a
See also:
odermeremall, v.a.s.is to be pushed or forced (under water, into ground, etc.).
See also:

 

State Verbs with Related Nouns

In English, a common thing to do is to ask 'how XXXX is something,' where XXXX is an adjective. For example, 'how hot is that,' or 'how dangerous is that,' are common English expressions.

This is true in Palauan as well in a form like, 'ng uangarang a kleldelel,' which translates literally perhaps to something like, 'it is like what, its heat,' or figuratively as, 'how hot is it.' The word kleldelel is a possessed noun meaning 'its heat.' See the nouns page for a longer explanation of possessed nouns.

Many of these Palauan nouns have related state verbs which translate to, and are used as, English adjectives. Here is a list of seven random Palauan nouns along with their corresponding state verbs.

Palauan_NounEngish_NounPalauan_AdjEnglish_Adj
dechuswart; mole.dechuswart; mole.
chaseborash.chasebohaving rash or prickly heat.
cheisechpermanent stain.cheisechstained (permanently from betel nut juice; banana juice; etc.).
cheolubarnacles.cheolu covered with barnacles.
bengtpurple colored sweet potato.bengtpurple.
secheleifriend; companion; boyfriend; girlfriend; lover; term of address from a woman to a group of people.bekesecheleifriendly; having many friends.
teberoishin; (large, triangle-shaped) coconut candy.teberoishin; (large, triangle-shaped) coconut candy.

Reng Idioms as Adjectives

There are many Palauan expressions which use a state verb to describe the Palauan word reng which means spirit or heart. These are idioms which mean their literal and figurative meanings are not the same. Typically, but not always, the figurative meaning describes an emotion. An example is kesib a reng, which literally means a sweaty heart but figuratively it means to be angry. Here is a list of seven random examples of these reng idioms:

PalauanEnglish
llemesel
a
: Palauan of llemesel a rengul'>
a
his/her/its intelligence.
meleolt
a
: Palauan of meleolt a rengul'>
a
(person) carefree or nonchalant; (person) not easily disturbed or content to let things happen as they may.
suebek
a
: Palauan of suebek a rengul'>
a
worried; anxious.
melemedem
er
a
: Palauan of melemedem er a rengul'>
er
a
cool down one's anger.
orreked
er
a
: Palauan of orreked er a rengul'>
er
a
restrain or control (oneself) (esp., from showing anger).
seselk
a
: Palauan of seselk a rengul'>
a
bored; impatient.
betachel
a
: Palauan of betachel a rengul'>
a
is to be pleased/satisfied/appeased; content.