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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:

bliochel, v.r.s.sifted; filtered; pure; unadulterated; one of specific kind.
See also:
chellungel, v.r.s.carried (off) on the shoulders; carrying someone or something on the shoulders.
a
mla
a
a
See also:
kles, v.r.s.(coconut or taro) grated or scraped.
a
mla
a
a
See also:
kliis, v.r.s.(ground) dug/scratched in (by chicken); opened or unlocked; (clock, watch) wound.
a
mla
a
el
mo
a
See also:
klsakl, v.r.s.(something) wrong/the matter.
a
er
a
mla
ke
tia
ng
See also:
selilek, v.r.s.washed.
a
mla
a
See also:
uldanges, v.r.s.praised; honored.
a
mla
a
er
a
a
me
a
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:

beksall, v.a.s.(spearhead) is to be pounded and flattened.
See also:
besengall, v.a.s.is to be tied into bundle; is to be pulled vigorously or grabbed.
See also:
dibkaol, v.a.s.is to be tied into knot.
See also:
odibsebsall, v.a.s.is to be filled to overflowing; is to be poured out.
a
el
mo
a
er
a
See also:
otongall, v.a.s.is to be included.
a
el
a
a
me
a
me
a
me
a
er
See also:
sebsall, v.a.s.is to be sprinkled, sprayed or watered.
a
el
a
er
a
See also:
utiil, v.a.s.is to be put over fire; is to be put or placed; is to be pounded into ground.
a
a
a
el
el
a
a
er
a
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
kurstwitching (nervous disorder) .kurstwitching (nervous disorder) .
otekliklvertical support beam for buadel whose bottom end lis on imuul.otekliklvertical support beam for buadel whose bottom end lis on imuul.
mekealdhot water; hot drink (esp., coffee).mekeald warm; hot.
chermallhibiscus (bark used as a rope; leaves used as mulch for taro).chermallcheromel
tutkwart on sole of foot; disease of kebui leaves.tutkpointer; pole (for picking fruit).
bausmell; odor; scent.bekebausmell of vagina.
diulareng(someone's) happiness/joy.dmeuhappy; glad; joyful; appreciative.

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
ulsarech
a
: Palauan of ulsarech a rengul'>
a
(emotions etc.) held in.
diak
a
: Palauan of diak lodengelii a rengul'>
a
(person) unaware of his limitations or overestimates his abilities or overextends himself with committments.
meses
a
: Palauan of meses a rengul'>
a
industrious; diligent.
dmolech
a
: Palauan of dmolech a rengul'>
a
wise; prudent; careful in planning ahead.
mengaidesachel
a
: Palauan of mengaidesachel a rengul'>
a
competitive.
omult
er
a
: Palauan of omult er a rengul'>
er
a
convince; persuade.
klou
a
: Palauan of klou a rengul'>
a
patient; confident.


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