Beauty & Grooming

1. Ng soak el mo er a haircut.

   I'd like a haircut.

   Usage

   Used to request a haircut at a salon

   Grammar Note

   Olab means "bring / carry" (Ak olab a ilumel el mo er a party. = "I'm bringing drinks to the party."), not "want to". A wish uses the possessive forms of sau "liking", and the subject marker is ng, not ak: Ng soak el ... = "I would like to ..." (Ng soak a rodech. = "I would like fruit."; Ng ngara soam el kliou? = "What would you like for dessert?")

2. Ng sebechem el di telkib el mengimd a chiuk?

   Just a trim please — don't cut too much.

   Usage

   Used when you only want a small trim, not a big cut

   Grammar Note

   Mengimd is the verb "cut/trim hair; trim shrubs, trees, etc." and is the word for cutting hair (Ak bai mo mengimd er a kebesengei. = "I should go get a haircut tonight."). Chui is "hair", first-person possessive chiuk. "Just a little" is the expression di telkib, "only a little; just a bit" (Ak di telkib el sebechek el mengedecheduch. = "I can only talk a little.").

3. Ng soak el mo er a hair dye.

   I'd like to dye my hair.

   Usage

   Used to request hair dyeing service

   Grammar Note

   Olab means "bring / carry" (Ak olab a ilumel el mo er a party. = "I'm bringing drinks to the party."), not "want to". A wish uses the possessive forms of sau "liking", and the subject marker is ng, not ak: Ng soak el ... = "I would like to ..." (Ng soak a rodech. = "I would like fruit."; Ng ngara soam el kliou? = "What would you like for dessert?")

4. Ng ngar er ngii a hairstyle book?

   Can I look at a hairstyle book?

   Usage

   Used to ask for a hairstyle catalog at a salon

   Grammar Note

   hairstyle book borrowed from English. ngar er ngii = there is / do you have

5. Ng soak a shampoo me a blow-dry.

   I'd like a shampoo and blow-dry.

   Usage

   Used to request shampoo and blow-dry services

   Grammar Note

   shampoo and blow-dry both borrowed from English

6. Ng ngar er ngii a nail art?

   Do you offer nail art?

   Usage

   Used to ask if nail art services are available

   Grammar Note

   nail art borrowed from English. ngar er ngii = there is / do you have

7. Ng tela a cheral?

   How much will this cost?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the cost of a beauty service

   Grammar Note

   Cheral is the third-person possessive of "price" (Ng tela a cheral a kelek? = "What is the cost of our food?"; cheral a blai, "the cost of the house").

8. Ng tela el bung?

   How long will it take?

   Usage

   Used to ask how long a beauty treatment takes

   Grammar Note

   "Bung" is a loanword from Japanese 分 (minute); klebesei means "night / 24-hour period" and cannot express a duration

9. Ng soak el mo er a facial.

   I'd like a facial treatment.

   Usage

   Used to request a facial treatment

   Grammar Note

   Olab means "bring / carry" (Ak olab a ilumel el mo er a party. = "I'm bringing drinks to the party."), not "want to". A wish uses the possessive forms of sau "liking", and the subject marker is ng, not ak: Ng soak el ... = "I would like to ..." (Ng soak a rodech. = "I would like fruit."; Ng ngara soam el kliou? = "What would you like for dessert?")

10. Ng mo ungil el result — sulang!

    I'm very happy with the result — thank you!

    Usage

    Used to express satisfaction with the beauty service result

    Grammar Note

    ungil = good/satisfied. sulang = thank you (Palauan)

11. Ng sebechem el straighten a chiuk?

    Can you straighten my hair?

    Usage

    Used to request hair straightening

    Grammar Note

    chiuk is the 1st-person form of chui (hair), "my hair". "Ng sebechem el ..." means "can you ...?". straighten is borrowed from English

12. Ng kirel el melai a appointment?

    Do I need to make an appointment?

    Usage

    Used to ask if an appointment is required at a salon

    Grammar Note

    appointment borrowed from English. melai = to take/get. "Ng kirel el ..." means "it is necessary to ..." (kirel = obligation), so the question asks whether one is needed

13. Ke mo omekaro el mo er a eyebrow?

    Can you shape my eyebrows?

    Usage

    Used to request eyebrow shaping or threading

    Grammar Note

    omekaro = to shape/form. eyebrow borrowed from English

14. Ng ngarang a product el ousbech?

    What products do you use?

    Usage

    Used to ask about the products used during a beauty service

    Grammar Note

    product is borrowed from English. "Ng ngarang a ..." means "what kind of ...?" (ngarang = what). tela means "how many / how much", not "what". ousbech = to use / need

15. Ng soak el massage er a bedul.

    I'd like a scalp massage.

    Usage

    Used to request a scalp massage

    Grammar Note

    "Ng soak el ..." means "I want to ..." (soak is the 1st-person form of sau, "liking"). Massage is an English loanword and bedul is "head". There is no established word for "scalp", so this asks for a head massage.

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