Compliments

1. Ng kmal choisii a kall!

   Ng kmal choi-sii a kall

   The food is very delicious!

   Usage

   Compliment the deliciousness of Palauan food

   Grammar Note

   Choisii is a loanword from Japanese meaning "tasty, delicious". Kall is "food". Mesisiich means "strong; healthy" and kesiil is a tree name, so neither praises a dish.

2. Ng kmal ungil a Belau! Ng kmal klamiokel!

   Ng kmal un-gil a Be-lau! Ng kmal kla-mio-kel

   Palau is truly wonderful! Very beautiful!

   Usage

   Express admiration for Palau's natural and cultural beauty

   Grammar Note

   Belau is the native name for Palau. Klamiokel means "beautiful; handsome; majestic" (an adjective). Merang means "genuine" and ngerang means "what", so neither is an intensifier or "beautiful".

3. Ke kmal ungil el merael.

   Ke kmal un-gil el me-ra-el

   You did very well! Great job!

   Usage

   Praise someone for their skill or achievement

   Grammar Note

   ungil is the most common Palauan adjective meaning good or excellent

4. Ke kmal mesulang el mengemedaol er ngak.

   Ke kmal me-su-lang el me-nge-me-da-ol er ngak

   Thank you for your hospitality.

   Usage

   Thank a Palauan host for their generous hospitality

   Grammar Note

   "Ke kmal mesulang." ("Thank you very much.") - literally "you have gotten very tired [on my behalf]". What you are thanking someone for follows the linker el as an imperfective verb, the same shape as Sulang el lmuut el mei. ("Thanks for coming back"). Mengemedaol is the verb "welcome; call together; celebrate; invite; accommodate", and its object takes er (Ak mengemedaol er kemiu el mei. = "I'm inviting you all to come."). "Thanks" has two forms: Sulang. (very informal) and Ke mesulang. (informal); the form Ke sulang is not used. Sulang is an interjection-like formula derived from saul "trouble; gratitude" and stands alone, whereas the second-person subject marker ke requires the verbal form mesulang. The second-person singular possessive attaches directly to the stem, as in sulem, sebechem.

5. Ke kmal ungil el melekoi a tekoi er a Belau.

   Ke kmal un-gil el me-le-koi a te-koi er a Be-lau

   You speak Palauan very well.

   Usage

   Compliment someone on their Palauan language skills

   Grammar Note

   Melekoi means "to speak; talk" and tekoi is "words / language". "Melekoi a tekoi er a Belau" is to speak the language of Palau. Melaod means "to spear", not "to speak".

6. Ke kmal ungil el chad.

   Ke kmal un-gil el chad

   You are a very wonderful person.

   Usage

   Praise someone's wonderful character

   Grammar Note

   chad means person in Palauan — an important word in social contexts

7. Ng kmal ungil a blim!

   Ng kmal un-gil a blim

   Your home is very wonderful!

   Usage

   Compliment someone's home in Palau

   Grammar Note

   Blim is the 2nd-person form of blik ("my house"), i.e. "your house". It is a possessed form of blai (house / building), alongside blik and blil ("his/her house").

8. Ng kmal ungil a rengum.

   Ng kmal un-gil a ren-gum

   You are very kind.

   Usage

   Compliment someone on their kindness

   Grammar Note

   "Ungil a rengul" is an expression for "happy; glad; kind". Rengum is the 2nd-person form of rengul ("heart"), so "your heart is very good" means you are kind. Melasech means "to spread out", not "kind".

9. Ke kmal ungil el meruul.

   Ke kmal un-gil el me-ruul

   Your work is very excellent.

   Usage

   Praise someone for their excellent work or effort

   Grammar Note

   meruul means to work or to make in Palauan

10. Ng kmal ungil a Belau!

    Ng kmal un-gil a Be-lau

    Truly! Palau is very wonderful!

    Usage

    Express the highest praise for Palau as a destination

    Grammar Note

    Belau is the Palauan name for Palau. "Kmal" is the intensifier "very". Merang means "genuine" and is not an intensifying adverb.

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