Ak ousbech a ngeso!
Ak ou-sbech a nge-so
Help! / Please help!
Usage
Call for help loudly in an emergency
Grammar Note
Cf. "Ke ousbech a ngeso?" ("Do you need help?"); this is its first-person counterpart. Note mesaul means "tired / thank you", not "to help"
Ke mo omekedong er a bulis!
Ke mo o-me-ke-dong er a bu-lis
Call the police!
Usage
Request someone to call the police urgently
Grammar Note
"To call (on the phone)" is omekedong and "police" is bulis. "ke mo ..." is the second-person "you will ...", used here as an urgent request. The emergency number is 911. Palau uses the US-style 911 under the Compact of Free Association
Mong me ko el lmuut er a hospital!
Mong me ko el lmu-ut er a hos-pi-tal
Please take me to the hospital!
Usage
Request to be taken to the hospital in a medical emergency
Grammar Note
Palau National Hospital is in Koror; hospital is borrowed from English
Ak mecheuid er tiang.
Ak me-che-uid er ti-ang
I am lost here.
Usage
Express that you are lost in Palau's islands or reef areas
Grammar Note
mecheuid means "confused; lost (in forest, etc.); mistaken". Ak is the first-person subject marker
Ke mo omekedong er a ambulance!
Ke mo o-me-ke-dong er a am-bu-lance
Call an ambulance!
Usage
Urgently request an ambulance in a medical emergency
Grammar Note
"To call" is omekedong. There is no Palauan word for "ambulance", so the English is kept. As English is official in Palau, "Call an ambulance!" also works
Ng soak a ralm.
Ng so-ak a ralm
I need water.
Usage
Urgently request water in case of dehydration or heatstroke
Grammar Note
soak is the 1st-person possessive of sau (liking), "my wish"; ralm is the native Palauan word for water
Ng ngar er ngii a merechorech!
Ng ngar er ngii a me-re-cho-rech
There is a thief!
Usage
Alert others when you have been robbed or see a thief
Grammar Note
ngar er ngii is the existential expression "there is"; merechorech is the word for "thief"
Ak di ultebechelel.
Ak di ul-te-be-che-lel
I am injured.
Usage
Communicate that you are injured in an accident or emergency
Grammar Note
ultebechelel describes a state of being injured or hurt in Palauan
Ke mo omekedong er a consulate er ngak.
Ke mo o-me-ke-dong er a con-su-late er ngak
Please call my consulate.
Usage
Request to contact your country's consulate in an emergency
Grammar Note
"To call (on the phone)" is omekedong; "ke mo ..." is the second-person request form. consulate is borrowed from English, and "my" is expressed by adding er ngak ("of me") after it
Ng kengaol er tiang!
Ng ken-ga-ol er ti-ang
It is dangerous here!
Usage
Warn others about a dangerous situation or area
Grammar Note
kengaol means "dangerous" (as a noun, "danger")
olengeseu
Help
Usage
Show this to ask for help without speaking
kengaol
Dangerous
Usage
To warn about, or ask about, danger
merechorech
Stolen / robbed
Usage
Show this when reporting a theft
seseb
Fire
Usage
Show this to report a fire; it means "fire (not for cooking)", distinct from ngau, a cooking fire
bakudang
Bomb
Usage
Show this to warn about an explosive device; it is a loan from Japanese bakudan. The English-looking word bomb is a different Palauan word meaning a small boat engine or pump
Seseb! Ke mo chemiis!
Se-seb! Ke mo che-miis
Fire! Run!
Usage
Shout this to warn of a fire and tell people to get out
Grammar Note
"Ke mo + verb" is the request form, as in "Ke mo omekedong er a bulis!". "chemiis" is an intransitive verb: "escape; flee; run away".
Merechorech! Ke mo melotech er ngii!
Me-re-cho-rech! Ke mo me-lo-tech er ngii
Thief! Catch him!
Usage
Shout this while pointing at a thief to get bystanders to stop him
Grammar Note
"melotech" is a transitive verb meaning "seize or grab (person, animal)" — a person can be the object.
Ng ngar er ker a blil a bulis?
Ng ngar er ker a blil a bu-lis
Where is the police station?
Usage
Used to ask where the police station is
Grammar Note
"Ng ngar er ker a <noun>?" is the question frame of "Ng ngar er ker a ringel?". "blil a bulis" is a set expression meaning "police station". Note: "mlil a bulis" means "police car".
Ng mle kisets.
Ng mle ki-sets
This person is unconscious
Usage
Used while pointing at a collapsed person to call for help
Grammar Note
"kisets" is a loan from Japanese kizetsu, an intransitive verb meaning "faint; lose consciousness".
Ng morsors a chad!
Ng mor-sors a chad
Someone is drowning
Usage
Shout this while pointing at someone in the water
Grammar Note
Palauan is verb-initial with the nominal subject at the end (VOS), so "Ng" is the subject agreement marker and "a chad" the subject — the order of "Ng mo el bub a laochel". "morsors" is the ergative form, meaning "urresors; rusors; ngar er a chelsel a daob" (sink under water); "kaiuesors" (drown or sink each other) is used of people.
Ak cheliuert.
Ak che-li-uert
I was beaten
Usage
Used to report being assaulted
Grammar Note
"Ak + resultative" is the shape of "Ak di ultebechelel.". "cheliuert" is the v.r.s. "beaten (with stick, club, etc.)", from the verb mengiuert "v.t. beat (with stick, club, etc.)".
Ak rrus er a oles.
Ak rrus er a o-les
I was stabbed
Usage
Used to report having been stabbed with a blade
Grammar Note
The sentence shape is "Ak + resultative". "rrus" is the v.r.s. "pierced; stabbed; injected; inoculated". Note: because it also covers "injected", add "er a oles" (with a knife), as in "rrus a ulkel er a oles". "oles" is "n. knife".
Ak cheleblad.
Ak che-le-blad
I was deceived
Usage
Used to report having been cheated or scammed
Grammar Note
The sentence shape is "Ak + resultative". "cheleblad" is the v.r.s. "deceived; cheated", from mengeblad "v.t. deceive; cheat; use (something) deceptively; bluff".
Ng mla rucherechii a chidbengek.
Ng mla ru-che-re-chii a chid-be-ngek
My wallet was stolen
Usage
Used to report a stolen wallet to the police
Grammar Note
"rucherechii" is the third-person perfective of "merechorech", used as in "mla rucherechii a chidib" (stole a wallet). The object here is the first-person possessive "chidbengek" (n.poss.1s of chidib).
Ak mla obes er a tik.
Ak mla o-bes er a tik
I left my bag behind
Usage
Used to say you left your bag somewhere
Grammar Note
"tik" is the n.poss.1s of tet (handbag, small woven basket); e.g. "Ng ngar er ker a tik? > Where's my purse?"
Ke mo orreched!
Ke mo or-re-ched
Please hurry
Usage
Used to ask someone to hurry
Grammar Note
"Ke mo + verb" is the request form, as in "Ke mo omekedong er a bulis!". "orreched" is "v.i. be in a hurry" (transitively "hurry or rush (someone)").
Be mei er a elechang!
Be mei er a e-le-chang
Please come right away
Usage
Used to ask someone to come immediately
Grammar Note
The imperative of mei is "be" ("be v.imp.", with the examples "ka mei" and "be bong"). "elechang" means "now" and appears as "er a elechang" in the example "Ngak a kmal chelilt er a elechang." Note: this word is also used for "today".
Ng orechudel.
Ng o-re-chu-del
It's an emergency
Usage
Used to say that the situation is urgent
Grammar Note
"Ng + predicate" is the shape of "Ng kengaol er tiang!" and "Ng merecherached a renguk". "orechudel" is a v.a.s., meaning "is to be rushed; urgent; emergency situation".
Ng ngar er ngii a chad el melekoi a tekoi er a Siabal?
Ng ngar er ngii a chad el me-le-koi a te-koi er a Si-a-bal
Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?
Usage
Used at a counter or hospital to look for someone who speaks Japanese
Grammar Note
The existential "Ng ngar er ngii a <noun>" is the frame of "Ng ngar er ngii a merechorech!", here turned into a question. The linker "el" is used as in "... a room el ngar er ngii a air conditioning.". "chad" means "person", and "melekoi a tekoi er a <language>" is the frame of "Ke melekoi a tekoi er a Merikel?", with the language name Siabal (Japan). "tekoi er a Belau" is an expression meaning "Palauan language".
More Palauan phrases
- Basic Words
- Basic Nouns
- Basic Verbs
- Adjectives
- Question Words
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