Martial Arts

1. Ng ngar er ngii a boxing club er tiang?

   Ng ngar er ngii a bo-xing club er ti-ang?

   Is there a boxing club here?

   Usage

   Palau has almost no standing martial arts gyms and no reliable record of a codified traditional fighting art. Physical activity is organised through schools, churches and community clubs in Koror, with baseball and basketball far ahead of anything else. English is an official language, so the conversation itself will usually be in English

   Grammar Note

   "Ng ngar er ngii a ..." is the set existential, literally "it is there". Palauan takes English loanwords without respelling them, and sport names are simply left in English

2. Ak sebechek el mo obengkemiu er a omesuub er a elechang?

   Ak se-be-chek el mo o-beng-ke-miu er a o-me-suub er a e-le-chang?

   May I join you for today's training?

   Usage

   Asking about a drop-in. Clubs in Palau have no formal joining procedure — speaking to whoever runs the group is usually enough. Sunday belongs to church, so aim for a weekday or Saturday

   Grammar Note

   Ability is expressed as "Ak sebechek el + verb", with the ending of "sebechek" inflecting for person ("sebechem" = you can). "Omesuub" is a verbal noun derived from "suub" (to learn)

3. Ak sebechek el omes er a omesuub?

   Ak se-be-chek el o-mes er a o-me-suub?

   May I watch the training?

   Usage

   Asking to observe. Always ask separately before filming. Palau is a small society of about 20,000 people where customary relations and clan ties matter, so never assume access — a word first goes a long way

   Grammar Note

   Objects are marked by the preposition "er" together with the article "a". Palauan places the article "a" before almost every noun, which is a useful signpost when parsing a sentence

4. Ng tela a cheral a ta el omesuub?

   Ng te-la a che-ral a ta el o-me-suub?

   How much does one session cost?

   Usage

   Asking the price. Palau uses the US dollar. Community clubs often charge nothing or accept a small donation and may have no per-session rate; offering a modest contribution is well received

   Grammar Note

   "Ng tela a cheral ...?" is the fixed way to ask a price. "Cheral" is the possessed form of the word for price; Palauan nouns inflect to show their possessor

5. Ak beches el mesuub tia.

   Ak be-ches el me-suub ti-a.

   I have only just started learning this.

   Usage

   Flagging that you are a beginner. Clubs in Palau post no skill levels, so saying it aloud is the only way to be placed sensibly — otherwise you may end up in the same drills as experienced members

   Grammar Note

   "El" is the linking particle that joins words — adjective to verb, numeral to noun, and so on ("beches el mesuub" = newly learning). It is one of the basic building blocks of Palauan syntax

6. Adang, lak el meringel.

   A-dang, lak el me-ri-ngel.

   Please, do not make it hard.

   Usage

   For asking a partner to lower the intensity. "Meringel" covers both "painful" and "hard", which makes it the natural word here. English is widely understood in Palau, so "go light" works too

   Grammar Note

   Prohibitions place "lak" before the predicate. The prefix "me-" derives stative verbs and adjectives, and a large share of Palauan adjectival words carry it

7. A ochik a meringel.

   A o-chik a me-ri-ngel.

   My leg hurts.

   Usage

   Declaring an injury — say it before training starts. Medical care in Palau is concentrated at the national hospital in Koror and is limited elsewhere, so never train through pain

   Grammar Note

   Inalienable possession, such as body parts, is marked by a person ending on the noun: "och" (leg) gives "ochik" (my leg) and "ochim" (your leg). Palauan has no copula; the adjective serves as the predicate directly

8. Ng ngar er ngii a gloves el sebechek el ousbech?

   Ng ngar er ngii a glo-ves el se-be-chek el ous-bech?

   Are there gloves I can use?

   Usage

   Checking on equipment. Clubs in Palau work with very limited kit and usually rotate a shared set of gloves. Bring your own wraps and mouthguard — few shops on the island stock them

   Grammar Note

   Relative clauses attach to the noun with the linker "el": "gloves el sebechek el ousbech" = gloves that I can use. Palauan has borrowed from both English and Japanese, and names for equipment tend to come from English

9. Ng ker el taem a omuchel a omesuub?

   Ng ker el taem a o-mu-chel a o-me-suub?

   What time does the training start?

   Usage

   Asking about the timetable. Clubs in Palau meet mostly in the late afternoon to avoid the heat, and schedules travel by word of mouth or Facebook rather than being posted. Sunset comes around 6:30pm, so sort out how you will get back

   Grammar Note

   The question word "ker" broadly covers "which" and "where", and with "el taem" it gives "what time". "Omuchel" is derived from the root for beginning with a verbalising prefix

10. Ke sebechem el osisechakl er ngak er tia?

    Ke se-be-chem el o-si-se-chakl er ngak er ti-a?

    Could you teach me this?

    Usage

    Asking to be taught a move. Say "Sulang" once you have been shown. Respect for elders runs strong in Palau, so keep questions modest — watching and copying is the preferred way to learn

    Grammar Note

    The ability word inflects for person: "sebechek" (I can), "sebechem" (you can). "This" is tia; note that "er tiang" is the fixed expression "here / in this place" and cannot serve as an object

11. Ng ngar er ngii a shower er tiang?

    Ng ngar er ngii a sho-wer er ti-ang?

    Is there a shower here?

    Usage

    Checking for showers. Clubs and gymnasiums in Palau do not always have them; a tap may be all that is available. Bring your own towel and a change of clothes

    Grammar Note

    Words for facilities are usually left in English in modern Palauan. Japanese loans from the colonial period also survive in everyday speech, such as "denki" (electricity) and "daijobu" (all right)

12. A rechad er a Belau a betik a rengrir er a baseball.

    A re-chad er a Be-lau a be-tik a reng-rir er a base-ball.

    Palauans love baseball.

    Usage

    A good conversation opener. Baseball is the national sport of Palau, introduced during the Japanese administration and firmly rooted since; basketball is popular too. Questions about traditional fighting arts are hard to answer for lack of records, so this topic goes much further

    Grammar Note

    Emotions are expressed idiomatically with "reng" (heart), as in "betik a renguk" (I love). "Rengrir" is the third-person plural possessed form, so the sentence literally says their hearts are attached to baseball

13. Mnguu a chimam el mo er a bab, e momes er a medal.

    Mnguu a chi-mam el mo er a bab, e mo-mes er a me-dal.

    Get your hands up, and look at his face.

    Usage

    Said by the coach. One of the most frequent cues during pad work and sparring — reading the face and eyes rather than the hands tells you what is coming. The clipped imperative carries no harshness

    Grammar Note

    Commands are formed with the prefix "m-" on the verb (nguu → mnguu, omes → momes). "Chimam" is the second-person possessed form of "chim" (hand); body parts show their possessor by inflection

14. Bo mesisiich, lak momdasu.

    Bo me-si-siich, lak mom-da-su.

    Go hard, do not hesitate.

    Usage

    Said by the coach. What the pad holder says when they want full commitment. Half-hearted contact is the more likely way to hurt yourself, so this doubles as permission to go at full power

    Grammar Note

    "Bo + adjective" forms the command "become X"; "bo" is the imperative of "mo" (to become). "Omdasu" means to think or consider, and in context reads as hesitating

15. Molengull e momelim a ralm.

    Mo-le-ngull e mo-me-lim a ralm.

    Take a rest and drink some water.

    Usage

    Said by the coach between rounds. Palau is hot and humid and sessions often happen in gymnasiums without air conditioning, so water breaks come often. Tap water is not drinkable everywhere, so bring bottled water

    Grammar Note

    Imperatives take the "m-" prefix (ulengull → molengull, melim → momelim). "E" coordinates actions and is used to string commands together

16. Ng mla mo ungil. Sulang.

    Ng mla mo u-ngil. Su-lang.

    That was good. Thank you.

    Usage

    Said by the coach to close the session. Clubs in Palau often finish with a short prayer, reflecting how deeply Christianity is embedded in daily life. "Sulang" also works as your reply

    Grammar Note

    "Mla" marks completed aspect and combines with "mo" (to become) to give "has become". "Sulang" is the standard thank you; the fuller polite form is "Kmal mesulang"

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