Massage & Spa

1. Ng soak a full body massage.

   Ng so-ak a full bo-dy mas-sage

   I would like a full body massage.

   Usage

   Request a full body massage at a Palau spa or diving resort

   Grammar Note

   Palau resort spas operate in English. soak is the possessive of sau (liking); Ng soak a X means "I want X"

2. Ng tela el taem?

   Ng te-la el taem

   How long is it? (how many hours?)

   Usage

   Ask about the duration of a massage session

   Grammar Note

   taem is borrowed from English "time" — used for duration questions

3. Ng kmal mesisiich. Bo kebekakl.

   Ng kmal me-si-siich. Bo ke-be-kakl

   Too strong. Please make it lighter.

   Usage

   Tell the masseuse the pressure is too hard

   Grammar Note

   kebekakl means "light (in weight)" in Palauan. "Bo + adjective" makes a request/command "become X"

4. Ng kmal ungil!

   Ng kmal un-gil

   Very good!

   Usage

   Express satisfaction after the massage

   Grammar Note

   kmal is the intensifier "very" and ungil means "good"; Ng is the subject marker

5. Ke kmal mesulang!

   Ke kmal me-su-lang

   Thank you so much!

   Usage

   Express sincere gratitude to the massage therapist

   Grammar Note

   Adding kmal (very) to ke mesulang strengthens the thanks. mesulang is the verb form of saul (thanks)

6. Mechiuaiu er a massage table.

   Me-chi-u-a-iu er a mas-sage ta-ble

   Please lie down on the massage table.

   Usage

   Instruction to lie on the massage table at a Palauan spa

   Grammar Note

   mechiuaiu is a verb meaning "sleep; lie down to rest". massage table is from English; Palauan spas operate in English

7. Ng soak a foot massage.

   Ng so-ak a foot mas-sage

   I would like a foot massage.

   Usage

   Request a foot massage at a Palau spa

   Grammar Note

   foot massage is an English loanword; English is well understood at Palauan spas

8. Ng soak el kmal kebekakl.

   Ng so-ak el kmal ke-be-kakl

   Please use a very light touch.

   Usage

   Request a very light massage pressure

   Grammar Note

   kebekakl means "light (in weight)"; kmal is the intensifier "very" in Palauan. Ng soak means "I want"

9. Ng tela a cheral a massage?

   Ng te-la a che-ral a mas-sage

   How much does the massage cost?

   Usage

   Ask the price of a massage before booking

   Grammar Note

   The set frame for asking a price is "Ng tela a cheral?"; what is being priced follows cheral. ngarang means "what", not "how much"

10. Ak di kmal dekimes!

    Ak di kmal de-ki-mes

    I feel truly very relaxed!

    Usage

    Express how deeply relaxed you feel after a massage

    Grammar Note

    dekimes means to rest or relax in Palauan

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