Money & Exchange

1. Ng tela a cheral?

   ng te-LA a che-RAL

   How much does it cost?

   Usage

   Basic phrase to ask for the price

   Grammar Note

   "Ng tela a cheral?" is the set phrase for "How much does it cost?"; cheral is the 3rd-person possessive of char (price)

2. A udoud er a Belau a US dollar.

   a u-DOUD er a be-LAU a US DOL-lar

   Palau uses the US dollar as currency

   Usage

   Explaining that Palau uses the US dollar

   Grammar Note

   udoud is the noun "money; cash". "Of" is er a, the same shape as tekoi er a Belau ("the Palauan language"). Belau is the Palauan name for Palau. Do not say klalo el udoud: as in Te medinges er a udoud me a klalo. ("They have plenty of money and possessions."), klalo "thing" and udoud "money" are coordinated as separate items and stacking them does not produce "currency".

3. Ng ngar er ngii a ATM er tiang?

   ng ngar er ngii a ATM er ti-ANG

   Is there an ATM here?

   Usage

   Looking for an ATM to withdraw cash

   Grammar Note

   The frame for asking whether something exists is "Ng ngar er ngii a X?". ngara is the interrogative "what", not an existential verb. ATM is an English abbreviation used directly

4. Ng soak el harau.

   ng so-AK el ha-RAU

   I want to pay

   Usage

   Saying you want to pay

   Grammar Note

   A wish uses soak, the first-person possessive of sau "liking", and the subject marker is ng, not ak (Ng soak el melim a ralm. = "I want to drink water."). A following verb takes el. harau is a loan from Japanese harau, v.i. "pay" (examples: Ak mlo harau a belsek er a bangk. = "I went to pay my debt at the bank."; Ng techa a mle harau? = "Who paid?"). The other verb for paying is omdoud, v.t. "give money to; pay".

5. Ng sebechek el ousbech a credit card?

   ng se-be-CHEK el ous-BECH a CRE-dit card

   Can I use a credit card?

   Usage

   Asking if credit card payment is accepted

   Grammar Note

   Ability is expressed with "Ng sebechek el + verb". Sebechek is the first-person possessed form of sebechel (his/her ability); for example, "Ng sebechek el meluches a tekoi er a Belau" (I can write in Palauan).

6. Ng kmal takai a cheral.

   ng kmal ta-KAI a che-RAL

   It's very expensive

   Usage

   Saying something is too expensive

   Grammar Note

   takai is a loan from Japanese takai, v.s. "expensive". It pairs with price (Kmal mera el mla mo takai a cheral a dekool. = "Cigarette prices have gone up a lot."; Sechelei, aika el cheral a iwashi a mera el mla mo takai! = "Friends, these prices on canned mackerel are outrageous!"). Use this loan in casual speech and the set phrase meringel a cheral in more formal contexts.

7. Ng tela a otsuri er ngak?

   ng te-LA a o-TSU-ri er ngak

   How much is my change?

   Usage

   Asking about the change after paying

   Grammar Note

   otsuri is a loan from Japanese otsuri, n. "change (from purchase); benefit"; the synonym der, n. "remainder; change (from purchase)", also exists. "My X" is the noun followed by er ngak (the first-person counterpart of Ng ngar er ker a blalech er kau? = "Where's your slingshot wound?"). An amount is asked with tela. Palauan's first-person singular possessive suffix is not -ku but -k / -ek (sulek, sebechek, ududek). ta means "one", not "how much".

8. Ng bebeot a cheral

   ng be-BE-ot a che-RAL

   That's a good price

   Usage

   Expressing satisfaction with a fair price

   Grammar Note

   For example, "Ng ko er a bebeot a cheral a kloker a Hong Kong" ("watch prices are low in Hong Kong"); the opposite is "meringel a cheral" (expensive)

9. Ng soak a receipt

   ng so-AK a re-CEIPT

   I want a receipt

   Usage

   Requesting a receipt after a purchase

   Grammar Note

   A wish uses "Ng soak a + noun" (Ng soak a rodech. = "I would like fruit."), and the subject marker is ng, not ak. There is no established Palauan word for "receipt", so the English word is used as is, English being an official language of Palau.

10. Ak mla harau.

    ak mla ha-RAU

    I already paid

    Usage

    Confirming that payment has already been made

    Grammar Note

    mla is aux. "has (done something)", marking completion (Ak mla mo merek er a subelek. = "I've finished my homework."). harau is a loan from Japanese harau, v.i. "pay". di is mod. "only; just", not "already"; "already" is carried by mla.

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