இரு

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *ir- (“to be”). Cognate with Kannada ಇರು (iru), Malayalam ഇരിക്കുക (irikkuka), Tamil இரு (iru).

• IPA^(key): /iɾu/

இரு (iru)

1. to be
2. to remain

• Imperative : இரு (iru)
• Present (1st person): இருக்கெ (irukke)
• Past (1st person): இருந்தெ (irunte)

• Gerard F. Diffloth (1968), The Irula Language, a close relative to Tamil‎^[1], University of California, Los Angeles, page 26

• IPA^(key): /ɪɾʊ/, [ɪɾɯ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *ir- (“to be”).

False cognate of Japanese いる (iru).

இரு • (iru) (intransitive)

1. to be, exist, be present

   Synonyms: உள் (uḷ), உறு (uṟu)

   இங்கே இருக்கிறேன். ― iṅkē irukkiṟēṉ. ― I am here.

2. (with dative or locative subject) to have

   Synonyms: உள் (uḷ), கொள் (koḷ)

   எனக்கு ஒரு தம்பி இருக்கிறான்.

   eṉakku oru tampi irukkiṟāṉ.

   I have a younger brother.

   என்னிடம் ஒரு பூனை இருக்கிறது.

   eṉṉiṭam oru pūṉai irukkiṟatu.

   I have a cat.

3. to live, stay, reside

   Synonyms: வாழ் (vāḻ), தங்கு (taṅku), வசி (vaci)

4. to stay, remain, wait

   Synonym: காத்திரு (kāttiru)

   கொஞ்சம் இரு, வருகிறேன்.

   koñcam iru, varukiṟēṉ.

   Wait a sec, I'm coming.

5. to sit, sit down

   Synonyms: அமர் (amar), உட்கார் (uṭkār)

6. (with preceding infinitive) to be ready to act, be about to
7. (auxiliary) added to the adverbial participle of a verb to create the perfect tense.

   Synonym: (formal) உள் (uḷ)

   வந்திருக்கிறேன். ― vantirukkiṟēṉ. ― I have come.

8. (auxiliary) added to the adverbial participle of a verb with கொண்டு (koṇṭu) to create the progressive tense.

   வந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறேன். ― vantukoṇṭirukkiṟēṉ. ― I'm coming.

9. used to express one's intention to do a thing or desire for the happening of an event; to feel like.

   Near-synonym: தோன்று (tōṉṟu)

   ஊர் சுற்றலாம் போல இருக்கிறது.

   ūr cuṟṟalām pōla irukkiṟatu.

   I feel like gallivanting.

   நாங்கள் போகலாமென்று இருக்கிறோம்.

   nāṅkaḷ pōkalāmeṉṟu irukkiṟōm.

   We feel like going.

10. (impersonal) to feel, experience

    Near-synonym: உணர் (uṇar)

11. (colloquial) to excrete

    Synonym: கழி (kaḻi)

• Tamil is a zero-copula language for present-tense sentences whose predicate is a noun. Thus, this verb is not always used as a translation for all senses of 'be'. For example, to describe what or who something or someone is (e.g. என் பெயர் பிரபாஸ்கரன் (eṉ peyar pirapāskaraṉ, “My name is Prabhaskaran”)), no verbs are used. When using an adjective that does not precede a noun (e.g. இந்த சாப்பாடு நன்றாக​ இருக்கிறது (inta cāppāṭu naṉṟāka​ irukkiṟatu, “This food is good”)), the adjective is treated as an adverb and is placed before the verb, or there is no verb and a noun is used.
  • However, when describing what/who someone/something was in any tense but the present, இரு (iru) is used after an adverb derived from the predicate (see -ஆக (-āka)). For example, நான் விவசாயியாக இருந்தேன். (nāṉ vivacāyiyāka iruntēṉ., “I was a farmer.”, with adverb and copula) but நான் விவசாயி (nāṉ vivacāyi, “I am a farmer”, no adverb nor copula).
  • Note that although Tamil is zero copula, the verb ஆ (ā) is often used in formal contexts as a copula; see its usage notes.
• For saying to have, the verb will conjugate with the possessed object, not the possessor. The dative is used when the possessed object is something which is permanently, habitually, or inalienably possessed, such as, "I have black hair," (எனக்கு கருப்பு முடி இருக்கிறது (eṉakku karuppu muṭi irukkiṟatu)). The locative is used when the object is possessed temporarily.
  • To negate the sense of to have in the present tense, much like saying that something does not exist, a verb is not necessary; instead, just இல்லை (illai) is used. For negation in any other tense, a negative conjugation of இரு (iru) can be used. For example, "I won't have my cell phone," is, "என்னிடம் என் அலைப்பேசி இருக்காது (eṉṉiṭam eṉ alaippēci irukkātu)."
• For saying to feel, the verb is usually impersonal. For example, in எனக்கு அலுப்பாக இருக்கிறது. (eṉakku aluppāka irukkiṟatu., “I feel exhausted”), note that the verb is in the third person singular.

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *iru. Cognate with Brahui اِرَا (irā), Malayalam ഇരു (iru), Telugu ఇరు (iru).

இரு • (iru)

1. (before consonants) twice, two, double, both

   Coordinate term: ஈர் (īr)

• “இரு”, in அகராதி: தமிழ் → ஆங்கில அகரமுதலி [Agarathi: Tamil → English Dictionary], 2023
• S. Ramakrishnan (1992), “இரு”, in தற்காலத் தமிழ் அகராதி [Dictionary of Contemporary Tamil] (in Tamil), Madras: Cre-A Publishers, page [2]