இரு

Cognate to Tamil இரு (iru), Malayalam ഇരിക്കുക (irikkuka) and Kannada ಇರು (iru).

IPA^(key): /iɾu/

இரு (iru)

1. to be
2. remain

Imperative: இரு

Present (1st person): இருக்கெ

Past (1st person): இருந்தெ

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

• IPA^(key): /ɪɾʊ/, [ɪɾɯ]

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Cognate to Malayalam ഇരിക്കുക (irikkuka), Kannada ಇರು (iru).

இரு • (iru)

1. to be

   இங்கே இருக்கிறேன் ― iṅkē irukkiṟēṉ ― I am here.

2. to exist

   Synonym: உள் (uḷ)

3. (with dative or locative subject) to have (see usage notes)

   எனக்கு ஒரு சகோதரன் இருக்கிறான் ― eṉakku oru cakōtaraṉ irukkiṟāṉ ― I have a brother.

   என்னிடம் ஒரு பூனை இருக்கிறது ― eṉṉiṭam oru pūṉai irukkiṟatu ― I have a cat.

   எனக்கு ஒரு காதலி இல்லை ― eṉakku oru kātali illai ― I don't have a girlfriend.

4. to stay, remain, wait
5. (auxiliary) added to the adverbial participle of a verb to create the perfect tense
6. to sit

• 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. "My name is Will"), no verbs are used. When using an adjective that does not precede a noun (e.g. "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 is used after an adverb derived from the predicate (see -ஆக (-āka)). For example, நான் விவசாயனாக இருந்தேன். (nāṉ vivacāyaṉāka iruntēṉ., “I was a farmer.”, with adverb and copula) but நான் விவசாயன் (nāṉ vivacāyaṉ, “I am a farmer”, no adverb nor copula).
• For saying to have, the verb will conjugate with the possessed object, not the possessor. Use the dative 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)). Use the locative 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 use இல்லை (illai). For negation in any other tense, use a negative conjugation of இரு (iru). For example, "I won't have my cell phone," is, "என்னிடம் என் அலைப்பேசி இருக்காது (eṉṉiṭam eṉ alaippēci irukkātu)."

From Proto-Dravidian *iru.

இரு • (iru)

1. twice, two, double