காத்திரு
kaathiru
The Tamil word for wait is காத்திரு (kaathiru).
The verb means to delay until some event (verb).
Meaning: delay until some event (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
காத்திரு is a compound of kaaththu, meaning to wait or to guard and iru, meaning to be or to stay.
How does it change in a sentence?
காத்திரு is the informal imperative form. For the polite or plural imperative, use காத்திருங்கள். If you want to state that you are currently waiting, use the first-person singular form காத்திருக்கிறேன்.
How do you pronounce it?
kaathiru
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, the root கா can also refer to 'waiting' in the sense of 'longing' for a loved one, adding an emotional layer of yearning to the act of waiting.
- The word காத்திரு is a cognate with the Tulu word ಕಾತೊನುನಿ and the Malayalam word കാത്തിരിക്കുക, showing a shared ancestral root across several Dravidian languages.
- In spoken Tamil, the polite காத்திருங்கள் is often shortened or modified in casual conversation, but using the informal காத்திரு with a stranger or elder can be perceived as unexpectedly blunt.
Examples in context
- இங்கே அமருங்கள்,தயவு செயது காத்திருங்கள்Please sit here and wait.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use காத்திரு in a polite request.Tatoeba #4240357 by Singaravelu, translation #890210 by Scott
- அவள் வரும் வரை காத்திரு.aval varum varai kaaththiru.Wait until she arrives.
Example conversation
Priya and Arun are meeting at a cafe.
- பிரியா Priyaஅருண், இங்கே காத்திரு.Arun, iṅkē kāttiru.Arun, wait here.
- அருண் Arunசரி, நான் இங்கே இருக்கிறேன்.sari, nāṉ iṅkē irukkiṟēṉ.Okay, I am here.
- பிரியா Priyaநான் காபி வாங்கி வருகிறேன்.nāṉ kāpi vāṅki varukiṟēṉ.I will go buy coffee.
- அருண் Arunநிதானமாக வா.nitānamāka vā.Come slowly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries காத்திரு, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
