இல்லை
See also: இல்லா
Tamil
Alternative forms
- இல்ல (illa) — Spoken Tamil
Etymology
From the root இல்- (il-, (existential) negative particle) + -ஐ (-ai).[1] Cognate with Kannada ಇಲ್ಲ (illa) and Malayalam ഇല്ല (illa).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /illai/
Audio: (file)
Interjection
இல்லை • (illai)
- (existential negation) no
- Coordinate term: அல்ல (alla)
- (Spoken Tamil, absolute negation) no
- Synonym: அல்ல (alla)
Usage notes
- While இல்லை (illai) originally refers only to existential negation, spoken Tamil does not differentiate between the two senses (with dialectal exceptions), in contrast with its cognates.
Adverb
இல்லை • (illai) (Spoken Tamil)
Usage notes
- When used sentence-finally, it takes on the meaning of "to not be" if there is no verb in the sentence.
Conjunction
இல்லை • (illai) (Spoken Tamil)