What it means
- ibu Quality and adjective
- heavy / weight / largeDescribes great size or weight ('Ezinụlọ anyị buru ibu' = Our family is large).
- ịbụ Infinitive verb
- to beInfinitive of 'bụ' (be): 'O nwere ike ịbụ na…' = it may be that… Not 'ibu' (a load, heaviness).
How to say it
Say it as í-bù. Keep every written vowel clear, including dotted vowels, without adding an English stress pattern.
Igbo is tonal, so pitch can change a word’s meaning. The marks above show this reading. The recording is a native speaker.
ibu in a sentence
- Ụlọ a buru ibu.This house is big.
- Ezinụlọ anyị buru ibu.Our family is large.
- O nwere ike ịbụ na otu afọ bụ nke atụmatụ, nke ọzọ bụrụ nke ọrụ owuwu.It may be that one year marks the planning and the other the construction work.