This shows something is in a certain state. This state happened because an action finished. It is like saying 'is doing' or 'has done'.
Verb [Classical E-dan base] + りPrimary
This shows something is in a certain state. This state happened because an action finished. It is like saying 'is doing' or 'has done'.
庭に花咲けり。ただそれを見るのみ。
Flowers are in bloom in the garden. I just look at them.
門開けり。
The gate has opened.
春なれど、庭の桜は既に咲けり。
Though it is spring, the garden’s cherry blossoms have already bloomed.
ふと見上げれば、月、雲間に隠れりけり。
When I happened to look up, I realized the moon had hidden behind the clouds.
王は宣言せり。「これより新しき時代の始まりなり」と。
The king declared, 'From this day, a new era begins'.
This grammar is like an old, fancy word. You will see it in old books or songs. People do not use it when they talk every day. It makes things sound very formal or grand.
This is different from 〜つ and 〜ぬ. Those show an action is finished. 〜つ is for actions you do on purpose. 〜ぬ is for things that finish by themselves. 〜たり is very much like 〜り. It took the place of 〜り later on.
Don't use this when you are speaking modern Japanese. This grammar is from old Japanese. It is not used today. You will see it in old books. It attaches to verbs in a special way. This way is very old. You will often see verbs ending in "-eri" or "-seri" when this grammar is used.
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Dialect / slang variants(1)
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