Language/Sinhala/Grammar/Questions

Sinhala Grammar - Questions

Hi Sinhala learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about questions in Sinhala grammar. Asking questions is an essential part of any language, and it's no different in Sinhala. We'll cover the basics and dive into some interesting cultural elements along the way. Let's get started!

Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: How to Use "Be", Sinhala Grammar → Unit 8: Conversational Sinhala → Sinhala ..., How to Use Have & Negation.

The Basics

In Sinhala, there are two types of questions: the first type of question is formed by simply adding "ද?(dha?)"at the end of a statement. For example, "මම නවත්තන්නෙ කොහේ ද?" (mama navaththanne kohee dha?), meaning "Where should I stop?" The speaker merely raises their voice at the end of the sentence, and it becomes a question.

The second type of question is when the sentence starts with a question word, such as "කොහොමද" (kohomada), meaning "how?" or "ඇයි?" (kohomadakama), meaning "why?"

Let's take a look at some more basic question words:

Sinhala	Pronunciation	English Equivalent
කොහොමද	kohomada	How?
ඇයි/මොකෝ/මොකද	aei/mokoo/mokadha	Why?
මොකක්	mokak	What?
කොහොමද	kohomada	How?

Let's use these words in a dialogue.

• Person 1: කොහොමද? (kohomada?) - "How?"
• Person 2: මොකක් වගේ ද?? (Mokaka wageedha?) - "Like what?"
• Person 1: අදහසක් නෑ, මොකද්ද මම වෙනස් කරන්න ඕන? (Adhahasak naae, mokadhdha mama venas karanna oona?) - "No idea, what should I try differently?"
• Person 2: ඇයි ඔයා අහන්නේ? (Aei oyaa ahannee?) - "Why are you asking?"

Tips: Use nouns after the question words to be more formal when you are talking to elders or people in higher ranks than you.

Ex:

• To a teacher:මොකද්ද ටීචර්?(mokadhdha tiichar?) - "What,teacher?"
• ඇයි සර් හිනාවෙන්නේ?(aei sar hinaawennee?) - "Why are you laughing sir?"
• ඒ කොහොමද මැඩම්?(ee kohomadha maedam?) - "How,madam?"

But here's the tricky part.

කොහොමද?(kohomadha?) - How are you? ඒ කොහොමද?(ee kohomadha?) - How?

You have to add ඒ(ee) which means 'that' literally if you are asking 'how?'.

More advanced concepts

Sinhala language has many intricate grammatical rules, so it's no surprise that asking questions can have multiple nuances. For example, there are different ways to ask questions based on context, such as "ඔයා නෙවෙයිද/නේද අමතක කළේ?" (oya neweidha/needha amathaka kalee?) meaning "Aren't you the one who forgot?" The word "නෙවෙයිද/නේද" (neweidha/needha) is added at the middle of the sentence to alter the context and the tone of the question. This can also be used when the speaker is not sure about the answer to the question.

Other advanced question concepts include the use of different verb forms, tenses, and particles. It's important to understand that different questions have their own unique structures and nuances, and each should be learned individually.

Here's an example of a question with a particle:

Person 1: මේ මොකද්ද? (mē mokadhdha?) - "What is this?" Person 2: මේ තෑග්ගක්. (Mee thaaeggak) - "It's a gift."

In this example, we can see the use of the word තෑග්ග (mundōrai) which means "gift."

Cultural Context

As in any language, understanding cultural context is essential to understanding the intricacies of asking questions in Sinhala. In Sri Lankan culture, it is customary to ask for permission before asking questions, especially if the question is personal or involves another person. For example, asking "අපි මොකක්ද කරන්න ඕන/කරන්නේ?" (api mokakdha karanna oona/karannee) meaning "what should we do?" is considered less confrontational and more polite than directly asking a question.

Additionally, body language and tone of voice are important when asking questions in Sinhala. For example, raising one's eyebrow while asking a question with a smile can convey a different tone and meaning than asking with a straight face.

Summary

In summary, asking questions in Sinhala can be straightforward or complex, depending on context and cultural factors. As we've seen, there are different structures and nuances to understand when forming and asking questions. Remember that practice and exposure are essential to mastering this skill in any language. Don't hesitate to find native speakers and ask them any questions you have!

To improve your Sinhala Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website.

Sources

• Question-particles and relative clauses in the history of Sinhala, with ...

Duh.I am a native speaker.Sources aren't that bad but the meanings and sentences are sometimes completely wrong.I will add 'duh!'to every page I fixed.

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Adjectives
• Plurals
• How to Use Have
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Negation
• Future Tense