Language/Sinhala/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Sinhala Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Sinhala learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Sinhala. We will look at the different forms of the verb and how to use them in sentences.

The verb "be" is used to describe a state or condition. It is an important verb in Sinhala and is used in many different contexts.

The verb "be" has three forms in Sinhala: ඔයා (oya), ඔයාට (oyata) and ඔයාත් (oyath).

The form ඔයා (oya) is used when the subject of the sentence is singular and the verb is in the present tense. For example:

• මම ඔයා (Mama oya) - I am

The form ඔයාට (oyata) is used when the subject of the sentence is plural and the verb is in the present tense. For example:

• අප ඔයාට (Apa oyata) - We are

The form ඔයාත් (oyath) is used when the subject of the sentence is singular and the verb is in the past tense. For example:

• මම ඔයාත් (Mama oyath) - I was

It is important to note that the verb "be" does not change depending on the gender of the subject. For example, the sentence "She is a teacher" would be written as එය ගුරුවරයා ඔයා (Ey gururwaya oya).

The verb "be" can also be used in the negative form. To make a sentence negative, the particle නැත (neth) is added after the verb. For example:

• මම නැත ඔයා (Mama neth oya) - I am not

The verb "be" can also be used in questions. To make a sentence into a question, the particle ක්ද (kuda) is added before the verb. For example:

• ඔබ ක්ද ඔයා (Oba kuda oya) - Are you?

The verb "be" can also be used in the future tense. To make a sentence in the future tense, the particle දෙනෙක් (denek) is added before the verb. For example:

• මම දෙනෙක් ඔයා (Mama denek oya) - I will be

Now let's look at some examples of how to use the verb "be" in sentences.

Sinhala	Pronunciation	English Translation
මම ඔයා	Mama oya	I am
අප ඔයාට	Apa oyata	We are
ඔබ ක්ද ඔයා	Oba kuda oya	Are you?
එය ගුරුවරයා ඔයා	Ey gururwaya oya	She is a teacher
මම නැත ඔයා	Mama neth oya	I am not
ඔබ දෙනෙක් ඔයා	Oba denek oya	You will be

Dialogue:

• Person 1: ඔබ ක්ද ඔයා (Oba kuda oya)? (Are you?)
• Person 2: ඔයා (Oya) (Yes)

To improve your Sinhala Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

That's it for this lesson! Now you know how to use the verb "be" in Sinhala. Practice using it in sentences and soon you will be able to use it with ease.

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