Language/Sinhala/Grammar/Plurals

Sinhala Grammar - Plurals

Hi Sinhala learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will discuss plurals in Sinhala grammar. Knowing how to form plurals is essential to understanding and speaking Sinhala fluently. We will also touch upon some interesting cultural information along the way. Remember, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section below!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: How to Use "Be", Sinhala Grammar → Unit 8: Conversational Sinhala → Sinhala ..., 0 to A1 Course & Sinhala Alphabet.

Basic Rules

In Sinhala, the plural is formed by adding suffixes to the end of nouns. There are a few basic rules to follow:

• For most nouns, the suffix "-ය" ("-ya") is added to form the plural.
• For nouns that end in a vowel followed by "ය" ("ya"), the suffix "-හුරු" ("-huru") is added to form the plural.
• For nouns that end in a consonant followed by "ය" ("ya"), the suffix "-ම" ("-ma") is added to form the plural.
• For nouns that end in a vowel followed by "අ" ("a"), the suffix "-ස" ("-sa") is added to form the plural.
• For nouns that end in a consonant followed by "අ" ("a"), the suffix "-ගෙන" ("-gene") is added to form the plural.

Here are some examples:

Singular	Plural
කඳුළු (kaṇalu)	කඳුළුය (kaṇaluya)
මුසාන් (musān)	මුසාන්වෙන් (musānwen)
දෙයියෝ (deyiyō)	දෙයියොගෙන (deyiyōgene)

Exceptions

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules. In Sinhala, there are many irregular plurals. Here are a few examples:

Singular	Plural
කාබනික (kābanika)	කාබනිකවෙන් (kābanikawen)
ඇඹරික්කන් (Ēmakkaṇ)	ඇඹරික්කන්වෙන් (Ēmakkaṇwen)

The best way to learn these irregular plurals is through practice and exposure. To improve your Sinhala Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Cultural Tidbits

Did you know that Sinhala has a rich history and culture? Here are a few interesting facts:

• Sinhala is the official language of Sri Lanka and is spoken by approximately 16 million people around the world.
• The Sinhalese people have a unique cultural heritage that dates back more than 2,500 years.
• Sinhala is written using the Sinhalese script, which is descended from ancient Brahmi script.
• Sinhala literature has produced many great works, including the epic poem "Ramayana" and the Buddhist chronicle "Mahavamsa."

Dialogue

To help you understand plurals in context, here is a dialogue between two friends:

• මගේ පුරුෂ සිංහල පුංචි වූයේ. (mage purusha Sinhala punchi wuwe.) - My boyfriend speaks a little Sinhala.
• මම එක්ව සිංහල ඉගෙන ගන්නවා. (mama ekwa Sinhala igena gannawa) - I am learning Sinhala too.
• මම සිංහලයි. (mama Sinhala yi) - I am Sinhalese.
• ඔහුට කැමති බව ඉගෙනගන්නවා. (ohut kāmathi bawa igenagannawa) - I am learning in order to communicate with him.
• මේ විදිහට ඔබට සිංහල ඉගෙන ගන්න එයින් ප්‍රතිකාරයක් ඇති කිරීමක් සහිතව. (mē widihata obata Sinhala igena gannen en prikārayak athin ethikiri mak sindaw.) - In this era, learning Sinhala is just one of the many ways to express respect.

Conclusion

We hope this lesson has helped you understand plurals in Sinhala grammar. Remember, practice makes perfect! Keep speaking and listening to native speakers of Sinhala to improve your fluency. And, if you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.

---

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Sinhala Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
• Sinhala language - Wikipedia

• Sinhala script
• Culture of Sri Lanka
• Ramayana
• Mahavamsa

Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Unit 2: Basic Grammar, Unit 5: Advanced Grammar, Adjectives & Negation.

Other Lessons

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