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 "be" in Sinhala. "Be" is one of the most commonly used verbs in any language, and it is no different in Sinhala. So, let's get started!

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Sinhala Slang and Colloquialisms & Expressions and Idioms.

What is "be" in Sinhala?

In Sinhala, "be" is "යන්න" (yan-na). It is used to indicate the existence or presence of something or someone. It can also be used to describe a person, place, or thing. For example, "මම සිංහලෙන් පාවිච්චි කරන්නේ ගැනීමට ඇත" (mama Sinhalese-en paawichchi karanne giyanith) means "I am learning Sinhala". Here, "ඇත" (etha) is the past tense form of "be".

How to Conjugate "Be" in Sinhala

The verb "be" is not conjugated in Sinhala as it is in English. In English, the form of "be" changes depending on the subject and the tense. However, in Sinhala, "යන්න" (yan-na) is used for all subjects and tenses. It only changes based on whether it is present or past tense.

Here are some examples of how "be" is used in Sinhala:

Sinhala	Pronunciation	English
මම පාවිච්චි කරන්නේ ගැනීමට ඇත	mama paawichchi karanne giyanith	I am learning
ඔවුන් දිගු කරන්නේ අප සම්බන්ධය	owayun digu karanne apa sambandaya	They are making a connection with us
මම පාවිච්චි නැත	mama paawichchi netha	I am not learning
ඔවුන් දිගු නොකරනවා	owayun digu nokaranawa	They are not making

Using "Be" for Description

As mentioned earlier, "be" can also be used to describe a person, place or thing. In these instances, we use the verb "ය" (ya), which means "is/are". For example:

Sinhala	Pronunciation	English
මගේ මව් ලස්සනම් ඇතිවිය	mage maa lassanam ethiwiyi	My mother is beautiful
මාව අපහාර ඇතිවිය	maawa apahara ethiwiyi	I am hungry
මගේ පවුල සුදු විය	mage pawula sudu wiyi	My shirt is white

Notice how "යන්න" is not used in these sentences. Instead, we use "ය" to indicate existence or presence.

Using "Be" in Sentences

Let's see how "be" can be used in sentences through this dialogue:

• Person 1: ඔබට ඉක්මනින්ම කතා කරන්නේ කොහොමද? (obata ikmaninma kathaa karanne kohomada?)

(Translation: How are you doing with your studies?)

• Person 2: මම පාවිච්චි කරන්නේ ගැනීමට ඉතිරිය යුතුය. (mama paawichchi karanne giyanith itiriyuthiyaya.)

(Translation: I am doing well with my studies)

• Person 1: ඔබ අපහාර ඇතිවියේ කොහොමද? (oba apahara ethivide kohomada?)

(Translation: How are you feeling now?)

• Person 2: මාව ඉතිං දෙව්වා. මම බරින්නේ නොමැතිනම්. (maawa itin dewwaa. Mama barin nehine ma.)

(Translation: I am feeling better. I am not sick anymore.)

In the first sentence, "ඉතිරිය යුතුය" (itiriyuthiyaya) is used to indicate that the person is doing well. In the second sentence, "ඉතිං දෙව්වා" (itin dewwa) is used to indicate the person is feeling better.

Practice Makes Perfect!

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

I hope this lesson was helpful to you. Remember, practice makes perfect! Keep using "be" in different tenses and forms until you're comfortable with it. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.

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➡ 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. 😎

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Sinhala Grammar - How to Use "Be"
• Sinhala language - Wikipedia
• Spoken Sinhala Grammar: A Handbook | Einaudi Center