Comparison: the other thing comes before වඩා
To say "this is dearer than that", Sinhala takes the word වඩා — "by comparison". The thing you measure against gets the ending -ට. For example: “මේක ඒකට වඩා ගණන්” — This is dearer than that. A rule from the Sinhala course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say "this is dearer than that", Sinhala takes the word වඩා (vaḍā) — "by comparison". The thing you measure against gets the ending -ට (-ṭa).
The shape runs backwards for you: first what you compare with, then වඩා, then the quality. මේක ඒකට වඩා ගණන් (mēka ēkaṭa vaḍā gaṇan) is word for word "this to that by comparison dear". තේ කෝපියට වඩා ලාභයි is "tea is cheaper than coffee".
In quick speech වඩා drops out and -ට carries on alone with වැඩියි ("more"): මේක ඒකට වැඩියි (mēka ēkaṭa væḍiyi). That is ordinary talk, not sloppiness.
The trap: the hand puts වඩා in front of the second thing, where English puts "than". It goes after it. And "most of all" is the tail -ම: ලාභම is "cheapest".
Table
| Comparison | Word for word | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| මේක ඒකට වඩා ලොකුයි | this to that by comparison big | this is bigger than that |
| තේ කෝපියට වඩා ලාභයි | tea to coffee by comparison cheap | tea is cheaper than coffee |
| මේ කඩේ ලාභම | this shop the cheapest | here it is cheapest of all |
By example
- මේක ඒකට වඩා ගණන්mēka ēkaṭa vaḍā gaṇanThis is dearer than that
- මේ අඹ ලොකුම එකmē amba lokuma ekaThis mango is the biggest one
- මේක ඒකට වැඩියිmēka ēkaṭa væḍiyiThis is more than that
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Comparison: how does it work in Sinhala?
To say "this is dearer than that", Sinhala takes the word වඩා — "by comparison". The thing you measure against gets the ending -ට.
What does it look like in an example sentence Sinhala?
“මේක ඒකට වඩා ගණන්” (mēka ēkaṭa vaḍā gaṇan) — This is dearer than that. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.