LingoflyTwo Sinhalas: spoken and written
Sinhala is spoken one way and written another, and the gap between them is wide. For example: “මම සිංහල ඉගෙන ගන්නවා” (mama siṁhala igena gannavā) — I learn Sinhala (spoken). A rule from the Sinhala course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Sinhala is spoken one way and written another, and the gap between them is wide.
In the written form the verb does change for person. "I do" and "we do" take different tails: මම (mama) කරමි and අපි (api) කරමු (karamu) (api karamu). Word order is stricter, and ordinary words are swapped: ඔබ for ඔයා (oyā), නැත for නෑ (nǣ).
Written Sinhala lives in the newspaper, on the signboard and in the textbook. Nobody speaks it aloud, not even a presenter on a relaxed radio show.
You are learning the spoken one — the Sinhala that works in a shop and in a tuk-tuk. Meet කරමි where you expect කරනවා (karanavā), and it is the same word in its written clothes.
Table
By example
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
Spoken vs written Sinhala?
Sinhala is spoken one way and written another, and the gap between them is wide.
Which Sinhala to learn, spoken or literary?
You are learning the spoken one — the Sinhala that works in a shop and in a tuk-tuk. Meet කරමි where you expect කරනවා (karanavā), and it is the same word in its written clothes.
What diglossia in Sinhala means?
Written Sinhala lives in the newspaper, on the signboard and in the textbook. Nobody speaks it aloud, not even a presenter on a relaxed radio show.
Why spoken Sinhala differs from the written language?
In the written form the verb does change for person. "I do" and "we do" take different tails: මම (mama) කරමි and අපි (api) කරමු (karamu). Word order is stricter, and ordinary words are swapped: ඔබ for ඔයා (oyā), නැත for නෑ.
What does it look like in a Sinhala example sentence?
“මම සිංහල ඉගෙන ගන්නවා” (mama siṁhala igena gannavā) — I learn Sinhala (spoken). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.