LingoflyThe verb always comes last
To say "I eat rice", put the verb at the very end: මම බත් කනවා (mama bat kanavā) — word for word "I rice eat". For example: “මම බත් කනවා” (mama bat kanavā) — I eat rice (word for word: I rice eat). A rule from the Sinhala course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say "I eat rice", put the verb at the very end: මම බත් කනවා (mama bat kanavā) — word for word "I rice eat".
The order is fixed: first the one who acts, then the thing the action lands on, and only then the action. ඇය තේ බොනවා (æya tē bonavā) is "she drinks tea". මම ගෙදර යනවා (mama gedara yanavā) is "I go home".
One trap: English happily starts with the verb — "going home", "drinking tea" — and Sinhala will not. The action waits its turn, and the negative නෑ (nǣ) stands further right still, after the verb.
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
Sinhala word order?
To say "I eat rice", put the verb at the very end: මම බත් කනවා (mama bat kanavā) — word for word "I rice eat".
Why the verb comes last in Sinhala?
One trap: English happily starts with the verb — "going home", "drinking tea" — and Sinhala will not. The action waits its turn, and the negative නෑ stands further right still, after the verb.
How to build a sentence in Sinhala?
To say "I eat rice", put the verb at the very end: මම බත් කනවා (mama bat kanavā) — word for word "I rice eat".
What does it look like in a Sinhala example sentence?
“මම බත් කනවා” (mama bat kanavā) — I eat rice (word for word: I rice eat). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.