A question is the particle ද
To get a question, -ද (-da) is added to a word. There is no separate word order for a question, and intonation is not required either — the particle does the work. For example: “කඩේ කොහෙද?” — Where is the shop?. A rule from the Sinhala course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To get a question, -ද (-da) is added to a word. There is no separate word order for a question, and intonation is not required either — the particle does the work.
කොහොම (how) → කොහොමද (kohomada)? (how are you?). කීය (how much) → කීයද (kīyada)? (how much is it?). කොහෙ (where) → කොහෙද (koheda)? (where?).
The same with any word: තේද (tēda)? — 'tea?', ඔයාද? — 'you?'. The question mark is written, but it merely doubles the particle.
By example
- කඩේ කොහෙද?kaḍē koheda?Where is the shop?
- මේක කීයද?mēka kīyada?How much is this?
- ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද?oyāgē nama mokakda?What is your name?
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
A question is the particle ද: how does it work in Sinhala?
To get a question, -ද (-da) is added to a word. There is no separate word order for a question, and intonation is not required either — the particle does the work.
What does it look like in an example sentence Sinhala?
“කඩේ කොහෙද?” (kaḍē koheda?) — Where is the shop?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.