කියලා: the one word on which all reported speech rests
The backbone tags all ten slots of the fifth lesson with phrase, and the mark describes the English side of the card. In Sinhala this is not a set of turns but one construction, and once it is taken apart, the whole lesson closes at once. For example: “එයා කඩේ කොහෙද කියලා ඇහුවා” — She asked where the shop is. A rule from the Sinhala course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The backbone tags all ten slots of the fifth lesson with phrase, and the mark describes the English side of the card. In Sinhala this is not a set of turns but one construction, and once it is taken apart, the whole lesson closes at once.
The rule is one: what was said — then කියලා (kiyalā) — then the verb of speech.
වැඩේ ඉවරයි කියලා පැහැදිලි කළා (væḍē ivarayi kiyalā pæhædili kaḷā) — he explained that the work is finished.
එයා එයි කියලා හිතුවා (eyā eyi kiyalā hituvā) — he thought that he would come.
කඩේ වහනවා කියලා අහලා තියෙනවා (kaḍē vahanavā kiyalā ahalā tiyenavā) — he has heard that the shop is closing.
English puts 'that' BEFORE the quoted words; Sinhala puts කියලා AFTER them. This is the lesson’s main trap: a phrase built the English way will not assemble.
A question is not rebuilt in reporting. English turns 'where is the shop?' into 'asked where the shop was'; Sinhala leaves the question as it is, with its question word and particle: කඩේ කොහෙද කියලා ඇහුවා (kaḍē koheda kiyalā æhuvā). The particle -ද (-da) stays inside — it is part of the word, not a question mark, and it cannot be removed.
A request is reported by the infinitive. උදව් කරන්න කියලා ඉල්ලුවා (udav karanna kiyalā illuvā) — he asked to help. The request form inside is the same in which it was said aloud.
And a rumor is marked by the enclitic ලු (lu). It glues to the very end of the phrase and means 'they say, allegedly': එයා හෙට එනවා ලු (eyā heṭa enavā lu). It is not a word and not a part of speech — it is the mark 'I do not vouch for it'. The English 'allegedly' stands before what is said; the Sinhala ලු stands after everything, and in this they do not coincide.
The tense inside someone else’s speech does not shift. Sinhala knows no sequence of tenses: what a person said in the present stays in the present in the report. එයා (eyā) «මම එනවා (mama enavā)» කිව්වා (kivvā) → එයා එනවා කියලා කිව්වා (eyā enavā kiyalā kivvā) — the verb did not change.
Table
| What is reported | The Sinhala order | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| a statement | වැඩේ ඉවරයි කියලා කිව්වා | he said the work is finished |
| a question with a word | කොහෙද කියලා ඇහුවා | he asked where |
| a question without a word | එනවද කියලා ඇහුවා | he asked whether he will come |
| a request | කරන්න කියලා ඉල්ලුවා | he asked to do it |
| a rumor | එනවා කියලා අහලා තියෙනවා | he heard he will come |
| a rumor with one mark | එනවා ලු | allegedly he will come |
| one’s own understanding | මට තේරුණු විදිහට | as I understood |
| common talk | කියන හැටියට | as they say |
By example
- එයා කඩේ කොහෙද කියලා ඇහුවාeyā kaḍē kohēda kiyalā æhuvāShe asked where the shop is
- එයා වැඩේ ඉවරයි කියලා පැහැදිලි කළාeyā væḍē ivarayi kiyalā pæhædili kaḷāHe explained that the work is finished
- එයා හෙට එනවා ලුeyā heṭa enavā luHe will supposedly come tomorrow
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
the one word on which all reported speech rests: how does it work in Sinhala?
The backbone tags all ten slots of the fifth lesson with phrase, and the mark describes the English side of the card. In Sinhala this is not a set of turns but one construction, and once it is taken apart, the whole lesson closes at once.
What does it look like in an example sentence Sinhala?
“එයා කඩේ කොහෙද කියලා ඇහුවා” (eyā kaḍē kohēda kiyalā æhuvā) — She asked where the shop is. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.