Language/Sinhala/Grammar/Conditional-and-Subjunctive
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Introduction[edit | edit source]
Welcome to Unit 5 of the "Complete 0 to A1 Sinhala Course"! In this unit, we will dive into the advanced grammar concepts of conditional and subjunctive forms in the Sinhala language. These forms are used to express hypotheses, wishes, and suggestions. Mastering these forms will allow you to communicate more effectively and express your thoughts and desires with precision.
Throughout this lesson, we will explore the various aspects of conditional and subjunctive forms, providing clear explanations, numerous examples, and engaging practice exercises. By the end of this unit, you will have a solid understanding of how to use these forms in your Sinhala conversations.
Let's get started!
Conditional Forms[edit | edit source]
Conditional forms are used to express hypothetical situations or conditions. They allow us to talk about what could happen or what would happen if certain conditions are met. In Sinhala, conditional forms are created by combining the conditional marker "නේ" (ne) with the verb.
Present Conditional[edit | edit source]
To form the present conditional, we add the conditional marker "නේ" (ne) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| උසස්පෙන් | usaspen | study |
| කරන්නේ | karanne | do |
| මෙහෙම | mehem | here |
| සිටින | sitina | sit |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| විස්තුරු | visthuru | know |
| බලන්නේ | balanne | want |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඒ | e | that |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
In the example above, we see how the present conditional is formed by adding "නේ" (ne) after the verb stem. This allows us to express hypothetical situations or conditions in the present tense.
Past Conditional[edit | edit source]
To form the past conditional, we add the conditional marker "හතර" (hathara) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| නැත්තෙන් | neththen | not |
| පහසුවෙන් | pahasuwen | laugh |
| කරන්නේ | karanne | do |
| දියුණුවෙන් | diyunuwenn | learn |
| ඇය | aya | she |
| සිටින්නේ | sitina | sit |
| ඔහුට | ohut | to him |
| ලිවී | livi | give |
| ඔහුට | ohut | to him |
| ලිවී | livi | give |
| ඔහුට | ohut | to him |
| ලිවී | livi | give |
| ඔහුට | ohut | to him |
| ලිවී | livi | give |
In the example above, we see how the past conditional is formed by adding "හතර" (hathara) after the verb stem. This allows us to express hypothetical situations or conditions in the past tense.
Future Conditional[edit | edit source]
To form the future conditional, we add the conditional marker "නුවන්" (nuwan) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| කරන්නේ | karanne | do |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඒ | e | that |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
| ඔයා | oya | you |
| ගෙනෙමින් | genemen | go |
| නුවන් | nuwan | tomorrow |
In the example above, we see how the future conditional is formed by adding "නුවන්" (nuwan) after the verb stem. This allows us to express hypothetical situations or conditions in the future tense.
Subjunctive Forms[edit | edit source]
Subjunctive forms are used to express wishes, suggestions, doubts, and hypothetical situations. They allow us to talk about what we want to happen or what we think might happen. In Sinhala, subjunctive forms are created by combining the subjunctive marker "ට" (ta) with the verb.
Present Subjunctive[edit | edit source]
To form the present subjunctive, we add the subjunctive marker "ට" (ta) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| මම | mama | I |
| ඇය | aya | she |
| සම්බන්ධව | sambandhawa | meet |
| බලාගන්න | balaganna | want |
| මම | mama | I |
| ඉන්නවා | innawa | come |
| මම | mama | I |
| ඉන්නවා | innawa | come |
| මම | mama | I |
| ඉන්නවා | innawa | come |
| මම | mama | I |
| ඉන්නවා | innawa | come |
| මම | mama | I |
| ඉන්නවා | innawa | come |
In the example above, we see how the present subjunctive is formed by adding "ට" (ta) after the verb stem. This allows us to express wishes, suggestions, and hypothetical situations in the present tense.
Past Subjunctive[edit | edit source]
To form the past subjunctive, we add the subjunctive marker "වේ" (we) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| මාව | mawa | me |
| ඇය | aya | she |
| හුවමාරු වේ | huvamaru we | find |
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| තමාව | thamawa | you |
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| තමාව | thamawa | you |
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| තමාව | thamawa | you |
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| තමාව | thamawa | you |
| මාගේ | mage | my |
| තමාව | thamawa | you |
In the example above, we see how the past subjunctive is formed by adding "වේ" (we) after the verb stem. This allows us to express wishes, suggestions, and hypothetical situations in the past tense.
Future Subjunctive[edit | edit source]
To form the future subjunctive, we add the subjunctive marker "නුවන්" (nuwan) after the verb stem.
Example:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| මම | mama | I |
| පිටවෙන්නේ | pitewenne | read |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
| මම | mama | I |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
| මම | mama | I |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
| මම | mama | I |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
| මම | mama | I |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
| මම | mama | I |
| සිංහලට | sinhala ta | Sinhala |
In the example above, we see how the future subjunctive is formed by adding "නුවන්" (nuwan) after the verb stem. This allows us to express wishes, suggestions, and hypothetical situations in the future tense.
Cultural Insight[edit | edit source]
In Sinhala culture, conditional and subjunctive forms are commonly used to express politeness and respect. For example, when making requests or giving suggestions, it is common to use the subjunctive forms to show deference to the listener. This linguistic feature reflects the cultural value placed on humility and politeness in Sinhala society.
Historically, Sinhala has been influenced by various languages and cultures. The use of conditional and subjunctive forms in Sinhala can be traced back to the influence of Sanskrit, which has a rich tradition of using these forms to express hypothetical and uncertain situations. As Sinhala developed as an independent language, it incorporated these forms into its grammar, resulting in the unique conditional and subjunctive structures we see today.
Practice Exercises[edit | edit source]
Now it's time to put your knowledge into practice! Below are some exercises to help you solidify your understanding of conditional and subjunctive forms in Sinhala. Try to complete each exercise to the best of your ability, and then check the solutions provided.
Exercise 1: Translate the following sentences into Sinhala using the appropriate conditional form. 1. If I study, I will learn. 2. If you want, I will come. 3. If she finds it, she will give it to him. 4. If you go tomorrow, I will go too.
Solution: 1. මම උසස්පෙන් අත්වීය. 2. ඔයා බලන්නේ, මම ඉන්නවා. 3. ඇය හුවමාරු වෙන්නේ, ඔහුට ලිවී. 4. ඔයා ගෙනෙමින් නුවන්, මම තවත් ගෙනෙනවා.
Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into Sinhala using the appropriate subjunctive form. 1. I want to meet you. 2. She suggests that I read Sinhala. 3. If I were you, I would go. 4. I hope you come.
Solution: 1. මම ඔයාට මුණගැහෙන්නේ. 2. ඇය මම සිංහලට කියනවා. 3. මම ඔයා බොහෝ විට වෙයි හැටි, මම ගෙනෙනවා. 4. මම ඔයා ඉන්නවා දැයි පැනීමට.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
Congratulations on completing Unit 5 of the "Complete 0 to A1 Sinhala Course"! In this lesson, we explored the conditional and subjunctive forms in Sinhala, which allow us to express hypotheses, wishes, and suggestions. We covered the present, past, and future forms for both conditional and subjunctive, providing examples and practice exercises along the way.
By mastering conditional and subjunctive forms, you have taken a big step towards becoming proficient in the Sinhala language. These forms will greatly enhance your ability to communicate and express yourself effectively in various contexts. Keep practicing and reviewing the material to solidify your understanding, and stay tuned for the next unit, where we will delve into the concept of passive voice in Sinhala.
Happy learning!
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- How to Use Be
- Questions
- Conditional Mood
- Sinhala Slang and Colloquialisms
- Future Tense
- Plurals
- Adjectives
- Negation
- Passive Voice
- 0 to A1 Course
| ◀️ Adjectives and Adverbs — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Passive Voice ▶️ |