Language/Sinhala/Grammar/Passive-Voice
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Welcome to the fascinating world of Sinhala grammar! Today, we are going to dive into a topic that is not only intriguing but also incredibly useful: the Passive Voice. Understanding how to use the passive voice can help you express actions and events without focusing on who performed them. This is particularly useful in Sinhala, where sometimes the doer of the action is either unknown or irrelevant.
In this lesson, we'll explore the structure and function of the passive voice in Sinhala, providing you with examples and exercises to solidify your understanding. By the end of this lesson, you should feel confident using the passive voice in your conversations and writing.
Let's outline what we'll cover:
- What is the Passive Voice?
- How to Form the Passive Voice in Sinhala
- Examples of Passive Voice
- Exercises to Practice
- Detailed Solutions and Explanations
What is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than performing it. In English, you might say, "The book was read by the teacher," rather than "The teacher read the book." The focus shifts from the doer to the action itself. In Sinhala, the passive voice serves a similar purpose, allowing for flexibility in sentence structure and emphasis.
How to Form the Passive Voice in Sinhala
Forming the passive voice in Sinhala involves a few steps:
1. Identify the verb in the sentence.
2. Change the verb form to its passive counterpart.
3. Add the appropriate subject if needed (though it can often be omitted).
In Sinhala, the passive voice is generally formed using the verb root followed by the suffix "මෙයි" (meyi) or "විය" (viya), depending on the tense and context.
Let's look at a few examples to illustrate this.
Examples of Passive Voice
Here are some examples to help you understand how the passive voice is used in Sinhala:
| Sinhala | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| පොත කියවී ඇත | potha kiyavī aetha | The book has been read |
| කෑම කෑවී | kæma kævī | The food has been eaten |
| පුවත ලියවී | puwatha liyavī | The news has been written |
| ගීතය ගැන්වී | gīthaya gænvī | The song has been sung |
| කාර්යය නිමවී | kāryaya nimavī | The task has been completed |
| පිළිතුර දී තිබී | piḷithura dī thibī | The answer has been given |
| වැඩ සම්පූර්ණ විය | væda sampūrna viya | The work has been finished |
| විවාහය පැවැත්වි | vivāhaya pævætvi | The wedding has been held |
| තේ සෙවී | thē sevī | The tea is being served |
| නිවස වාසය කරන | nivasa vāsaya karana | The house is being lived in |
In these examples, you can see how the focus is on the action rather than the subject. Now that we have a grasp of the structure, let’s practice!
Exercises to Practice
Here are some exercises to help you apply what you've learned about the passive voice. Try to convert the following active sentences into passive voice.
1. The teacher teaches the students.
2. They will build a new house.
3. She writes a letter.
4. The chef is cooking a meal.
5. The children play games.
6. The gardener waters the plants.
7. The police caught the thief.
8. The doctor examined the patient.
9. The company launched a new product.
10. The artist painted a beautiful picture.
Detailed Solutions and Explanations
Let’s go through the solutions for the exercises above:
1. The students are taught by the teacher.
- Sinhala: ශිෂ්යයන්ට ඉගැන්වී || shiṣyayanta igænvi ||
2. A new house will be built.
- Sinhala: නව නිවසක් ඉදිවී || nava nivasak idivī ||
3. A letter is written by her.
- Sinhala: ලිපිය ලියවී || lipiya liyavī ||
4. A meal is being cooked by the chef.
- Sinhala: ආහාරය පිසෙවී || āhāraya pisavī ||
5. Games are played by the children.
- Sinhala: ළමුන්ගේ ක්රීඩා කරනු ලැබේ || lamun̄gē krīḍā karanu læbē ||
6. The plants are watered by the gardener.
- Sinhala: පැළය ගැසී || pæḷaya gæsi ||
7. The thief was caught by the police.
- Sinhala: හොරයා අල්ලා ගෙන ඇත || horayā allā gena aetha ||
8. The patient was examined by the doctor.
- Sinhala: රෝගියා පරීක්ෂා විය || rōgiyā parīkṣā viya ||
9. A new product was launched by the company.
- Sinhala: නව නිෂ්පාදනය නිකුත් කෙරේ || nava niṣpādanaya nikuth kærē ||
10. A beautiful picture was painted by the artist.
- Sinhala: සුන්දර චිත්රයක් ඇඳී || sundara citrayak ændī ||
Now that you've gone through these exercises, you should have a clearer understanding of how to use the passive voice in Sinhala. Remember, practice makes perfect!
Keep engaging with the language, and don't hesitate to revisit this lesson whenever you need to refresh your memory. The more you practice, the more natural it will become.
Happy learning, and see you in the next lesson!
Videos
Passive Voice - Lesson 01 - Learn English in Sinhala - YouTube
Passive Voice in Sinhala (Full Lesson) | Learn English in Sinhala ...
Passive voice in English grammar in sinhala | Passive සරල ...
Passive Voice all tenses | Learn English in Sinhala ( New Step-by
Sources
- Passive Voice all tenses | Learn English in Sinhala ( New Step-by
- Active voice / Passive voice in sinhala # passive voice සිංහලෙන් ...
- Passive Voice in Sinhala (Full Lesson) | Learn English in Sinhala ...
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