🌿 Welcome to Sinhala!
Ayubowan! (ආයුබෝවන්) – that means “May you live long” – and welcome to your first step in learning Sinhala!
Sinhala is the native language of the Sinhalese people, who make up the majority of Sri Lanka’s population. It is an Indo-Aryan language, and it has a rich history going back over 2,000 years.
✨ Interesting Facts About Sinhala
🎵 Unique Alphabet:
Sinhala has its own beautiful script with curved letters – it’s one of the most distinctive writing systems in South Asia.
🌐 Spoken by Millions:
Over 16 million people use Sinhala every day. It’s the most widely spoken language in Sri Lanka.
🎭 Two Different Styles:
Here’s something important and fascinating:
Sinhala actually has two forms of language – Written Sinhala and Spoken Sinhala.
📝 Written Sinhala vs. Spoken Sinhala
Many new learners find this part confusing, but don’t worry – you’ll get used to it quickly.
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Written Sinhala (ලිඛිත සිංහල – likitha Sinhala):
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Used in newspapers, books, official documents, news reports, speeches, songs, and formal writing.
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It’s more complex and traditional, even the grammar!
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Some words you see in writing are never used in conversation.
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Spoken Sinhala (කථන සිංහල – kathana Sinhala):
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Used in everyday life – when you chat with friends, go shopping, or watch movies.
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Much simpler, more relaxed, and natural.
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Even in polite situations, people use Spoken Sinhala, not the fully formal written version.
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👉 Important Tip:
Learning Spoken Sinhala first makes it much easier to start communicating quickly. That’s why in this course, we’ll focus mainly on Spoken Sinhala – and later, in the intermediate and advance levels, you’ll gradually learn the written forms.
🌟 Why Learn Sinhala?
Learning Sinhala will:
✅ Help you connect deeply with Sri Lankan people and culture
✅ Make travel easier and more rewarding
✅ Let you enjoy Sinhala songs, movies, and books in the original language
✅ Build meaningful friendships
🎯 What’s Next?
In the next few lessons, you will learn
- Pronunciation and the Romanization for Lingo crown resources
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Learn more about greeting and how to use greetings properly
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Practice introducing yourself
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Talking about things you like
- Practicing some common words and very basic common grammar patterns.
💬 Discussion Prompt
What languages do you speak? What are you most excited to learn about Sinhala? Post your thoughts in the comments section next to the course.
Don’t forget to add where you’re from!
(go to the beginning of this post and check the right side for comments)