cingalais
The English phrase Sinhala is translated into French as cingalais.
This term refers to the language spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka.
Which one should you use?
In French, when using the word as an adjective, it is not capitalized, unlike in English.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word has a feminine form, cingalaise.
Did you know?
- The French word cingalais is an English loanword, meaning the French adopted the term from 'Cingalese' rather than creating their own term from the original language.
- Because French uses gendered adjectives, a 'Sinhala woman' would be described using the feminine form cingalaise. This means the spelling changes not just in its ending, but the pronunciation of the final consonant changes from silent to voiced.
- If you are discussing the culture or the language of Sri Lanka in a French academic paper, you might encounter the term singhalais, which is an older, more phonetic spelling. However, cingalais remains the dominant form in modern textbooks and media.
Examples in context
- Je m'intéresse à la langue cinghalaise.I am interested in the Sinhala language.
- J'aimerais en apprendre davantage sur le cinghalais.I would like to learn more about Sinhala.
- Tu parles le singhalais ?Do you speak Sinhala?
- Il parle couramment le cingalais.He speaks Sinhalese fluently.
- Est-ce que tu connais le cingalais ?Do you know Sinhalese?
- J'apprends les bases du cingalais.I am learning the basics of Sinhalese.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing travel plans in a cafe.
- EmmaEst-ce que tu parles le cingalais ?Do you speak Sinhalese?
- LucasNon, mais je veux apprendre le cingalais.No, but I want to learn Sinhalese.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée pour ton voyage.That is an excellent idea for your trip.
- LucasOui, Emma, je pense que ce sera utile.Yes, Emma, I think it will be useful.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cingalais, CC BY-SA 4.0.
