ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද?
oyāgē nama mokakda?
The English phrase "what is your name?" is translated into Sinhala as ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද? (oyāgē nama mokakda?)
This phrase is used to ask someone for their name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "Your name what is?" The word ඔයාගේ (oyāgē) is the possessive form of ඔයා (oyā), meaning "your" and the word නම (nama) means "name".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද? is used in neutral or informal settings, such as when speaking to peers or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ඔයාගේ is the possessive form of ඔයා, which means "you".
How do you pronounce it?
oyāgē nama mokakda?
Did you know?
- The word නම (nama) shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'name', as both stem from the same Indo-European roots via Sanskrit.
- If you are speaking to a monk, you should never use the word ඔයා (oyā) used in this phrase, as it is considered too casual for a member of the clergy.
- While you are asking for a 'name', in many formal social introductions in Sri Lanka, people may provide their 'house name' or a family name that signifies their lineage rather than just a given name.
Examples in context
- සමාවෙන්න, ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද?samāvenna, oyāgē nama mokakda?Excuse me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time at school.
- කසුන් Kasunහෙලෝ, ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද?hello, oyage nama mokakda?Hello, what is your name?
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaමගේ නම කවින්ද්යා.mage nama kavindya.My name is Kavindya.
- කසුන් Kasunමම කසුන්. ඔයාව හමුවීම සතුටක්.mama kasun. oyava hamuveema sathutak.I am Kasun. Nice to meet you.
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaඔයාව හමුවීමත් සතුටක්.oyava hamuveemath sathutak.Nice to meet you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries නම, CC BY-SA 4.0.
