Convenience Store

17 phrases · Sinhala with romanization, English and audio

  1. බෑග් එකක් ඕනද? රුපියල් පහයි.

    Bag ekak onada? Rupiyal pahai.

    Do you need a bag? Five rupees

    Usage

    Said by staff. Sri Lanka has phased in restrictions on polythene since 2017, so even a kade (a small neighbourhood shop) charges for a paper or cloth bag. Decline with "epa"

    Grammar Note

    Sinhala counts borrowed nouns by adding "eka": "bag ekak" is one bag. Questions are marked by the suffix "-da" with no change in word order. The literary and spoken registers differ sharply, and shops use only the spoken one

  2. ග්‍රෑම් සීයක් විතරක් දෙන්න.

    Gram seeyak witharak denna.

    Please give me just a hundred grams

    Usage

    At a Sri Lankan kade, rice, pulses, sugar, spices and tea are scooped from sacks and tins, weighed out loose and wrapped in newspaper. You can buy tiny amounts, which suits travellers and costs less than packaged goods. Units are "kilo" and "gram"

    Grammar Note

    "Denna" is the spoken imperative of "denawa" (to give) and is neutral in politeness; soften it further with "dennako" or "denna puluwanda". "Witharak" is a restrictive adverb placed after the quantity

  3. පොඩි පැකට් එකකුත් තියෙනවා, රුපියල් දහයයි.

    Podi packet ekakuth tiyenawa, rupiyal dahayai.

    We also have a small sachet, ten rupees

    Usage

    Said by staff. Shampoo, soap, detergent and tea come in single-use sachets costing ten to thirty rupees. Ask for a bottle and the shopkeeper will often suggest a sachet — less waste on a short trip. Look for the strips hanging at the shop front

    Grammar Note

    The additive "-th" is a suffix, not a separate word: "ekakuth" is "ekak" (one) + "th" (also). Sinhala splits the existential verb by animacy: "tiyenawa" for things, "innawa" for people and animals

  4. බෑග් එකක් ඕන නෑ, මං ළඟ බෑග් එකක් තියෙනවා.

    Bag ekak ona nae, man langa bag ekak tiyenawa.

    I do not need a bag, I have one with me

    Usage

    As polythene restrictions tighten in Sri Lanka, carrying a cloth bag has become normal. Declining saves a few rupees and is taken as environmentally minded. Say it before the shopkeeper starts bagging

    Grammar Note

    Sinhala has no verb "to have"; possession is "man langa X tiyenawa" (near me there is X). "Mama" (I) shortens to "man" in speech, and negation puts "nae" after the verb

  5. ස්ට්‍රෝ එකක් ඕනද?

    Stro ekak onada?

    Would you like a straw?

    Usage

    Said by staff. You will be asked when buying carton fruit juice (Elephant House and the like) or a yoghurt drink. Plastic straws were banned in 2021, so they are paper now. Decline with "epa"

    Grammar Note

    The opposite of "ona" (to want) is the dedicated word "epa" rather than a negated verb. A bare "epa" is enough to decline food or drink and is heard constantly in everyday speech

  6. මේකේ මිල ගහලා තියෙනවා, අඩු කරන්න බෑ.

    Meke mila gahala tiyenawa, adu karanna bae.

    The price is printed on this one, it cannot be reduced

    Usage

    Said by staff. Packaged goods in Sri Lanka must carry a printed maximum retail price, and a kade sells at it. Unlike fresh produce or souvenirs at a market, packaged items are not negotiable, so this reply ends the haggling

    Grammar Note

    The participle plus "tiyenawa" expresses a resulting state: it has been done and remains so. "Gahanawa" basically means "to strike" but also covers printing and stamping. "Bae" is the standalone negative of "puluwan" (can), expressing impossibility

  7. උඩ රාක්කයේ තියෙන එක අරන් දෙන්න.

    Uda rakkaye tiyena eka aran denna.

    Please get down the one on the upper shelf for me

    Usage

    A Sri Lankan kade is counter service, not self-service: you stand at the street-side counter and the shopkeeper fetches items from the shelves behind. You never reach in yourself, so point and ask. In supermarkets such as Cargills Food City or Keells you can browse freely

    Grammar Note

    "Tiyena eka" combines the relative form "tiyena" (that is) with the pronominal "eka" (the one). Sinhala relative clauses use no relative pronoun; the relative verb form modifies the noun directly. "Aran denna" chains "aragannawa" (to take) with "denna" (give)

  8. කිව්ආර් කෝඩ් එක පෙන්නන්න, ස්කෑන් කරලා ගෙවන්නම්.

    Kiv-aar kod eka pennanna, scan karala gewannam.

    Please show the QR code, I will scan it and pay

    Usage

    LANKAQR, promoted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, is now widespread and urban shops display a QR sticker on the counter. Small rural kades are still cash-first, so carry both. Visitors usually need a Sri Lankan bank account to use it

    Grammar Note

    "Karala" is the participle meaning "having done", linking two actions in sequence. "Gewannam" is the first-person volitive, announcing what the speaker will do. Spoken Sinhala routinely verbalises English nouns by adding "karanawa" (to do)

  9. ෆ්‍රිජ් එකෙන් මමම ගන්නද?

    Frij eken mamama gannada?

    May I take it from the fridge myself?

    Usage

    The drinks fridge at a kade usually stands at the front and customers are generally free to help themselves. The space behind the counter belongs to the owner, though, so a word first avoids friction. Chilled is "seethala", room temperature is "normal"

    Grammar Note

    Adding the emphatic "-ma" to "mama" (I) gives "mamama" — I myself — stressing that the speaker will do it. "Gannada?" is "gannawa" (to take) plus the question marker "-da", used to ask permission or offer

  10. සීල් කරපු වතුර බෝතලයක් තියෙනවද?

    Seal karapu wathura bothalayak tiyenawada?

    Do you have a sealed bottle of water?

    Usage

    Refilled bottles are a known risk, so check the cap seal before leaving the counter. Sri Lankan drinking water carries an SLS certification mark worth looking for. "Seal eka kaedila" means the seal is broken

    Grammar Note

    "Karapu" is the colloquial past relative form of "karanawa" (to do) — literary "kala" — placed before a noun to form a relative clause. Native "wathura" is everyday water, while "jalaya" is the formal or poetic word

  11. මෙතන මොබයිල් රීලෝඩ් කරන්න පුළුවන්ද?

    Methana mobile reload karanna puluwanda?

    Can I get a mobile top-up here?

    Usage

    Topping up a phone in Sri Lanka is called a "reload", and corner kades and milk bars all offer it — just give the number and the amount. It works for Dialog, Mobitel, Hutch and Airtel, and is the easiest way to refill a tourist prepaid SIM. A "Reload" sign confirms the shop does it

    Grammar Note

    The infinitive plus "puluwan" expresses ability or permission, and adding "-da" makes it a question; the negative is "bae". Place demonstratives come in three degrees: "methana" (here), "ethana" (there), "athana" (over there)

  12. මෙතන විදුලි බිල ගෙවන්න පුළුවන්ද?

    Methana viduli bila gewanna puluwanda?

    Can I pay an electricity bill here?

    Usage

    Kades and phone shops that act as payment agents accept electricity (CEB, LECO), water (NWSDB) and telephone bills — just show the barcode or account number; a small fee applies. Post offices take the same payments, which is useful on a longer stay

    Grammar Note

    "Viduliya" is the noun for electricity and shortens to "viduli" as the first element of a compound ("viduli pankawa" = electric fan). Definiteness is shown by the ending: "bila" (the bill) versus the indefinite "bilak"

  13. මේකේ කල් ඉකුත් වෙන දිනය කවදාද?

    Meke kal ikuth wena dinaya kawadada?

    What is the expiry date on this?

    Usage

    Stock lingers on the shelves of a slow-moving kade, so always check dates on milk, bread and biscuits. Packs usually carry "Best Before" or "Expiry Date" in English too. If it has passed, say "kal ikuth wela" and ask for a replacement

    Grammar Note

    "Kal ikuth wena dinaya" is a relative construction — the day on which the term lapses — with "wena" modifying "dinaya". Note that Sinhala attaches the question marker "-da" even to the interrogative itself: "kawada" becomes "kawadada"

  14. සිල්ලර නෑ, ටොෆි එකක් දෙන්නද?

    Sillara nae, toffee ekak dennada?

    I have no small change — shall I give you a toffee instead?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small Sri Lankan kades are chronically short of one- to ten-rupee coins, so a toffee often stands in for the odd change. You can insist with "epa, salli denna" (no, cash please), though often the coins genuinely are not there

    Grammar Note

    "Sillara" covers both "retail" and "small change" — "sillara kade" is a retail shop. "Nae" is the colloquial standalone negative of "tiyenawa" (there is), corresponding to literary "naetha"

  15. අද සල්ලි මදි, ඉතුරු ටික හෙට දෙන්නද?

    Ada salli madi, ithuru tika heta dennada?

    I am short of cash today — may I pay the rest tomorrow?

    Usage

    A kade runs on neighbourhood trust, and regulars may buy "nayata" (on credit), noted in the shopkeeper's book. Ask only if you are on a long stay and shop there often — a first-time visitor will normally be refused, so do not press

    Grammar Note

    "Tika" means "a bit / some" and follows a noun to mark an uncountable quantity or a batch ("wathura tika" = some water). "Dennada?" is "denawa" (to give) plus the question marker "-da", turning it into a request for permission

  16. ඔයා ළඟ සිල්ලර තියෙනවද?

    Oya langa sillara tiyenawada?

    Do you have small change on you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Hand over a 5000-rupee note and this is the first question you will get. Answer "tiyenawa" (yes) or "nae" (no). ATMs dispense only large notes, so break them at a supermarket or a filling station before shopping small

    Grammar Note

    Sinhala second-person pronouns depend on the relationship. "Oya" is the general-purpose choice and is fine for staff addressing a customer; "obathuma" is deferential and "umba" familiar or condescending. Possession is "oya langa … tiyenawa"

  17. පැකට් එකක් විතරක් වෙන් කරලා දෙන්න පුළුවන්ද?

    Packet ekak witharak wen karala denna puluwanda?

    Could you sell me just one packet on its own?

    Usage

    A Sri Lankan kade will tear a strip of biscuits, shampoo or batteries apart and sell you a single unit. Cigarettes go one at a time and eggs one at a time too, so travellers need not buy more than they can use

    Grammar Note

    "Wen karanawa" is "wen" (separate) plus "karanawa" (to do): to separate. Chaining it as "wen karala denna" gives one flow of action — separate it and hand it over. Adding "puluwanda" is the natural way to soften the request

More Sinhala phrases

Browse all TravelPhrases languages