Traveling with Kids

1. ළමා ආහාර මෙනුවක් ඇතිද?

   La-mā ā-hā-ra me-nu-wak æ-thi-da?

   Is there a children's menu?

   Usage

   Used at restaurants with children to ask about a children's menu

   Grammar Note

   "Lamā" means "children/child's". English "children's menu" is also widely understood in tourist restaurants.

2. දරුවන්ට ක්‍රීඩා ස්ථානයක් ළඟ ඇතිද?

   Da-ru-wan-ta krī-ḍā sthā-na-yak la-ṅa æ-thi-da?

   Is there a playground for children nearby?

   Usage

   Used while travelling with children to find a nearby playground

   Grammar Note

   "Laṅa" is a postposition meaning "near/nearby". "Krīḍā" means sports/play, from Sanskrit.

3. දරුවාට ශිශු ආසනයක් ලැබේද?

   Da-ru-wā-ta shi-shu ā-sa-na-yak læ-bē-da?

   Can we get a high chair for the child?

   Usage

   Used at restaurants to request a high chair or baby seat for a young child

   Grammar Note

   "Læbēda?" is "can we get/receive?". English "high chair" or "baby chair" is also understood.

4. මේ ස්ථානයේ ළමුන්ට ආරක්ෂිතද?

   Mē sthā-na-yē la-mun-ta ā-rak-shi-tha-da?

   Is this place safe for children?

   Usage

   Used at beaches or tourist sites to check if a location is safe for children

   Grammar Note

   "Ārakshita" means "protected/safe", from Sanskrit. Adding "da" makes it a question.

5. මගේ දරුවා නැති වී ගියා

   Ma-gē da-ru-wā næ-thi wī gi-yā

   My child is lost

   Usage

   Used in emergencies to alert others or police that a child is missing

   Grammar Note

   "Næthi wī" (having disappeared) + "giyā" (went) forms a compound meaning "has gone missing". Very urgent phrase.

6. ළමා ආහාරය සැර ද?

   La-mā ā-hā-ra-ya sæ-ra da?

   Is the children's food spicy?

   Usage

   Sri Lankan food can be very spicy — used to check if children's food contains chilli

   Grammar Note

   "Særa" is chilli heat ("rasa" means tasty, not spicy). To ask for no chilli, say "miris nætuwa" (without chilli). Sri Lankan food is typically quite spicy.

7. ළදරු කිරිපිටි ලැබේද?

   La-da-ru ki-ri-pi-ṭi læ-bē-da?

   Is baby formula / infant milk available?

   Usage

   Used by travellers with infants to find baby formula

   Grammar Note

   Imported baby formula brands are available at supermarkets and pharmacies in major Sri Lankan cities.

8. ගමන් බෑගේ ළමා ඇඳුම් දාලා තියෙනවා

   Ga-man bæ-gē la-mā æn-dum dā-lā ti-ye-na-vā

   I've packed children's clothes in the bag

   Usage

   Used in daily travel contexts to inform a companion about packed items

   Grammar Note

   The "-lā" suffix marks completion (done). Widely used in colloquial Sinhala to indicate a completed action.

9. ළමයා අඬනවා

   La-ma-yā an-da-na-wā

   The child is crying

   Usage

   Informal phrase to let others know a child is crying

   Grammar Note

   "Andanavā" is the present form of "to cry" and also covers the progressive in speech. Written Sinhala uses "andayi". Diglossia is very prominent in Sinhala.

10. දරුවාට කොපමණ ගාස්තුද?

    Da-ru-wā-ta ko-pa-ma-ṇa gās-thu-da?

    How much is the admission fee for a child?

    Usage

    Used at tourist sites or on transport to ask about the children's admission or fare

    Grammar Note

    "Gāsthu" (fee) is from Arabic. Many Sri Lankan tourist sites offer discounted or free admission for children.

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