Post Office

1. තැපැල් කාර්යාලය කොහේද?

   Thæ-pæl kār-yā-la-ya ko-hē-da?

   Where is the post office?

   Usage

   Used to ask for the location of a post office

   Grammar Note

   "Tæpæl" is a native Sinhala word for "post/mail". "Kāryālaya" is Sanskrit-derived meaning "office/workplace".

2. ජපානයට ලිපියක් යවන්න ඕනේ

   Ja-pā-na-ya-ta li-pi-yak ya-van-na ō-nē

   I want to send a letter to Japan

   Usage

   Used to request sending a letter abroad

   Grammar Note

   "Yavanavā" means "to send". "Lipiya" is Sanskrit-derived meaning "letter/document". Sri Lanka's postal service is "Sri Lanka Post".

3. මේ පාර්සලය ගාස්තු කීයද?

   Mē pār-sa-la-ya gās-thu kī-ya-da?

   How much is the postage for this parcel?

   Usage

   Used to ask about the cost of sending a parcel

   Grammar Note

   "Pārsalaya" is from English "parcel". "Gāsthu" is derived from Arabic meaning "fee/charge". Sinhala borrowed from many languages including Arabic, Dutch, and Portuguese.

4. ලියාපදිංචි තැපෑලෙ යවන්න

   Li-yā-pa-din-chi thæ-pǣ-le ya-van-na

   Please send it by registered mail

   Usage

   Used to request registered mail for important documents

   Grammar Note

   "Liyāpadingchi" means "registered/recorded". It is used for official registered mail when tracking and acknowledgment of receipt are needed.

5. මේ ලිපිනය හොයා ගන්න පුළුවන්ද?

   Mē li-pi-na-ya ho-yā gan-na pu-lu-wan-da?

   Can you find this address?

   Usage

   Used to check if a delivery address can be located

   Grammar Note

   "Hoyā ganna" is a compound meaning "search and get = find". Adding "ganna" (to take) implies achievement of the action.

6. ඔය ස්ටැම්ප් කීයද?

   O-ya stæmp kī-ya-da?

   How much is that stamp?

   Usage

   Used to ask the price of a stamp

   Grammar Note

   "Sṭæmp" is from English "stamp". Sri Lankan stamps often feature wildlife and cultural heritage and are popular with collectors.

7. EMS ගෙදර දොරටු ළඟ ලබා දෙනවාද?

   EMS ge-da-ra do-ra-tu ḷaṅ-ga la-bā de-na-vā-da?

   Does EMS deliver to the door?

   Usage

   Used to ask about door-to-door delivery for express mail

   Grammar Note

   "Langa" is a postposition meaning "near/close to". "Labā denaā" is a compound meaning "to provide/deliver".

8. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවෙන් ජපානයට කී දිනෙකද ලැබෙන්නේ?

   Shrī lan-kā-ven ja-pā-na-ya-ta kī di-ne-ka-da læ-ben-nē?

   How many days does it take from Sri Lanka to Japan?

   Usage

   Used to ask about delivery time for international mail

   Grammar Note

   "Læbennē" means "to receive/arrive". "Kī" means "how many" and forms quantity questions. Standard surface mail takes 2-4 weeks.

9. කොළඹ ප්‍රධාන තැපැල් කාර්යාලය අලුත් කළාද?

   Ko-ḷam-ba pra-dhā-na thæ-pæl kār-yā-la-ya a-luth ka-ḷā-da?

   Has the main Colombo post office been renovated?

   Usage

   Used when discussing the state of a post office

   Grammar Note

   "Aluth karanavā" means "to make new/renovate". The main Colombo post office is a historic colonial-era building.

10. මමත් ලිපිය ලිව්වා

    Ma-math li-pi-ya liv-vā

    I also wrote a letter

    Usage

    Used to mention that you have written a letter

    Grammar Note

    "Livvā" is the past tense of "to write" (liyanaā). "Mamat" = "mama" (I) + "-t" (also/too particle). Focus/additive particles are common in Sinhala.

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