Shopping

1. මේකේ මිල කීයද?

   Mē-kē mi-la kī-ya-da?

   How much does this cost?

   Usage

   Basic phrase to ask the price of an item in a market or shop

   Grammar Note

   "Kīya" = how much/many. Essential for checking prices in Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR).

2. ටිකක් අඩු කරන්නද?

   Ti-kak a-du ka-ran-na-da?

   Can you reduce the price a little?

   Usage

   Used for price negotiation at markets and souvenir shops

   Grammar Note

   "Adu karanna" = reduce the price. Bargaining is common at Sri Lankan markets. A smile goes a long way.

3. ඒකේ ලොකු ප්‍රමාණය ඕනේ

   Ē-kē lo-ku pra-mā-na-ya ō-nē

   I want the large size of that

   Usage

   Specifying the size of a clothing item or product

   Grammar Note

   "Loku" (large), "kudā" (small), "mædi" (medium). Adjectives precede nouns. Useful for shopping for clothes.

4. මෙය ගන්නවා

   Me-ya gan-na-vā

   I will take / buy this

   Usage

   Used when you have decided to purchase an item

   Grammar Note

   "Gannavā" = take/buy (present/future tense). For more commitment: "gannam" (I'll definitely buy it!).

5. රෙදි සාප්පුව කොහෙද?

   Re-di sāp-pu-va ko-hē-da?

   Where is the clothing shop?

   Usage

   Used to find a clothing store or fabric market

   Grammar Note

   "Sāppu" is borrowed from English "shop". Pettah in Colombo is Sri Lanka's largest traditional market.

6. බලලා ගෙන්නද?

   Ba-la-lā gen-na-da?

   Can I see it / have a look?

   Usage

   Used when you want to take a closer look at a product

   Grammar Note

   "Balālā genna" = look + take = "may I have a look?". Verb chaining is characteristic of Sinhala.

7. හොඳ මැණික් ලැබෙන්නේ කොහෙන්ද?

   Hon-da mæ-ṇik læ-ben-nē ko-hen-da?

   Where can I get good gemstones?

   Usage

   Sri Lanka is famous for sapphires, rubies and other gemstones

   Grammar Note

   මැණික් = gemstones. ලැබෙන්නේ ... කොහෙන්ද is a cleft question: the verb takes -න්නේ so that the place word කොහෙන් ("from where") is in focus. ළඟ means "near/beside", not "where". Sri Lanka is a leading producer of gems; Ratnapura is the "City of Gems". Buy from certified government shops.

8. රිසිට් එකක් දෙන්නද?

   Ri-siṭ e-kak den-na-da?

   Can I get a receipt?

   Usage

   Used after a purchase to request a receipt

   Grammar Note

   "Risiṭ" is borrowed from English "receipt". English loanwords are extremely common in Sri Lankan Sinhala.

9. ෂොපිං මෝල් කොහෙද?

   Sho-ping mōl ko-hē-da?

   Where is the shopping mall?

   Usage

   Colombo has several modern shopping malls like One Galle Face and Majestic City

   Grammar Note

   Both "shōping" and "mōl" are English loanwords. Colombo's modern malls offer air-conditioned relief from the heat.

10. තේ ගෙදර රැගෙන යනවා

    Thē ge-da-ra ræ-ge-na ya-na-vā

    I'm taking tea home

    Usage

    Ceylon tea is the most popular souvenir from Sri Lanka. Use when buying tea to take home

    Grammar Note

    Sri Lankan tea is world-class. "Gedara" = home/to home. Tea boutiques and supermarkets offer excellent souvenir selections.

11. මෙය ආපහු ගන්නෙ?

    Me-ya ā-pa-hu gan-nē?

    Can I return this?

    Usage

    Asking about returning an item that doesn't suit you

    Grammar Note

    "Āpahu" = back/return. "Ganna" = take. Return policies vary by shop in Sri Lanka.

12. මට රිසිට් එකක් ඕනේ නැහැ

    Ma-ṭa ri-siṭ e-kak ō-nē næ-hæ

    I don't need a receipt

    Usage

    Declining a receipt when it is offered at the till

    Grammar Note

    "Ōnē næhæ" is the negative of "ōnē" (to want); the wanter takes the dative "maṭa". "Risiṭ ekak" (one receipt) goes between "maṭa" and "ōnē næhæ". Borrowed English nouns are counted with "eka".

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