Transportation

1. කොළඹට යන්නේ කොහොමද?

   Ko-lam-ba-ta yan-nē ko-ho-ma-da?

   How do I get to Colombo?

   Usage

   Basic phrase to ask how to get somewhere. Replace "Colombo" with any destination

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-ta" marks direction (dative/allative case). "Kohomada" = "how is it?" questioning manner.

2. ටුක් ටුක් එකක් ගන්නද?

   Tuk tuk e-kak gan-na-da?

   Shall we take a tuk-tuk?

   Usage

   Suggesting to take a tuk-tuk (three-wheeled taxi) — the most common mode of transport in Sri Lanka

   Grammar Note

   "Ganna" = to take/get. Adding "da" suggests a question or invitation. Tuk-tuks are ubiquitous in Sri Lanka.

3. මීටරේ දාන්න

   Mī-ta-rē dān-na

   Please use the meter

   Usage

   Requesting the driver to use the meter. Bargaining may still be needed in Sri Lanka

   Grammar Note

   "Dānna" is the imperative of "put/place". Metered rides are officially required but drivers sometimes negotiate instead.

4. දුම්රිය නැවතුම් පොළ කොහෙද?

   Dum-ri-ya næ-we-tum po-la ko-hē-da?

   Where is the train station?

   Usage

   Sri Lanka's railway is famous for scenic routes, especially through tea country in the highlands

   Grammar Note

   "Dumriya" = smoke-carriage (dum = smoke) = train. "Nævetum pola" = stopping place = station. "Kohēda" = where is it?

5. බස් නැවතුම්පොළ කොහෙද?

   Bas næ-va-thum-po-ḷa ko-he-da?

   Where is the bus stop?

   Usage

   Local buses are cheap and widely used. Use this to find the nearest bus stop

   Grammar Note

   "Nævathumpoḷa" = stopping place, used for both stations and bus stops. "Kohēda" = where is it? Sri Lanka has two bus systems: red government buses and private (often blue) buses.

6. ගාල්ල යන ටිකට් එකක් ඕනේ

   Gā-lla ya-na ti-kat e-kak ō-nē

   I need a ticket to Galle

   Usage

   Galle is a historic fort city in southern Sri Lanka. Use this when buying a ticket

   Grammar Note

   "Ōnē" expresses need/want. In Sinhala, wanting something uses the dative case: "to me [it is] needed".

7. මෙතන නවත්තන්න

   Me-ta-na na-vat-tan-na

   Stop here please

   Usage

   Telling a taxi or bus driver where you want to get off

   Grammar Note

   නවත්තනවා is the transitive "to stop (something)"; its imperative is නවත්තන්න. The intransitive (you yourself stopping) is නවතිනවා. Prefix කරුණාකර for extra politeness. ගිනිකොන means the compass direction south-east and has nothing to do with stopping.

8. ගුවන් තොටුපළ කොහෙද?

   Gu-wan tho-tu-pa-la ko-hē-da?

   Where is the airport?

   Usage

   Sri Lanka's main international airport is Bandaranaike International Airport near Colombo

   Grammar Note

   "Guvan" (sky/air) + "thotupala" (port/terminal) = airport. Sinhala makes extensive use of compound words.

9. කීයද ගාන?

   Kī-ya-da gā-na?

   How much is the fare?

   Usage

   Checking the fare before getting into a tuk-tuk or taxi

   Grammar Note

   "Gāna" = amount/fare (colloquial). Negotiate fares before boarding a tuk-tuk — it's part of the Sri Lankan travel experience.

10. සිගිරිය ගාව ද?

    Si-gi-ri-ya gā-wa da?

    Is Sigiriya nearby?

    Usage

    Sigiriya is a UNESCO World Heritage rock fortress. Use this to check proximity while navigating

    Grammar Note

    "Gāva" = near/close (colloquial adjective). Antonym: "ǣta" (ඈත, far). Sigiriya is in the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka.

11. ඊළඟ බස් එන්නේ කීයෙද?

    Ī-la-ga bas en-nē kī-yē-da?

    What time does the next bus come?

    Usage

    Useful for checking bus times at a stop

    Grammar Note

    "Kīyēda" asks for time/quantity. "Īlaga" (next) is an adjective preceding the noun. Bus schedules vary widely.

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