Time and dates
❃ Time and dates
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දැන් වෙලාව කීයද?
[ dæn velāva kīyada? ] -
What time is it now?
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දැන් උදේ දහයයි
[ dæn udē dahayayi ] -
It is ten o'clock in the morning
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කෝච්චිය යන්නේ දවල් දෙකට
[ kōcciya yannē daval dekaṭa ] -
The train leaves at 2 PM
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හෙට උදේට එන්න
[ heṭa udēṭa enna ] -
Come tomorrow morning
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ඊයේ ගොඩක් වැස්සා
[ īyē goḍak væssā ] -
It rained heavily yesterday
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අපි සඳුදා යනවා
[ api san̆dudā yanavā ] -
We are leaving on Monday
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ඉරිදාට ඇරලද තියෙන්නේ?
[ iridāṭa æralada tiyennē? ] -
Is it open on Sunday?
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ලබන සතියේ හමුවෙමු
[ labana satiyē hamuvemu ] -
See you next week
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මම පැය භාගයකින් එතනට එන්නම්
[ mama pæya bhāgayakin etanaṭa ennam ] -
I will be there in half an hour
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අද දවස මොකක්ද?
[ ada davasa mokakda? ] -
What day is it today?
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අද මගේ උපන්දිනේ
[ ada magē upandinē ] -
Today is my birthday
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අපි ගිය මාසේ ගොඩක් සංචාරය කළා
[ api giya māsē goḍak san̆cāraya kaḷā ] -
We traveled a lot last month
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ඔයා රෑට එනවද?
[ oyā rǣṭa enavada? ] -
Will you come at night?
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දවස් කීපයක් ඉන්න
[ davas kīpayak inna ] -
Please wait a few days
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මම උදේ පාන්දර නැගිටිනවා
[ mama udē pāndara nægiṭinavā ] -
I wake up early in the morning
Understanding time in Sri Lanka requires a cultural shift for many Western travelers. The concept of punctuality here is highly flexible, affectionately known by expats and locals alike as "Sri Lankan Time" or "Island Time." If a bus is scheduled to leave at 2:00 PM, it might actually depart at 2:15 PM when it is sufficiently full. When a local says they will arrive in "five minutes," it is a polite estimate rather than a strict guarantee. Therefore, when asking "Dæn velāva kīyada?" (දැන් වෙලාව කීයද? - dæn welaːwa kiːjada), meaning "What time is it now?", remember to take the answer with a relaxed, tropical mindset. Days and dates also carry profound religious and cultural significance in Sri Lanka. The most critical day to know about is "Poya" (Full Moon day). Every month, the full moon day is a national public holiday honoring Lord Buddha. On Poya days, all liquor stores, bars, and meat shops are strictly closed across the entire country, and many businesses do not operate. Asking "Iridaṭa æralada?" (ඉරිදාට ඇරලද? - iridaːʈa æralada?), "Is it open on Sunday?" is useful, but always double-check the lunar calendar for a Poya! For daily planning, dividing the day into "Ude" (උදේ - udeː) for morning, "Daval" (දවල් - dawal) for noon, and "Ræ" (රෑ - ræː) for night is very common. Embracing this relaxed tempo and awareness of the lunar calendar will save you frustration and align you perfectly with the island's serene, spiritual rhythm.
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