Politeness and thanks
❃ Politeness and thanks
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ඔයාගේ උදව්වට බොහොම ස්තූතියි
[ oyāgē udavvaṭa bohoma stūtiyi ] -
Thank you very much for your help
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ඒක සුළු දෙයක්
[ ēka suḷu deyak ] -
It's a small thing / You're welcome
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කරුණාකරලා මෙතනින් වාඩි වෙන්න
[ karuṇākaralā metanin vāḍi venna ] -
Please sit down here
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ඔයා ඉස්සරහට යන්න
[ oyā issarahaṭa yanna ] -
After you, please go ahead
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ඔයා ගොඩක් කරුණාවන්තයි
[ oyā goḍak karuṇāvantayi ] -
You are very kind
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මම ඒක ගොඩක් අගය කරනවා
[ mama ēka goḍak agaya karanavā ] -
I really appreciate it
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එපා ස්තූතියි, මගේ බඩ පිරිලා
[ epā stūtiyi, magē baḍa pirilā ] -
No thanks, my stomach is full
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රස කෑමට ස්තූතියි
[ rasa kǣmaṭa stūtiyi ] -
Thank you for the delicious meal
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ඔයාව හමුවීම ලොකු සතුටක්
[ oyāva hamuvīma loku satuṭak ] -
It's a great pleasure to meet you
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ඔයා හොඳ යාළුවෙක්
[ oyā hon̆ḍa yāḷuvek ] -
You are a good friend
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මාව ආරාධනා කළාට ස්තූතියි
[ māva ārādhanā kaḷāṭa stūtiyi ] -
Thanks for inviting me
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දෙවි පිහිටයි
[ devi pihiṭayi ] -
May God bless you
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පරිස්සමෙන් ඉන්න
[ parissamen inna ] -
Take care of yourself
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සුබ පැතුම්
[ suba pætum ] -
Good luck / Best wishes
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අපි ආයෙත් හමුවෙමු
[ api āyet hamuvemu ] -
We will meet again
Politeness in Sri Lanka is conveyed far more through tone of voice, body language, and sincere smiles than through the constant repetition of words like "please" and "thank you." While Westerners are accustomed to expressing gratitude verbally for every small interaction, Sri Lankans often show appreciation non-verbally, using the famous Sri Lankan head wobble or a warm beam. However, as a visitor, learning how to express thanks in Sinhala will certainly delight the locals. The standard, deeply respectful phrase for "Thank you very much" is "Bohoma sthuthiyi" (බොහොම ස්තූතියි - bohoma stuːθiji). If you want to explicitly say "Please," you can use "Karunakarala" (කරුණාකරලා - karuɳaːkaralaː), though it sounds quite formal in everyday speech. In practical situations, such as ordering spicy food in a 'Kade' (local eatery) or buying a train ticket, simply adding a respectful kinship term like "Aiya" (older brother) to your request acts as a polite marker, making the word "please" somewhat redundant. If someone thanks you, you can graciously reply with "Eka sulu deyak" (ඒක සුළු දෙයක් - eːka suɭu dejak), which translates to "It's a small thing" or "You're welcome." Remember that Sri Lankan hospitality is deeply rooted in communal and Buddhist values; hosts genuinely want to ensure their guests are happy. Expressing sincere gratitude, eating the food offered to you with visible enthusiasm, and returning their bright smiles are the most culturally authentic and appreciated ways to show your politeness on the island.
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