Departure times
❃ Departure times
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අපි හෙට කීයටද යන්න ඕනේ?
[ api heṭa kīyaṭada yanna ōnē? ] -
What time should we leave tomorrow?
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මට උදේ පාන්දර යන්න ඕනේ
[ maṭa udē pāndara yanna ōnē ] -
I need to leave early in the morning
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හෙටට වාහනයක් ලෑස්ති කරන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ heṭaṭa vāhanayak lǣsti karanna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can you arrange a vehicle for tomorrow?
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බස් එක කීයටද මෙතනට එන්නේ?
[ bas eka kīyaṭada metanaṭa ennē? ] -
What time will the bus arrive here?
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මේ වෙලාවල් හරියටම හරිද?
[ mē velāval hariyaṭama harida? ] -
Is the timetable reliable?
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ලංකාවේ කෝච්චි ගොඩක් වෙලාවට පරක්කුයි
[ lan̆kāvē kōcci goḍak velāvaṭa parakkuyi ] -
Trains are often delayed in Sri Lanka
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මම කලින් බුක් කරන්න ඕනෙද?
[ mama kalin buk karanna ōneda? ] -
Should I book in advance?
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බස් එක හැම පැය භාගයකට සැරයක්ම යනවා
[ bas eka hæma pæya bhāgayakaṭa særayakma yanavā ] -
The bus leaves every thirty minutes
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අන්තිම බස් එක තියෙන්නේ කීයටද?
[ antima bas eka tiyennē kīyaṭada? ] -
When is the last bus?
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රෑට බස් නෑ
[ rǣṭa bas nǣ ] -
There are no buses at night
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අපි පැය දෙකකට කලින් එයාර්පෝට් එකේ ඉන්න ඕනේ
[ api pæya dekakaṭa kalin eyārpōṭ ekē inna ōnē ] -
We must be at the airport two hours early
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මාව උදේ පහට ඇහැරවන්න
[ māva udē pahaṭa æhæravanna ] -
Wake me up at 5 AM
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ඩ්රයිවර් උදේ හයට මෙහෙට එයි
[ ḍrayivar udē hayaṭa meheṭa eyi ] -
The driver will be here at 6 AM
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පරක්කු වෙන්න එපා
[ parakku venna epā ] -
Don't be late
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සුබ ගමනක්!
[ suba gamanak! ] -
Have a safe journey!
Organizing a departure in Sri Lanka requires a delicate balance between clear communication and yielding to the relaxed island pace. If you are hiring a private driver for a day trip or an airport transfer, you will need to establish a precise time. Asking "Kiyatada yanne?" (කීයටද යන්නේ? - kiːjaʈada janneː), meaning "What time are we leaving?", is essential. To tell your driver to be ready, you can use the word "Laesthi" (ලෑස්ති - læːsθi), meaning "ready." However, unlike strict Western transport schedules, Sri Lankan travel is subject to beautifully unpredictable variables. Your departure or arrival might be delayed—or "Parakku" (පරක්කු - parakku)—due to a sudden tropical monsoon downpour, a religious procession blocking the main road, or even a wild elephant leisurely crossing your path! When booking a taxi or minivan through your guesthouse, confirm the time but maintain a flexible mindset. If you have a strict flight to catch, always explicitly mention "Mata hadisiyi" (මට හදිසියි - maʈa hadisiji), which translates to "I am in a hurry." This signals to the driver that they should prioritize efficiency over the usual laid-back rhythm. Sri Lankans are deeply accommodating and will go out of their way to ensure you reach the airport on time if they know it's urgent. Embracing the concept that time here flows differently, and using these Sinhala phrases to gently coordinate your schedule, will save you from travel anxiety and allow you to appreciate the serendipitous nature of the island.
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