Bargaining
❃ Bargaining
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මේක කීයද?
[ mēka kīyada? ] -
How much is this?
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ඒ ගාණ ගොඩක් වැඩියි!
[ ē gāṇa goḍak væḍiyi! ] -
That is too expensive!
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ගාණ ටිකක් අඩු කරන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ gāṇa ṭikak aḍu karanna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can you lower the price a little?
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අන්තිම ගාණ කීයද?
[ antima gāṇa kīyada? ] -
What is your last price?
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මම රුපියල් පන්සීයක් දෙන්නම්
[ mama rupiyal pansīyak dennam ] -
I will give you 500 rupees
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රුපියල් දාහකට දෙන්න
[ rupiyal dāhakaṭa denna ] -
Give it to me for 1000 rupees
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මට හොඳ ගාණක් කියන්න
[ maṭa hon̆da gāṇak kiyanna ] -
Give me a good price
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මම මේක වෙන කඩේක අඩුවට දැක්කා
[ mama mēka vena kaḍēka aḍuvaṭa dækkā ] -
I saw this cheaper in another shop
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මම දෙකක් ගත්තොත් ගාණ අඩු කරනවද?
[ mama dekak gattot gāṇa aḍu karanavada? ] -
If I buy two, will you give a discount?
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නෑ, මට එච්චර දෙන්න බෑ
[ nǣ, maṭa eccara denna bǣ ] -
No, I can't pay that much
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අයියේ, පොඩි ඩිස්කවුන්ට් එකක් දෙන්නකෝ
[ aiyē, poḍi ḍiskavunṭ ekak dennakō ] -
Brother, give a small discount please
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කමක් නෑ, මම ගන්නේ නෑ
[ kamak nǣ, mama gannē nǣ ] -
Never mind, I won't buy it
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හරි, මම මේක ගන්නවා
[ hari, mama mēka gannavā ] -
Okay, I will buy it
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හරි, එකඟයි
[ hari, ekan̆gayi ] -
Okay, it's a deal
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පන්දාහේ කොළේකට මාරු කාසි තියෙනවද?
[ pandāhē koḷēkaṭa māru kāsi tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have change for a 5000 note?
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මේක තමා සාමාන්ය ගාණ
[ mēka tamā sāmānya gāṇa ] -
This is the normal (local) price
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මට ටුවරිස්ට් ගාණ කියන්න එපා!
[ maṭa ṭuvarisṭ gāṇa kiyanna epā! ] -
Don't give me the tourist price!
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මම ශිෂ්යයෙක්, ගාණ අඩු කරන්න
[ mama śiṣyayek, gāṇa aḍu karanna ] -
I am a student, give me a discount
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හොඳ ගාණකට දුන්නට ස්තූතියි
[ hon̆da gāṇakaṭa dunnaṭa stūtiyi ] -
Thank you for giving a good price
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මා ළඟ තියෙන්නේ මෙච්චරයි
[ mā ḷan̆ga tiyennē meccarayi ] -
I only have this much money
In Sri Lanka, bargaining is an essential and vibrant part of the shopping culture, especially in bustling markets, souvenir stalls, and when hiring tuk-tuks. If you come from a country with strictly fixed prices, haggling might feel intimidating at first, but here, it is a friendly and expected social interaction. When you see an item you like, start by asking "Me kiyada?" (මේ කීයද? - meː kiːjada?), meaning "How much is this?". The vendor will likely quote a "tourist price." Do not get angry; simply smile and respond with "Gaana godak wadiyi!" (ගාණ ගොඩක් වැඩියි! - gaːɳa goɖak wæɖiji), which means "That price is too high!". The key to successful bargaining in Sri Lanka is to keep the exchange lighthearted and theatrical. You can politely ask "Poddak adu karanna puluwanda?" (පොඩ්ඩක් අඩු කරන්න පුළුවන්ද? - poɖɖak aɖu karanna puɭuwanda?), meaning "Can you reduce the price a little?". A very useful tactic to reach a final agreement is to ask for the "Antima gaana" (අන්තිම ගාණ - anθima gaːɳa), which translates to the "last price" or the "bottom line." If the price still doesn't suit you, you can say "Mata epa" (මට එපා - maʈa epaː), meaning "I don't want it," and slowly walk away. Often, the vendor will call you back with a much better offer! Remember, the goal of bargaining is not to strip the vendor of their livelihood, but to reach a fair price where both parties feel happy and respected. Doing this with a warm smile and a few Sinhala words will earn you deep respect and a genuinely fun cultural experience.
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