Shopping

Shopping

බිල් එක ගේන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ bil eka gēnna puḷuvanda? ]

Can I get the bill, please?

ඔක්කොම කීයද?
[ okkoma kīyada? ]

How much is the total?

මම කාඩ් එකෙන් ගෙවන්නම්
[ mama kāḍ eken gevannam ]

I will pay by card

අපි වෙන වෙනම ගෙවන්නේ
[ api vena venama gevannē ]

We want to pay separately

සර්විස් චාර්ජ් එක ඇතුළත්ද?
[ sarvis cārj eka ætulatda? ]

Is the service charge included?

ක්‍රෙඩිට් කාඩ් ගන්නවද?
[ kreḍiṭ kāḍ gannavada? ]

Do you accept credit cards?

මෙතන සල්ලි විතරයි ගන්නේ
[ metana salli vitarayi gannē ]

Only cash is accepted here

මා ළඟ මාරු කාසි නෑ
[ mā ḷan̆ga māru kāsi nǣ ]

I don't have small change

ඉතුරු සල්ලි තියාගන්න
[ ituru salli tiyāganna ]

Keep the change

ඔයා දුන්නු ඉතුරු සල්ලි වැරදියි
[ oyā dunnu ituru salli væradiyi ]

You gave me the wrong change

කරුණාකරලා බිල් එක ආයෙත් චෙක් කරන්න
[ karuṇākaralā bil eka āyet cek karanna ]

Please check the bill again

අපි මේක ඕඩර් කළේ නෑ
[ api mēka ōḍar kaḷē nǣ ]

We didn't order this

මෙන්න රුපියල් දෙදාහක්
[ menna rupiyal dedāhak ]

Here is 2000 rupees

මට රිසිට් එකක් ඕනේ
[ maṭa risiṭ ekak ōnē ]

I need a receipt

කැෂියර් ඉන්නේ කොහේද?
[ kæṣiyar innē kohēda? ]

Where is the cashier?

මේකට මම ගෙවන්නම්
[ mēkaṭa mama gevannam ]

Let me pay for this

කෑම ගොඩක් රසයි
[ kǣma goḍak rasayi ]

The food was excellent

මම ටිප් එකක් තියලා යන්නම්
[ mama ṭip ekak tiyalā yannam ]

I will leave a tip

මේ මැෂින් එක වැඩ කරන්නේ නෑ
[ mē mæṣin eka væḍa karannē nǣ ]

This machine is not working

ළඟම තියෙන ඒටීඑම් එක කොහේද?
[ ḷan̆gama tiyena ēṭīem eka kohēda? ]

Where is the nearest ATM?

Cultural notes

Shopping for souvenirs in Sri Lanka is a journey through the island’s rich cultural heritage. You will find exquisite wooden carvings (especially elephants), vibrant hand-painted Raksha masks used in traditional dances, and beautifully woven Batik garments. However, the ultimate Sri Lankan souvenir is Ceylon Tea. When visiting a tea factory or a local shop, you can say "Mata te ganna one" (මට තේ ගන්න ඕනේ - maʈa teː ganna oːneː), meaning "I want to buy tea." The vendors are incredibly passionate about their craft and will often spend a lot of time explaining the different grades of tea or the intricate process of creating a Batik shirt. Because they are so hospitable, shopkeepers will eagerly show you dozens of items. If you feel overwhelmed or are not planning to buy immediately, it is perfectly polite to say "Nikan balanawa vitarayi" (නිකන් බලනවා විතරයි - nikan balanawaː wiθaraji), which translates to "I am just looking." This phrase quickly relieves any pressure to purchase. When you do find something you love, expressing your admiration is a great way to bond with the artisan. Saying "Meka godak lassanai" (මේක ගොඩක් ලස්සනයි - meːka goɖak lassanaji), meaning "This is very beautiful," shows deep appreciation for their work. If you are shopping for a loved one back home, you can tell the shopkeeper "Mata thaggak ganna one" (මට තෑග්ගක් ගන්න ඕනේ - maʈa tæːggak ganna oːneː), meaning "I want to buy a gift." They will happily help you wrap it carefully, ensuring you take a beautiful, authentic piece of Sri Lanka back home.