Apologies
❃ Apologies
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සමාවෙන්න, මට ප්රශ්නයක් තියෙනවා
[ samāvenna, maṭa praśnayak tiyenavā ] -
Excuse me, I have a question
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මට ගොඩක් සමාවෙන්න
[ maṭa goḍak samāvenna ] -
I am really sorry
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ඒක මගේ වරද
[ ēka magē varada ] -
It's my fault
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තරහ වෙන්න එපා
[ taraha venna epā ] -
Don't be angry
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කිසි ප්රශ්නයක් නෑ
[ kisi praśnayak nǣ ] -
It's not a problem at all
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පොඩ්ඩක් මට සමාවෙන්න
[ poḍḍak maṭa samāvenna ] -
Please excuse me for a moment
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මම ඒක උවමනාවෙන් කළේ නෑ
[ mama ēka uvamanāven kaḷē nǣ ] -
I didn't do it on purpose
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පරක්කු වුණාට සමාවෙන්න
[ parakku vuṇāṭa samāvenna ] -
Sorry for being late
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සමාවෙන්න, මට යන්න ඉඩ දෙන්න
[ samāvenna, maṭa yanna iḍa denna ] -
Excuse me, let me pass
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සමාවෙන්න, මට වැරදුණා
[ samāvenna, maṭa væraduṇā ] -
Sorry, I made a mistake
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ඒක ගැන හිතන්න එපා
[ ēka gæna hitanna epā ] -
Don't worry about it
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සමාවෙන්න, ඔයා මොකක්ද කිව්වේ?
[ samāvenna, oyā mokakda kivvē? ] -
Pardon me, what did you say?
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මට ඔයාගේ වෙලාව පොඩ්ඩක් දෙන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ maṭa oyāgē velāva poḍḍak denna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can you give me a little of your time?
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සමාවෙන්න, මේ තැන කොහේද?
[ samāvenna, mē tæna kohēda? ] -
Excuse me, where is this place?
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කරදර කළාට සමාවෙන්න
[ karadara kaḷāṭa samāvenna ] -
Sorry to bother you
In Western cultures, we constantly use "Excuse me" to navigate crowds or get a waiter's attention. In Sri Lanka, the approach is much softer and more relational. To apologize for a minor bump on a crowded bus, a simple smile and a nod often suffice. However, if you need to verbally apologize or politely interrupt someone, the word is "Samawenna" (සමාවෙන්න - samaːwenna), meaning "Forgive me" or "Excuse me." When you are in a restaurant or a local 'Kade' and want to get the waiter's attention, do not snap your fingers or yell "Waiter!" Instead, try to make eye contact, raise your hand slightly, and call out "Malli!" (මල්ලි - malli) for a younger man, or "Aiya!" (අයියා - aijaː) for an older one. This treats them as family rather than servants. If you need to pass someone in a tight space, saying "Samawenna" with a slight bow of the head is the perfect, polite way to slip through. Sri Lankans are incredibly forgiving and patient with foreigners. If you make a cultural faux pas—like accidentally pointing your feet at a Buddha statue or wearing shoes inside a temple—a sincere "Samawenna" paired with a corrective action will immediately smooth things over. Understanding this gentle approach to social friction will make your travels much more relaxed and deeply appreciated by the locals you interact with on a daily basis.
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