Personal details
❃ Personal details
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ඔයාගේ රැකියාව මොකක්ද?
[ oyāgē rækiyāva mokakda? ] -
What is your profession?
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මම ගුරුවරයෙක්
[ mama guruvarayek ] -
I am a teacher
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මම ශිෂ්යයෙක්
[ mama śiṣyayek ] -
I am a student
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මම කාර්යාලයක වැඩ කරනවා
[ mama kāryālayaka væḍa karanavā ] -
I work in an office
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ඔයා බැඳලද?
[ oyā bæn̆dalada? ] -
Are you married?
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මම බැඳලා නෑ
[ mama bæn̆dalā nǣ ] -
I am not married
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මම බැඳලා ඉන්නේ
[ mama bæn̆dalā innē ] -
I am married
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ඔයාට ළමයි ඉන්නවද?
[ oyāṭa ḷamayi innavada? ] -
Do you have children?
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මට ළමයි දෙන්නෙක් ඉන්නවා
[ maṭa ḷamayi dennek innavā ] -
I have two children
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මට අයියා කෙනෙක් ඉන්නවා
[ maṭa aiyā kenek innavā ] -
I have an older brother
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මම නිවාඩුවකට ආවේ
[ mama nivāḍuvakaṭa āvē ] -
I came here on holiday
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මම මෙහේ ආවේ වැඩකට
[ mama mehē āvē væḍakaṭa ] -
I am here for work
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මම සංචාරය කරන්න කැමතියි
[ mama san̆cāraya karanna kæmatiyi ] -
I like to travel
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අපි පවුලේ හතර දෙනෙක් ඉන්නවා
[ api pavulē hatara denek innavā ] -
We are a family of four
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මගේ දෙමව්පියන් ඉන්නේ ප්රංශයේ
[ magē demavpiyan innē pranśayē ] -
My parents live in France
In Sri Lanka, the concept of family, known as "Pawula" (පවුල - pawula), is the absolute center of social life. Because of this, when you engage in small talk, questions about your marital status and children are virtually inevitable. You will frequently hear the question "Oya bandalada?" (ඔයා බැඳලද? - ojaː bænⁿdalada?), meaning "Are you married?" For many Westerners, discussing marital status and children with a complete stranger might feel like an invasion of privacy, but in Sri Lankan culture, it is the standard icebreaker. It is simply their way of understanding your place in the world. If you are traveling alone, they might express surprise or concern, often adopting a protective, familial attitude towards you. If you answer that you are not married ("Mama bandala na" - මම බැඳලා නෑ), expect some good-natured teasing or innocent questions about why not! Sharing details about your job is also a fantastic way to bond. Whether you are a student ("Shishyayek" - ශිෂ්යයෙක්), a teacher, or an office worker, locals deeply respect hard work and education. Taking a few moments to show photos on your phone of your family, your pets, or your hometown back in your country will instantly elevate you from being just a passing tourist to a trusted friend. These personal conversations bridge cultural gaps and build the foundation for lasting travel memories.
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