Short answers
❃ Short answers
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ඔව්, අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම
[ ov, anivāryayenma ] -
Yes, absolutely
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නෑ, මට එපා
[ nǣ, maṭa epā ] -
No, I don't want it
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හරි, අපි යමු
[ hari, api yamu ] -
Okay, let's go
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ඇත්තද?
[ ættada? ] -
Really?
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ඒක ඇත්ත
[ ēka ætta ] -
That's true
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මම එහෙම හිතන්නේ නෑ
[ mama ehema hitannē nǣ ] -
I don't think so
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සමහරවිට හෙට
[ samaharaviṭa heṭa ] -
Maybe tomorrow
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ඒකට කමක් නෑ
[ ēkaṭa kamak nǣ ] -
It doesn't matter / Never mind
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ඒක නියම අදහසක්!
[ ēka niyama adahasak! ] -
That's a great idea!
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නියමයි!
[ niyamayi! ] -
Awesome / Great!
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අපොයි, පව්
[ apoyi, pav ] -
Oh, what a pity
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පරිස්සමෙන්!
[ parissamen! ] -
Be careful!
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ඉක්මන් කරන්න!
[ ikman karanna! ] -
Hurry up!
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මෙතනින් නවත්වන්න
[ metanin navatvanna ] -
Stop here, please
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මේක ලස්සනයි නේද?
[ mēka lassanayi nēda? ] -
It's beautiful, isn't it?
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මට ගොඩක් මහන්සියි
[ maṭa goḍak mahansiyi ] -
I am very tired
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මට බඩගිනියි
[ maṭa baḍaginiyi ] -
I am hungry
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මට තිබහයි
[ maṭa tibahayi ] -
I am thirsty
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පොඩ්ඩක් ඉන්න
[ poḍḍak inna ] -
Wait a minute
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දැක්කද, මම කිව්වේ
[ dækkada, mama kivvē ] -
See, I told you
When conversing with Sri Lankans, you will quickly notice that they are incredibly active and engaged listeners. In Western cultures, we might simply nod silently while someone speaks, but in Sri Lanka, vocalizing your attention is a key part of polite communication. To sound truly local, you need to master a few natural interjections. The most common is "Ehemada?" (එහෙමද? - ehemada), which translates to "Is that so?" or "Oh really?". Dropping an "Ehemada?" into a conversation shows that you are deeply interested in what your host is saying. Another absolute essential is "Hari" (හරි - hari). This versatile little word means "Right," "Okay," or "Good." You will often hear locals repeating it rapidly ("Hari, hari, hari!") to express enthusiastic agreement. When you want to say a simple "Yes," use "Ow" (ඔව් - ow), and for "No," use "Naa" (නෑ - næː). If you taste something delicious or see a beautiful view, exclaiming "Niyamai!" (නියමයි! - nijamaji), meaning "Awesome!" or "Great!", will instantly bring a proud smile to a Sri Lankan's face. Conversely, if someone tells you a sad story, sighing and saying "Apoi, paw" (අපොයි, පව් - apoji paw), meaning "Oh, what a pity," demonstrates deep cultural empathy. Sri Lankans value emotional connection. By sprinkling these short, natural reactions into your English or Sinhala sentences, you bridge the cultural gap effortlessly. It shows that you are not just a passive observer of their country, but an active, empathetic participant in their daily lives.
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