Bill and change
❃ Bill and change
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මම නිකන් බලනවා විතරයි, ස්තූතියි
[ mama nikan balanavā vitarayi, stūtiyi ] -
I am just looking, thank you
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මට ලංකාවේ තේ ගන්න ඕනේ
[ maṭa lan̆kāvē tē ganna ōnē ] -
I want to buy some Ceylon tea
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සිහිවටන ගන්න පුළුවන් කොහෙන්ද?
[ sihivaṭana ganna puḷuvan kohenda? ] -
Where can I buy souvenirs?
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ලී අලි තියෙනවද?
[ lī ali tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have wooden elephants?
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මට බතික් ෂර්ට් එකක් ගන්න ඕනේ
[ maṭa batik ṣarṭ ekak ganna ōnē ] -
I would like to buy a Batik shirt
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මට මේක ඇඳලා බලන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ maṭa mēka æn̆dalā balanna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can I try this on?
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ඇඳුම් මාරු කරන කාමරය කොහේද?
[ æn̆dum māru karana kāmaraya kohēda? ] -
Where is the fitting room?
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මේක මට පොඩි වැඩියි
[ mēka maṭa poḍi væḍiyi ] -
This is too small for me
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මීට වඩා ලොකු සයිස් එකක් තියෙනවද?
[ mīṭa vaḍā loku sayis ekak tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have a larger size?
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මට වෙන පාටකින් ඕනේ
[ maṭa vena pāṭakin ōnē ] -
I need a different color
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මේ සරම කීයද?
[ mē sarama kīyada? ] -
How much is this sarong?
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මේක ගොඩක් ලස්සනයි
[ mēka goḍak lassanayi ] -
This is very beautiful
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මම මේක ගන්නවා
[ mama mēka gannavā ] -
I will buy this one
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කුළුබඩු විකුණන්න තියෙනවද?
[ kuḷubaḍu vikuṇanna tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have spices for sale?
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කුරුඳු පැකට් තුනක් දෙන්න
[ kurun̆du pækaṭ tunak denna ] -
Give me three packets of cinnamon
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මේක ලස්සනට ඔතලා දෙන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ mēka lassanaṭa otalā denna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can you wrap it nicely?
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මේක අතින් හදපු එකක්ද?
[ mēka atin hadapu ekakda? ] -
Is this handmade?
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ඔයාලා ළඟ මැණික් තියෙනවද?
[ oyālā ḷan̆ga mæṇik tiyenavada? ] -
Do you sell gems/jewelry?
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මට අම්මට තෑග්ගක් ගන්න ඕනේ
[ maṭa ammaṭa tǣggak ganna ōnē ] -
I want to buy a gift for my mother
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මෙතන ක්රෙඩිට් කාඩ් ගන්නවද?
[ metana kreḍiṭ kāḍ gannavada? ] -
Do you accept credit cards here?
When it comes time to pay after a delicious Sri Lankan meal, the process is usually very straightforward, but it has its cultural nuances. To politely ask for the bill, catch the waiter's eye and say "Bil eka genna" (බිල් එක ගේන්න - bil eka geːnna), meaning "Please bring the bill." Outside of high-end tourist hotels and modern supermarkets in Colombo, Sri Lanka is very much a cash-based society. Always carry local currency. A significant issue you will face is a chronic shortage of small change. Vendors and tuk-tuk drivers rarely have change for large 5000-rupee notes. Always try to break large notes at supermarkets and hoard your "Maru kaasi" (මාරු කාසි - maːru kaːsi), which means "small change" or coins. When paying a bill, check if a 10% "Service Charge" has been added. If it is already included on the receipt, leaving a tip is optional but always appreciated. If it is not included, leaving a small tip of 50 to 100 rupees on the table for good service is a kind gesture. When you hand over cash, the waiter will bring your "Ithuru salli" (ඉතුරු සල්ලි - iθuru salli), meaning "remaining money" or "change." Take your time to count it. If there is a mistake, you can smile and point it out without causing offense. Sri Lankans are generally very honest, and any miscalculation is usually a genuine mathematical error rather than an attempt to cheat a tourist. Handling money with a smile and having the right change will make your interactions incredibly smooth.
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