Supermarket
❃ Supermarket
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ළඟම තියෙන සුපර්මාකට් එක කොහේද?
[ ḷan̆gama tiyena suparmākaṭ eka kohēda? ] -
Where is the nearest supermarket?
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වතුර බෝතල් විකුණන්න තියෙනවද?
[ vatura bōtal vikuṇanna tiyenavada? ] -
Do you sell bottled water?
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මට සබන් කෑල්ලක් ඕනේ
[ maṭa saban kǣllak ōnē ] -
I need some soap
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කිරි තියෙන්නේ කොහේද?
[ kiri tiyennē kohēda? ] -
Where is the milk?
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ඒක තියෙන්නේ දෙවෙනි පේළියේ
[ ēka tiyennē deveni pēḷiyē ] -
It's in the second aisle
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මට බිස්කට් පැකට් එකක් දෙන්න
[ maṭa biskaṭ pækaṭ ekak denna ] -
Give me a packet of biscuits
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මට මදුරු කොයිල් ඕනේ
[ maṭa maduru koyil ōnē ] -
I want mosquito coils
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ටොයිලට් පේපර් තියෙනවද?
[ ṭoyilaṭ pēpar tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have toilet paper?
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පාන් ගෙඩියක් දෙන්න
[ pān geḍiyak denna ] -
Give me a loaf of bread
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මට ෂොපින් බෑග් එකක් දෙන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ maṭa ṣopin bǣg ekak denna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can I get a plastic bag?
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ෆෝන් රීලෝඩ් තියෙනවද?
[ fōn rīlōḍ tiyenavada? ] -
Do you have phone reloads?
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ඩයලොග් රුපියල් සීයක රීලෝඩ් එකක් දාන්න
[ ḍayalog rupiyal sīyaka rīlōḍ ekak dānna ] -
Give me a 100 rupee Dialog reload
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කීයටද කඩේ වහන්නේ?
[ kīyaṭada kaḍē vahannē? ] -
What time do you close?
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මම නිකන් බලනවා විතරයි
[ mama nikan balanavā vitarayi ] -
I am just looking around
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මුද්දර විකුණන්න තියෙනවද?
[ muddara vikuṇanna tiyenavada? ] -
Do you sell stamps here?
While modern, air-conditioned supermarkets like Cargills or Keells exist in all major towns—complete with fixed prices, barcode scanners, and credit card machines—the authentic Sri Lankan shopping experience happens at the local "Kade" (කඩේ - kaɖeː). A Kade is a tiny, often dimly lit neighborhood shop that sells a little bit of everything: from freshly baked bread and mosquito coils to single packets of biscuits and mobile reloads. The Kade is the pulsating heart of the local community. When you step into a Kade, you won't find aisles or shopping baskets. Instead, you interact directly with the shopkeeper standing behind a wooden counter. To ask for something, say "Mata [Item] denna" (මට [Item] දෙන්න - maʈa [Item] denna), meaning "Give me [Item]." For instance, asking for a bottle of water is "Vatura bothalayak denna." A crucial cultural norm to remember is the handling of cash. When paying, try to hand the money over with your right hand, as the left is traditionally considered unclean. Additionally, Kade owners usually struggle to break large 5000-rupee notes. Always ask "Maru kaasi tiyenawada?" (මාරු කාසි තියෙනවද? - maːru kaːsi θijenawada?), meaning "Do you have change?". If you are carrying your own reusable bag—which is highly encouraged as Sri Lanka tries to reduce plastic—you can politely tell the cashier "Mata shopping bag epa" (මට ෂොපින් බෑග් එපා - maʈa ʃopin bæg epaː), meaning "I don't want a plastic bag." Shopping at a Kade connects you directly with the daily rhythm of the neighborhood and is an excellent place to practice your Sinhala numbers and greetings.
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