Invitations
❃ Invitations
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ඔයා මාත් එක්ක එන්න කැමතිද?
[ oyā māt ekka enna kæmatida? ] -
Would you like to come with me?
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අපි එකට කෑම කමු
[ api ekaṭa kǣma kamu ] -
Let's go eat together
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මම ඔයාව මගේ ගෙදරට ආරාධනා කරනවා
[ mama oyāva magē gedaraṭa ārādhanā karanavā ] -
I invite you to my house
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ඇවිත් තේ එකක් බොන්න
[ ævit tē ekak bonna ] -
Come and have a cup of tea
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ඔයා අද හවසට ෆ්රී ද?
[ oyā ada havasaṭa frī da? ] -
Are you free this evening?
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ඔයා හෙට මොකද කරන්නේ?
[ oyā heṭa mokada karannē? ] -
What are you doing tomorrow?
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ඔව්, මම ගොඩක් කැමතියි!
[ ov, mama goḍak kæmatiyi! ] -
Yes, I would love to!
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ආරාධනාවට ස්තූතියි
[ ārādhanāvaṭa stūtiyi ] -
Thank you for the invitation
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මම අනිවාර්යයෙන්ම එන්නම්
[ mama anivāryayenma ennam ] -
I will come for sure
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මම කීයටද එන්න ඕනේ?
[ mama kīyaṭada enna ōnē? ] -
What time should I come?
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සමාවෙන්න, මම අද කාර්යබහුලයි
[ samāvenna, mama ada kāryabahulayi ] -
Sorry, I am busy today
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මට වෙන වැඩ තියෙනවා
[ maṭa vena væḍa tiyenavā ] -
I have other plans
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මට අද එන්න බෑ
[ maṭa ada enna bǣ ] -
I can't come today
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සමහරවිට ඊළඟ පාර
[ samaharaviṭa īḷan̆ga pāra ] -
Maybe next time
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මම පස්සේ කියන්නම්
[ mama passē kiyannam ] -
I'll let you know later
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අපිට වෙන දවසක හමුවෙන්න පුළුවන්ද?
[ apiṭa vena davasaka hamuvenna puḷuvanda? ] -
Can we meet another day?
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කරදර වෙන්න එපා
[ karadara venna epā ] -
Don't go to any trouble
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මම ගෙවන්නම්
[ mama gevannam ] -
It is my treat (I will pay)
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ඔයාගේ යාළුවන්වත් එක්කන් එන්න
[ oyāgē yāḷuvanvat ekkan enna ] -
Bring your friends too
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අපි විනෝද වෙමු
[ api vinōda vemu ] -
We will have fun
Sri Lankan hospitality is globally renowned, and it is highly likely that during your trip, a local will invite you to their home. Unlike in many Western cultures where invitations require days of planning and a scheduled date, Sri Lankan invitations are beautifully spontaneous. A tuk-tuk driver or a shopkeeper you just met might warmly say, "Enna the ekak bonna" (එන්න තේ එකක් බොන්න - enna θeː ekak bonna), meaning "Come have a cup of tea." If you can accept, doing so will give you one of the most authentic experiences of your trip. You can enthusiastically reply, "Mama godak kamathiyi!" (මම ගොඩක් කැමතියි! - mama goɖak kæmaθiji!), meaning "I would love to!". When visiting, it is customary to bring a small gift, like a packet of biscuits or some fruit. However, if you are genuinely busy or exhausted, refusing requires cultural tact. A flat "No" is considered too blunt and might hurt their feelings. Instead, you must soften the refusal. A polite way to decline is to smile apologetically and say, "Bohoma sthuthiyi, habai mata wada thiyenawa" (බොහොම ස්තූතියි, හැබැයි මට වැඩ තියෙනවා - bohoma stuːθiji, hæbæji maʈa wæɖa θijenawaː), meaning "Thank you very much, but I have things to do." You can also add "Passe dawasaka emu" (පස්සේ දවසක එමු - passeː dawasaka emu), meaning "Let's do it another day," to keep the relationship warm and open. Understanding this delicate dance of hospitality, accepting graciously, or refusing with gentle diplomacy ensures you navigate Sri Lankan social waters with grace and deep mutual respect.
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