Introducing yourself
❃ Introducing yourself
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මගේ නම ඇන්ටොයින්
[ magē nama ænṭoyin ] -
My name is Antoine
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ඔයාගේ නම මොකක්ද?
[ oyāgē nama mokakda? ] -
What is your name?
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මම ප්රංශයේ ඉඳන් ආවේ
[ mama pranśayē in̆dan āvē ] -
I come from France
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ඔයා කොහේ ඉඳන්ද ආවේ?
[ oyā kohē in̆danda āvē? ] -
Where are you from?
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මම ප්රංශ ජාතිකයෙක්
[ mama pranśa jātikayek ] -
I am French
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මට වයස අවුරුදු තිහයි
[ maṭa vayasa avurudu tihayi ] -
I am thirty years old
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ඔයාගේ වයස කීයද?
[ oyāgē vayasa kīyada? ] -
How old are you?
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මම ලංකාවට ආපු පළවෙනි පාර
[ mama lan̆kāvaṭa āpu paḷaveni pāra ] -
This is my first time in Sri Lanka
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මම ජීවත් වෙන්නේ පැරිස් වල
[ mama jīvat vennē pæris vala ] -
I live in Paris
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මම සංචාරකයෙක්
[ mama san̆cārakayek ] -
I am a tourist
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ඔයාව හමුවීම සතුටක්
[ oyāva hamuvīma satuṭak ] -
Nice to meet you
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මට ලූකස් කියලා කතා කරන්න
[ maṭa lūkas kiyalā katā karanna ] -
Please call me Lucas
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මම ඉන්නේ කොළඹ
[ mama innē koḷam̆ba ] -
I am staying in Colombo
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ඔයා මේ පැත්තෙද?
[ oyā mē pætteda? ] -
Are you a local here?
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ලංකාව ලස්සන රටක්
[ lan̆kāva lassana raṭak ] -
Sri Lanka is a beautiful country
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මම මේ තැනට ගොඩක් කැමතියි
[ mama mē tænaṭa goḍak kæmatiyi ] -
I really love this place
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ඔයා මෙහේ කොච්චර කල් ඉන්නවද?
[ oyā mehē koccara kal innavada? ] -
How long have you been here?
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මම මගේ යාළුවොත් එක්ක සංචාරය කරන්නේ
[ mama magē yāḷuvot ekka san̆cāraya karannē ] -
I am traveling with my friends
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ඔයා තනියමද යන්නේ?
[ oyā taniyamada yannē? ] -
Are you traveling alone?
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මම මෙහේ සති දෙකක් ඉන්නවා
[ mama mehē sati dekak innavā ] -
I will stay here for two weeks
Sri Lankans are famously warm and hospitable, and part of this warmth involves a deep curiosity about who you are. When you meet someone new, introducing yourself goes beyond just exchanging names; it's the beginning of a genuine connection. You can start by saying "Mage nama..." (මගේ නම... - mageː nama...) meaning "My name is...". Very quickly, you will be asked where you are from. You can proudly answer "Mama [Country] indan aawe" (මම [Country] ඉඳන් ආවේ - mama [Country] inⁿdan aːweː). In Western cultures, asking someone's age right after meeting them might be considered impolite or overly direct, but in Sri Lanka, it is entirely normal and expected. Age determines the level of respect and which kinship terms (like Aiya for an older brother or Malli for a younger one) they should use to address you correctly. Embrace this curiosity—it is never intrusive, just friendly. If you want to instantly win the hearts of your hosts during your introduction, tell them how much you appreciate their country by saying "Lankawa lassanai" (ලංකාව ලස්සනයි - laŋkaːwa lassanaji), which means "Sri Lanka is beautiful." Sri Lankans are incredibly proud of their island's natural beauty and rich history. A simple compliment about the food, the landscapes, or the smiles of the people will be met with beaming smiles and unparalleled hospitality.
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