“Dilshan, how do you say I love you in Sinhala?”
Now, here’s a question that I’ve been asked a number of times from my non-Sri Lankan friends.
And surprise surprise, it’s always been from the girls.
This is not me being sexist. This is me giving you the facts.
But here’s the interesting part…
It’s not like these girls had a Sri Lankan love interest and thought that this might be a cool way to impress this person (yeah, that always works..).
No, they were just interested to know it… just for the sake of knowing it (huh?).
It’s almost like they’re going around collecting “I Love you’s” in different languages. Probably the same way I go around sampling Big Macs in different countries…
My girlfriend is not Sri Lankan. Ask her how to say “I’m hungry” or “Where is the bathroom?” in Sinhala and she won’t have a clue. Ask her how to say I love you in Sinhala and she’ll say it perfectly and even throw in a couple of different ways of saying it.
I don’t understand this fascination…
Anyway, here it is:
I love you in Sinhala
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ aa∙dhȧ∙réyi
(ma∙mȧ = “I”; o∙yaa∙tȧ = “to/towards you”; aa∙dhȧ∙réyi = “(am) loving”)
But then I thought, why stop at giving you just the words for I love you in Sinhala?
Why not arm you ladies with an arsenal of romantic Sinhala lines that will bug the crap out of my Sri Lankan brethren (my apologies in advance).
But note that the expressions below are gender neutral, which means that these can be also said by a guy to a girl, a guy to a guy, or a girl to a girl, regardless of what your orientation may be. It’s all the same love and therefore, the same expressions.
So in addition to I love you in Sinhala, here are 7 more mega-cheesy romantic Sinhala lines for you to use on that special someone who gives you that warm lovey-dovey feeling.
And no, they have not been ranked according to cheesiness.
1 – Variations of I love you in Sinhala
“I love you a lot”
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ go∙dak aa∙dhȧ∙réyi
(go∙dak = “a lot”)
“I love you even more than my life”
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ ma∙gé pa∙nȧ∙tath va∙daa aa∙dhȧ∙réyi
(ma∙gé pa∙nȧ∙tath= “even my life”; va∙daa = “more than”)
“Do you love me?”
o∙yaa ma∙tȧ aa∙dhȧ∙réyi∙dhȧ?
[o∙yaa = “you”; ma∙tȧ = “to/towards me”; aa∙dhȧ∙réyi∙dhȧ? = “(are) loving?”]
(For best results, use this last line every hour. Guys just luuurve being asked this…)
2 – Variations of “I’m thinking of you”
“I’m thinking of you”
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa gæ∙nȧ hi∙thȧ∙nȧ∙va
(o∙yaa gæ∙nȧ = “about you”; hi∙thȧ∙nȧ∙va = “thinking”)
“I’m always thinking of you”
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa gæ∙nȧ hæ∙mȧ this∙sé∙mȧ hi∙thȧ∙nȧ∙va
(hæ∙mȧ this∙sé∙ma = “always”;
“I’m always remembering you” / “You often cross my mind”
ma∙tȧ o∙yaa∙vȧ ni∙thȧ∙rȧ∙mȧ ma∙thak vé∙nȧ∙va
(ma∙tȧ = “for me”; o∙yaa∙vȧ ma∙thak vé∙nȧ∙va = “remembering you”; ni∙thȧ∙rȧ∙mȧ = “often/always”)
3 – Variations of “I miss you”
“I miss you”
ma∙tȧ o∙yaa∙vȧ ‘miss’ vé∙nȧ∙va
(ma∙tȧ = “for me”; o∙yaa∙vȧ ‘miss’ vé∙nȧ∙va = “miss you” (‘miss’ is borrowed from English);
“I miss you a lot”
ma∙tȧ o∙yaa∙vȧ go∙dak ‘miss’ vé∙nȧ∙va
(go∙dak = “a lot”)
4 – “My heart belongs only to you”
ma∙gé ha∙dhȧ∙vȧ∙thȧ ayi∙thi o∙yaa∙tȧ vi∙thȧ∙rayi
(ma∙gé = “my”; ha∙dhȧ∙vȧ∙thȧ = “heart”; ayi∙thi = “belongs”; o∙yaa∙tȧ = “to you”; vi∙thȧ∙rayi = “only”)
Note:
Some might replace ha∙dhȧ∙vȧ∙thȧ with hi∙thȧ, although strictly speaking, hi∙thȧ means “mind”. Also note, this is something you’re bound to hear in any romantic Sinhala movie.
5 – “You are my life / gold / treasure”
o∙yaa ma∙gé pa∙nȧ / rath∙thȧ∙ran / vas∙thu∙wȧ
(o∙yaa = “you” (informal); ma∙gé= “my” ; pa∙nȧ= “life” / rath∙thȧ∙ran= “gold” / vas∙thu∙wȧ = “treasure”)
Note:
These really are from the top shelf of cheesiness. But believe it or not, I’ve heard each of these lines being used. This last one (vas∙thu∙wȧ), I overheard a guy say it to his girlfriend in a bus in Colombo. I was like “Dude, really? In public?”
6 – “I like you” / “I am interested in you”
ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ kæ∙mȧ∙thi
(ma∙mȧ = “I”; o∙yaa∙tȧ = “to/towards you”; kæ∙mȧ∙thi = “like/interested”)
Note:
This one’s for those of you who are early in the relationship, and obviously recognize that maybe I love you in Sinhala is a bit over the top (actually, this might be true in any language)
… And you thought I forgot about you lot.
7 – Pet names to call each other
pæ∙ti∙ya / pæ∙ti∙yo
(pæ∙ti∙ya / pæ∙ti∙yo = name given to any type of baby animal. For example: an adult cat is called poo∙sa, and a baby cat (kitten) is called poos pæ∙ti∙ya)
Note:
Although these names sound like one is feminine and the other masculine, this is not necessarily the case. Either one can be used for either gender.
“baby”
ba∙baa
Note:
As it is with English, although it’s primary meaning is “baby”, it can be used is a romantic context (not very often though) when speaking to your partner. But unlike in English, not every Sinhala love song has ba∙baa in it…
There, my job is done!
I know I’ve just created hell for myself because in addition to I love you in Sinhala, I’ve given my girlfriend plenty of lines to annoy me with for months to come.
But in all sincerity, I’ll admit that somewhere deep down underneath my grimaces and the layers of ‘cringiness’ inside, there’s a part of me that actually likes it when she brings this element of romance into the relationship.
Be it through words like these, gestures, romantic notes, personalized birthday cards, whatever…. they all make me feel that much more special and loved.
(But just don’t tell her that I told you this… The last thing I need is for her to see this as encouragement).
Do you have something specific that you wanted to say to your Sinhala speaking Partner in addition to just I love you in Sinhala? Put it in the comments below and let’s try to find the best translation of it in Sinhala.
Did you like this article? Then please feel free to share it among your friends (simply use any of the social media buttons).
“you look like an angel” = ?
I can translate it for you but I must tell you that, unlike in English, this is not used very often. But here goes:
– o∙yaa dhḗ∙vȧ dhoo∙thi∙kaa∙vak va∙gḗ (to a female)
– o∙yaa dhḗ∙vȧ dhoo∙thȧ∙yék va∙gḗ (to a male)
[o∙yaa = informal you ; dhḗ∙vȧ dhoo∙thȧ∙yék = “a male angel”; dhḗ∙vȧ dhoo∙thi∙kaa∙vak = “a female angel”; va∙gḗ = “like”]
I’m trying to come up with an equivalent romantic line that you can use, with the same effect, but as you may have seen from the post, I’m not very good at this romantic stuff :-)
:)
Thank you :-)
Hi Dilshan,
I love ur blog is extremely helpful… I hope you could help me in translating the following words to english…
umma kate –
sudu boole –
manika –
wasthu kate –
raththaran –
And also help tosuggest some sweet pet names for my sri lankan boyfriend:)
Thank u!
How to say i love u so much my baby elephant in Sinhala?
my guess is Godak adarei mage petiyo???
And how to say kiss you?
Thanks in advance!
Close… But excellent effort though.
It’s “ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ go∙dak aa∙dhȧ∙réyi, ma∙gé a∙li pæ∙ti∙yo”
HOWEVER…
Note that “a∙li pæ∙ti∙ya” is sometimes used to describe someone chubby/fat, especially a chubby kid (uh-oh…blocked out memories from my childhood are rushing back right now….). So I’d be watchful using that, especially if your partner is a heavy set person.
In Sinhala, as far as I know, there isn’t an equivalent signing-off line such as “kiss you”. You could probably say “ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙tȧ haa∙dhu∙wak é∙vȧ∙nȧ∙va” which means “I’m sending you a kiss” – although I don’t think I’ve heard this being used. (but maybe that’s just poor old me who nobody wanted to send kisses too). Boo hoo…
Good luck with everything. Let me know how your partner reacts, ok?
Hi,
thank you so much for your reply.This was very helpfully.Anyway i thought to study sinhalese.I had a few book tht i bought when i was in Sri Lanka.So i hope if i have any questions about learning,i can feel free to ask you.By the way i am married with Sri Lankan boy so i like to study his lang.
Also i would like to say that your blog is very useful and keep up a good work,I was searching for a long time on web a blog like this where actually we can hear a pronounce all words and sentences so we can know how to pronounce them correctly.
Best Regards!
Glad I could help. Thank you also for the kind words about my blog. It’s always nice to hear such positive feedback.
Yes sure, you can ask me questions.
Until next time then…
All the best Tanya!
Hi Mr. Dilshan?! Can I ask what’s the meaning of Ela and Fatta in English? Thanks in advance
Hi Eden, those are slang words, mostly used by the younger generation.
“ela” = “cool” (for example, in agreement to a suggestion made by someone)
“patta” = “awesome” or “amazing” as an adjective.
Does that help? Where did you see/hear them?
Hey Dilshan,
Nice to read your extremely helpful blog here. Am a guy and my boyfriend is SriLankan. We study together in Bangalore, India. He proposed to me last week and we came up wid da usual english pleasantries. Wanna surprise him now. Can you help me translate this to Sinhala? ‘ Dear, with you around i have nothing to fear.
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks. :)
Hi Amol, that’s fantastic, congratulations!
The closest translation I could suggest is “ma∙mȧ o∙yaath ék∙kȧ in∙nȧ kang ma∙tȧ ba∙yȧ vén∙nȧ ki∙si∙mȧ dhé∙yak nǣ”. It translates more to “As long as I’m with you, I have nothing at all to fear”.
Here’s the breakdown of the above phrase (so that you know exactly what you’re saying)
o∙yaath ék∙kȧ = “with you”;
ma∙mȧ o∙yaath ék∙kȧ in∙nȧ kang = “As long as I’m with you”
ma∙tȧ nǣ = “I don’t have”
ma∙tȧ ki∙si∙mȧ dhé∙yak nǣ = “I don”t have anything at all”
ba∙yȧ vén∙nȧ = “to fear”
ma∙tȧ ba∙yȧ vén∙nȧ ki∙si∙mȧ dhé∙yak nǣ = “I don’t have anything to fear at all”
Hope that helps. Good luck!
Hi Dilshan,
I am also very thankful for your blog. I have been waiting to say something in sinhalese to my boyfriend. He is such a humorous guy. Can you help me translate “Your are my prince!”
Thanks Monica!
I have 2 suggestions:
1) “You are my prince” = ‘o∙yaa ma∙gé ku∙maa∙rȧ∙ya’
2) “You are my royal prince” = ‘o∙yaa ma∙gé ra∙jȧ ku∙maa∙rȧ∙ya’
Either one is fine. Hope that helps.
I miss you (a lot)! can also be uba / oya / oba nethuva mata (godak) paalui. උඹ / ඔයා / ඔබා නැතුව මට ගොඩක් පාළුයි – which literately means without (nethuva) you I am lonely (paalu)
Exactly!
Hello please could i have a friendly translation of “im sorry you are leaving”
Hi Dani, you could say something in the lines of “o∙yaa ya∙nȧ é∙kȧ gæ∙nȧ ma∙tȧ dhu∙kayi” (lit: “I am sad about your leaving/departure”). Hope that helps!
Mission accomplished! When hubby came home, I said, “Mama oyaata aadhareyi. Oyaa mata aadhareyidha?” And he said, “God, how annoying!” ;)
Now I’ve just forced him to listen to the podcast and he alternated between giggling and cringing. He even learned how to say “I miss you” in Sinhala, too! (Funny that there’s no corresponding Sinhala word…)
But you didn’t teach us the pet name he called me when we were dating: chooti menika. LOL!
Thanks for this fun lesson!
Haha! Perfect reaction! Exactly what was expected :)
“Chooti Meniké”, that’s very cute.
Thanks for sharing that, Gail. Please say hello to Nishan too. You both made me very happy.
Hi Dilshan,
I just googled what do you mean by I love you in sinhala and then i somehow reached your blog, btw i am an indian and my gf is a srilankan, i have learnt most of these sentences here and it has touched my girls heart a lot, all thanks to you man :D and also i would like to know the meanings of these words
1) you are my Angel
2) you mean the world to me
3) i love you my Angel
And also my apologies in advance as i am really gonna annoy you for more meanings in future :P, i hope you don’t mind and keep up the good work brother :)
I am still awaiting your reply :)
Hi Harold, sorry for the long delay. Some of the phrases you asked for with “angel” might not translate that well into Sinhala (see my answer to the first comment above from Mayank).
o∙yaa ma∙gé mu∙lu lo∙kḗ = “You are my whole world”. Again, not very often used as far as I know.
Sorry again about the delay.
Hey Dilshan, good to see you back, its alright about the delay, i have all the time in the world to learn more about it from you :D
Btw what does ‘Chootemenika’ mean, the word sounds pretty cute, would like to know what it means :)
And tnx again for the reply :)
Hi again Harold,
choo∙ti = “little/tiny”
mæ∙ni∙ké = I suppose the closest word is “maiden” or “damsel” (basically, “young lady/girl”)
It’s a cute name to refer to one’s wife, girlfriend.
I’m curious, where did you hear it?
Scroll up, you ll see from sone other peoples post and comments, so go it from there, it sounded cute and i wanted to know what it means :)
Oh of course! That shows that I’m getting way too many comments on this blog than I can handle. Can’t keep track, haha! (good problem to have though) :)
Also, FYI the word for “gem” or “precious stone” in Sinhala is ‘mæ∙ni∙kȧ’. So I’m guessing (not 100% sure but seems likely) that ‘mæ∙ni∙ké’ came from this word. Just makes it a little more romantic :)
Thanks Dilshan,
I tried out mama oyaata aadarei on my boyfriend (only in an email – I was too shy to say it!) and he responded ‘mamath oyata adarei’ :) So now I’m guessing (and hoping ;D ) that ‘mamath’ means something like ‘me too’ . . .
Oh wow! Big moment! :) Yes, “mamath”, means “me too”. So happy that you built up the courage to say it… Well, now you know what the obvious next step is, right?… Listen to my pronunciation above, practice it, and then say it him directly :) All the best, Erica!
Thank you – it really is great being able to hear the pronunciation of words too. Which brings to mind – are you making any more videos? I’ve studied the first 5 that you sent and found them enormously useful so was wondering if there are more in the series.
Thanks again for this FAB site :)
Hi again Erica, unfortunately, I’ve not really had time to put together more videos. I most likely will develop a collection and sell them on the blog sometime in the near future. Will keep you posted.
Hi Could you translatemama oyagæna hæmathissema hithanava please
Thanks
Hi, it’s “I’m always thinking about you”.
Thanks
Hi dilshan. . I’m getting married soon …I’m Hindi and my fiance is Sri lakh an…I want to surprise him by playing a love song in sinhala for our first dance. Please could you translate the song nethu aadara by uddikka premaratha for me…I love the song. Please please could you help me.
Nishana
in this song: [link removed] what is she responding to ‘ye ye katrina’ when he first says that?
Hallo Dilshan!
Kohomada? ;). Im from iran, i have Bf from Sri Lanka so I’d like to learn some sinhali phrases; i found ur blog is very usefull for me, tnx a lot… I have qus, what’s the meaning of “okkama” in sinhala? Actully i told him “love u” then he rplyd me “okkama” ! What is that meaning?
Tnx Dilshan
Hi Sara, I’m guessing he said “Okama” which could mean either “same thing” or “exactly that thing”. I’ve never heard it being used in this context though as a reply to “I love you”. Hope that helps.
Hi Dilshan,
Just wondered whether “Okkama” could’ve meant “all of me?” or “everything?” as
against your translation for “Okama”
Hi Gerard, yes that’s a possibility too. But still, you wouldn’t just reply with “everything” when someone says “Love you”, would you? (but then again, I’m not the most romantic guy either. What do I know…).
Hi Dilshan
When I heard the podcast for this section, I never thought I’d want to use the phrases here, I gigled along with you during the session
But…… Christmas is nearly here, and it’s a nice addition to the cards on gifts for my wife.
Thank you for the posts on this slushy subject :-)
Regards
Paul
Thanks Paul, glad to hear that you’re going to use some of the mushy phrases. Let me know how she reacts :)
Hi Dilshan,
How do you say, ” You are such a nice guy. I am so happy that I met you. I hope we can be friends forever! “
Hi Mya,
o∙yaa ha∙ri hoňdhȧ mi∙ni∙hék/kol∙lék = “You are a very nice man/boy”
o∙yaa∙vȧ hambȧ vu∙naa∙tȧ ma∙mȧ go∙dak sa∙thu∙tuyi = “I am very happy to have met you”
a∙pi hæ∙mȧ∙dhaa∙mȧ yaa∙lu∙vo vé∙laa iňdhiyi ki∙yȧ∙la ma∙mȧ praar∙thȧ∙na kȧ∙rȧ∙nȧ∙va = “I wish that we will always be friends”
Hope that helps?
Hi
I would be thankful and hope you can you translate this:
America mokada Australia mokada
okkama gebai marge thamie.
please….i saw this on my friend. i just want to know what it is.
I don’t get it entirely, sorry. Might be easier to ask your friend what it means.
Hello.
My boyfriend is from Sri Lanka & this website helped me write him a romantic text and he was soo happy about it, so thank you so much.(:
Anw, could you please tell me some more nicknames for boyfriend? I am calling him pætiyo now and he loves it.
Thank you.
Hello Dilshan, greetings from the UK.
First thank you so much for putting so much energy and time into this site, your videos, phrasebook and audio samples have helped a lot.
I have begun to learn some Sinhala because of a new Sri Lankan love in my life.
My girlfriend calls me “lover” and “sweetheart” a lot and I am wondering what are the same terms in Sinhala?
Thank you.
Hi Steve, firstly, congratulations on the new love in your life (and Sri Lankan too!) :)
“lover” (female) = pém∙vȧ∙thi∙yȧ
“sweetheart” (female) = not too sure but I’d go with ‘sé∙né∙hé∙van∙thi∙yȧ’
Good luck and all the best to you both. Let me know how she reacts :)
Hi Dilshan
She did react well to this when I told her not long after you posted. She had quite the smile on her face!
Cheers
Awesome, buddy! Thanks for the update! :)
Hi there. I’ve been dating my Sri Lankan boyfriend for 5 months now. I’m hoping you can help me translate this:
“I never want to be without you”
and
“I can’t wait to start my life with you”
Thanks!
Hi Jen, congratulations :)
The closest transations:
“I never want to be without you” = ‘ma∙tȧ ka∙vȧ∙dhaa∙vath o∙yaa næ∙thu∙wȧ in∙nȧ bǣ’ (lit. “I can never be without you”)
“I can’t wait to start my life with you” ‘o∙yaath ék∙kȧ a∙pé jee∙vi∙thȧ∙ya pa∙tan gan∙nȧ∙kan ma∙tȧ in∙nȧ bǣ” (“our” life instead of “my”)
All the best and do let me know how he reacts :)
Please translate “My Honey” as name called to sweethearts
Hi Dilshan,
This I found out myself!
Sweety manika, umma, umma!
U must try, no charge!
Ha! Very generous of you. Ok, will try and let you know the results :)
Hi Dilshan,
I am preparing to propose to my girlfriend (who is Sri Lankan) and was hoping you could help me by translating;
“Will you marry me?”
I have always been very bad at learning Sinhala but I think my girlfriend would thoroughly enjoy it if I was able to ask her this.
Thank you in advance.
Wow buddy, this is great news!
I’m assuming that your Sri Lankan girlfriend speaks Sinhala (and not Tamil)? You might want to check this since both languages are spoken in Sri Lanka.
Assuming it’s Sinhala, the direct translation of “Will you marry me?” sounds a little weird to me in my head so we’re going to go with “Would you like to marry me?” (trust me on this).
For that I’ll give you 2 choices.
1) o∙yaa maa∙vȧ baňdhin∙nȧ kæ∙mȧ∙thi∙dhȧ?
2) o∙yaa maa∙vȧ ka∙saa∙dhȧ baňdhin∙nȧ kæ∙mȧ∙thi∙dhȧ?
The only difference is the inclusion of the word “ka∙saa∙dhȧ” in the 2nd version. Either one is fine but I’d personally go with the 2nd – seems proper.
FYI…
– ‘o∙yaa’ = informal “you”;
– ‘maa∙vȧ ka∙saa∙dhȧ baňdhin∙nȧ’ or ‘maa∙vȧ baňdhin∙nȧ’ = “to marry me”
– ‘kæ∙mȧ∙thi∙dhȧ?’ = “like”
I’ll email you the pronunciation a little later. Would be kinda awkward if she doesn’t understand your accent and you’re down on one knee, sweating nervously while she looks confused :)
Haha, thank you very much.
Yeah it definitely is Sinhala. The pronunciation would be great, it would be the worst time for confusion :)
Can you also send me an email about the pronounciation for this? Cause I may potentially be doing the same thing
Hey Dilshan!
Thank you very much for your useful blog! Will soon be able to reconciliate with my basic sinhala knowledge thanks to you!
I am half sri lankan half french and my dad never spoke sinhala to me.
I was just written this by a lankan gentleman: “mata oya nathuwa inna ba”
Can you please translate for me?
Thank you!! Bohome istuti ?
Ayomi
Hi Ayomi, thanks for reaching out. Glad you find the blog useful. Your lankan gentleman said “I cannot be without you”…
Woooo…. :)
ma∙tȧ bǣ = “I can’t”
in∙nȧ = “to be/exist”
o∙yaa = “you”
næ∙thu∙wȧ = “without”
Does that help understand it better?
And also please, what is mage kella? Am lost… In translation ?
ma∙gé = “my”
kél∙lȧ = “girl”
So, “my girl”
This gentleman is making things quite clear I think ;-)
Thank you very much for your kind and prompt answer!
All the best,
Ayomi
Hi Dilshan,
I just came back from Sri Lanka recently, and someone has written to me “oyta mama adarai”. Which is written in a different order to what you wrote above (mamȧ oyaatȧ aadhȧréyi) AND with a different spelling !
Does that mean that the first two words can be placed in either order (oyta mama or mama oyta)?
Makes learning confusing !
Thanks for your help. I’m having a lot of fun with this site :-)
Hi Laurence, firstly, forget about comparing the spelling since there is no standard way of writing Sinhala words in English. I write them in a way that I think best captures the pronunciation. But that doesn’t mean that someone else’s spelling is wrong.
Regarding the order of the words, yes, both versions can be said, but I would recommend my version since I feel it is slightly more “correct”
I want to sing a sinhala love song for my girlfriend.. Could u suggest a song and the meaning of what m singing.. I want to feel every word I sing.. I really love her…
Hi Sam, that’s nice but unfortunately my knowledge of Sinhala songs is really bad. I confess I don’t listen to Sinhala songs or radio stations so I really can’t recommend anything. Hopefully some other reader who sees this might be able to help you out. Sorry about that buddy.
Hello Dilshan,
Thank you for shedding some (much-needed) light on the intricacies of Sinhala!
I just came back from Sri Lanka, where I quite unexpectedly met a funny and all together rather winsome Sinhalese man (I say “rather unexpectedly” because I was not looking to meet anybody, in fact it hadn’t even crossed my mind at all). I made gallantly copious (or should I say “copiously gallant”? Hmmm..) efforts to repudiate my my attraction to him, because I felt it was not appropriate at the time. However, due to circumstances beyond my control, we were around each other for at least 8 hours per day for 11 days. On our last night together I thought I picked up some vibes from him, but naturally I swiftly dismissed them too.
Well, it turns out the attraction was mutual and a sort of “something” started between us via texts (right now I can picture you saying “Really?” to yourself) from the moment I stepped on the plane to fly home. His English is, shall we say, rather “challenging” for me, which coupled with my total lack of previous experience in conducting any kind of relationship, let alone this kind (whatever that may be), via texting/chatting, renders this endeavour nigh unfeasible (well, I shall not tell a lie, there is a bunch of other things that contributes, but those are well beyond the the scope of linguistics discussed here, so I won’t go into them). Plainly put, I spend too much time trying to “translate” his English to a more standard version. He keeps saying, “what I do”, which after some research I now understand, and “I don’t understand what I say now” (no punctuation in either of these).
Have you any idea what he means by:1)”my feeling is good” 2) “I cannot identify” 3) “I think not now” and it doesn’t mean what it seems like it does 4) “have lot of think.and I wont say dont try to stop and your feeling and try to developed” 5) “it came by hearts” 6) “and you have good feeling” 7) and, finally, is there an expression in Sinhala that says something like “you and me tub(e)lights”.
I have a nagging suspicion that he is translating directly from Sinhala, so perhaps you could help.
So sorry for the jeremiad, but I guess I needed to get it out!
Thanks a lot,
L.
Hi Lehen, sorry for the delay.
Well… that’s quite the situation you’ve got yourself into. But it’s very sweet, nevertheless. One of those “You’re so wrong for me that you’re so right” stories. Been there, done that.
For the life of me, I can’t (and don’t know if it’s even fair to him) try to interpret what your beau has been saying. The only thing I could decipher in some certainty is “tubelight” which essentially is what we in SL call a typical white fluorescent lamp. And since when it is switched it takes a couple of seconds to light up, we use the term “tubelight” to someone who in a certain moment takes too long to understand a joke or understand what the other person said.
Does this make sense?
Hello Dilshan,
I read your blog in the past to get some info on how to freak my S.L. Boyfriend out. I now often ask, whether he loves me or not in Sri Lankan. Hahaha!
But my request now is to learn how to say “Don’t lie to me.”
Many thanks.
Z
Ok… wasn’t expecting that. Here it is: matå boru kiyanna épaa
Let me know how he reacts. Shocked would be my guess…
Well you’d be right in assuming.
He did a startled pause and started laughing, then commented on my accent.
A+ thank you!!
Haha, perfect! Couldn’t have asked for a better reaction.
can you tell me what does PAWAM means. This is a srilankan word
what does pawam means in srilanka
Hi Dilshan,
I agree some were a little cheesy but some were good and I will try to use them rather than the usual ‘I love you’.
What I would like to know how to say is: Where have you been? Why did that take you so long? You are so late, your dinner is in the dog. Thank you for the present, it’s lovely. (It’s our anniversary today) ahhhhh!
I’m not really a moaner but they will have more impact if said in Sinhala.
My husband is impressed with my progress as I come out with random snippets from time to time.
Thanks for your help.
Patty
Hi.
I was recently in Sri Lanka.
I have kept in touch with my yoga instructor who also gave massages.
He keeps writing: “I am with you always”
Is this normal?
He is a buddhist so I thought it had something to do with that.
Now I am not so sure what to think..
Hmm… It’s difficult for me to judge if it’s “normal” or not considering that I’ve also been guilty of (intentionally) having said a lot of weird things to girls during my single years just to throw them off balance :) I’ll just say that I haven’t heard anyone saying this before. I think best would be for you to ask him directly. No more mystery then. Good luck.
Hi Dilshan!
This is such an awesome and useful blog, I’ve made quite a few Sri Lankan friends in the last couple of years and have been learning Kandyan dancing and getting into the music, so I’d love to learn the language to understand the songs better. If only there were a similar website where I could learn my mother tongue (Gujarati)… :P
We’re about to break up from uni for summer and one of my closest friends is Sinhalese, so I was just wondering how you’d say “I will miss you” (i.e. with the future tense)?
Also, mama oyate adhareyi can be used for friends too, right?
Thanks so much! Looking forward to your reply :)
Hi Aashini, kem cho?
Thanks for the kind words. I never get tired of hearing “awesome & useful blog”.
The simplest way to say “I will miss you” (in the future tense) is ‘ma∙tȧ o∙yaa∙vȧ miss vén∙nȧ ya∙nȧ∙va’ (“I’m going to miss you”).
I’m not too sure if ‘mama oyate adhareyi’ can be used on friends. I think its best left to romantic conversations.
Does that make sense?
:O Saru che! Ane tamne? :D
Thanks very much, I do hope to learn the grammar of all this one day so I can figure these things out myself, though that will take time :)
That does make sense… so is there a version of ‘I love you’ that can be used for friends? Or something with a similar meaning?
PS I actually do go around collecting ‘I love you’s in different languages. Guess it must be a girl thing xD
Aashini, as of now, I can’t really think of a phrase that is equivalent to “I love you” that can be used on a friend. I know that if you say “ma∙mȧ o∙yaa∙la∙tȧ aa∙dhȧ∙réyi” (using the plural “you”) ona group of friends, it works because then there’ll be no ambiguity. Let me think about that and get back to you. About the “I love you” collection, years ago I had the bright idea of creating an app that had I love you’s from languages around the world. Did some heartbreaking research to realize that there were already a number of them in the app store… You should think about getting one since you’re a collector.
Hi Dishlan,
Your blog is fantastic as I now have a wonderful Sri Lankan boyfriend. I will be relying on you for phrases in future lol! Altho my BF has a sense of humour & sent him last night the phrase ‘I am always thinking of you’ & he tells me today I said ‘I’m not always thinking of you’ – I got a all flustered til he started laughing! LOL ?. Can’t wait to visit Sri Lanka for 1st time in Oct with Yaso ?. Want to learn the basics too such as hello, goodbye, thank you etc.
Oops sorry Dilshan ?
Hi Dalliene… Oops sorry Danielle (see how I got my revenge? ;-))
Thanks for all the nice words. I too LOVE teasing my wife and making her get flustered the same way your Yaso does, so we have that in common. The basic words you mentioned are all included the in the free ebook I sent you the day you signed up. Let me know if you don’t find it?
Can you tell me how to say “i hate you” or I’m angry at you…. the problem is that the second phrase might mean longer words too. I will tell it to him in times that he make me so mad. thank u
P.S. don’t worry, the “I hate you” is not meant to hurt my husband.One time, I searched the translation online, he said it means “i hate you” but has a deeper meaning talking about “revenge” I dont like that. but i simply wanna tell him sometimes that I hate him and i believe it will make sense to him if i Tell it in his language…. i searched it now again, is this consistent? mama um̆baṭa vaira karanavā
Haha, never got this question below. I think you should just stick to the Sinhala equivalent of “I’m angry at you” which is “ma∙mȧ o∙yaath ék∙kȧ tha∙ra∙hayi”. Or in the heat of the moment you could say “o∙yaa maa∙vȧ tha∙ra∙ha gas∙sȧ∙nȧ∙va” (“You’re making me angry”). Hope that helps. Let me know how he reacts. Good luck.
I have been dating a man of Sri Lankan heritage who was my childhood friend since the age of 8 for nearly a year now in January 2017. His parents, aunties, uncles and cousins have all been very impressed with my learning Sinhala. Thank you for all your help in my learning! His mom and I practice together all the time. They are very excited that I want to learn! In 2017 we are all going to Sri Lanka so I hope I can impress his family there too especially his aachi whom I’ve only met via FaceTime. I think being a native English and Spanish speaker helps me learn Sinhalese quicker. Any who, thank you very much for helping me actively show an interest to my love and bestfriend and his family!
Hi Krystal, thanks for sharing your story! So glad my material has helped in impressing your boyfriend and his family. I’m sending you a little related “gift” by email that might help you further. Check you inbox in a minute.
Hi there, thanks gig this useful site… What does Pana & also Patia mean?
Uh oh… Looks like someone didn’t read the entire post.
Hi Dilshan
my sri lankan boyfriend called me “sodo”
What does it mean?
Many thanks
Have you tried asking him, Anja?
Yes of course ;-) But he speaking only little english and can not explain the meaning of this word.
Ok, understood. I think the word he’s saying is “su∙dhō”, which is a term of endearment like saying “dear” or “darling”. It comes from the word ‘su∙dhu’ (which as you might remember from Colors In Sinhala, means “white”) but I don’t think that it’s relevant in this case. Here it’s simply a term of endearment. Does that make sense?
Hi Dilshan..
This is fantastic blog. U help so much of us that trying to understand sinhala.
Well.. i am indonesian and been dating srilankan handsome boy for 5months now.
I am so inlove.
I am trying to learn and understand sinhala since.
But please can u translate this for me
” I am so lucky to have you”
Thank you so much..
Oh bu the way I learn sinhale from your youtube. So helpful.
Thank you so so much Dilshan
‘o∙yaa∙vȧ læ∙bén∙nȧ ma∙mȧ ha∙ri vaa∙sȧ∙naa∙van∙thayi’
(Direct translation: “to receive you, I am very lucky).
I’m translating this for you one one condition: You must tell me how he reacts when you say it, ok?
Thanks also for the kind words. Now go be in love, you crazy kids.
hi Dilshan. I need you to translate something for me if you can. I am from Romania and I try to understand this language, but it seems so hard…
Anyway, this is the subject: “sanin samawa denna… Sinasenna haki hamawita… Samata Adare karanna… me jivithe borna ketie… obata… mata, thawa kopamana kalayac ithiri wee thibeda kiya api kisiwek danne na…” It was hard to write it, so I hope it’s more easy to translate it. it seems to me that this is a short kind of writing, but I am sure you will understand it better than me. Thank you so much in advance for your answer.
Sorry Petrean, I don’t do personal requests for song translations.
This is really good, I can surprise my grandparents with my new knowledge! My immediate family only speak English, however my grandparents speak Sinhala (rarely) as they immigrated to Australia from Sri Lanka in the 60’s. I’m glad I read through the comments as well; it made me laugh to see that chooti means small, because often my mum will say “small chooti”, and i don’t think she realises the meaning even though she would have grown up with the word chooti.
“Small Chooti”, that’s funny. A bit like when people say “ATM Machine” or “PIN number”. Have you already tried speaking a few words with your grandparents? How were the reactions?
Hi dilashan. My boyfriend wants me to write him a love letter in sinhala and im legit clueless on how to and what i should write pleassssseeeeeee could u help me😢 if i dont writer it soon he’ll be really disappointed. I just need few start up lines and romantic qoutes like.pleaseree dilshan im relying on u right now:(
Sorry, Sash. This is not what I do :) I hope you understand.
But I hope you find a solution to your problem. All the best!
Dilshan
I’ve read someone was called “Kikini” or something similar (i might have mislooked) but that’s not her real name. Is it some sort of pet name? Or what is it when translated to english? Thank you!
Interesting, Fayem. Could it have been “kikili”? It’s still a little weird because it means “hen” but then again who am I to judge? :)
Thanks for your reply! Well, it could also be “Kildni” or “Kidni”. Does it ring any bell? I’m sorry I’m too desperate to know :). I saw my boyfriend still has his ex in his chat history and her actual name isn’t what was saved in his phone :))) is there any chance that sort of context to my question give you any idea what that word is? I have zero knowledge of Sinhala and just started studying.. thanks again!
How do you feel about asking your boyfriend directly? I’m going to guess that he’ll know the answer.
Ok thanks!
Superb thanks sir
Hi..
What does mage patiyo mean?
A guy I’m friends with has said it 2 me like twice.