Day 55 · Making Suggestions & Advice 🗯️
1 · Core Words (12)
Onē [o-nay]
oya yanna onē 👍
ඕනේ
Should / need to
You should go
Hondai [hon-dai]
karanna hondai 💡
හොඳයි
Better to
Better to do
Uthsa karanna
mata uthsaaha karala balanna denna
මට උත්සාහ කරලා බලන්න දෙන්න
Try
let me try
Hithanna
mata hithanna denna
මට හිතන්න දෙන්න
Think
let me think
Adahasak
aluth adahasak
අලුත් අදහසක්
Idea
new idea
Ahanna
mata ahanna puluwanda?
මට අහන්න පුළුවන්ද?
Ask
may I ask?
Ahagena inna
hondin ahagena inna
හොඳින් අහගෙන ඉන්න
Listen
listen carefully
Udaw karanna
mata udaw karanna puluwanda?
මට උදව් කරන්න පුළුවන්ද?
Help
can you help me?
Lesi
honda lesi
හොඳ ලේසි
Easy
nice easy
Amaru
lassana amaru
ලස්සන අමාරු
Difficult
beautiful difficult
Samahara wita
mama samahara wita yanawa
මම සමහර විට යනවා
Maybe
I am going maybe
Wædagath
pirisidu wædagath
පිරිසිදු වැදගත්
Important
clean important
2 · Typical Phrases (6)
Oya eka karanna onē — You should do that
Uthsa karanna hondai — Better to try
Mage adahasak thiyenawa — I have an idea
Ahagena inna hondai — Better to listen
Udaw illanna — Ask for help
Meeka wædagath — This is important
3 · Dialogue (8)
A: Mata meeka amaru wagē.
— This feels difficult for me.
B: Oya uthsa karanna onē. — You should try.
A: Samahara wita udawak onē. — Maybe I need help.
B: Ahanna, mama udaw karannam. — Ask, I will help.
A: Oya adahasak thiyenawada? — Do you have an idea?
B: Ow, me widihata karanna hondai. — Yes, better to do it this way.
A: Eka lesida? — Is it easy?
B: Ow, tikak lesi wei. — Yes, it will be a bit easy.
B: Oya uthsa karanna onē. — You should try.
A: Samahara wita udawak onē. — Maybe I need help.
B: Ahanna, mama udaw karannam. — Ask, I will help.
A: Oya adahasak thiyenawada? — Do you have an idea?
B: Ow, me widihata karanna hondai. — Yes, better to do it this way.
A: Eka lesida? — Is it easy?
B: Ow, tikak lesi wei. — Yes, it will be a bit easy.
4 · Cultural Note
Advice in Sri Lanka is usually gentle, not direct. People avoid saying “you must” too strongly. Suggestions often start with “samahara wita” – maybe. Listening patiently is considered respectful. Friends freely give ideas even without asking. Elders’ advice carries special value. Helping others is seen as a duty. Refusing advice directly can sound rude. Community wisdom is more trusted than rules. Kind tone matters more than perfect words.