Common English mistakes Sinhala speakers make, and how to fix them

If your first language is Sinhala, your English mistakes follow Sinhala grammar and sounds, plus Sri Lankan English habits that are clear at home and puzzling abroad. Sri Lankan English is a real variety; these are the patterns to switch for a global audience. Transfer, not carelessness, and each has a clear fix.

The big ones. 1) "Put" (dānna) for everything: "put a call", "put a signature", "put the fan" → "make a call", "sign", "turn on the fan". 2) "Drink medicine", "drink cigarettes" (bonawa) → "take medicine", "smoke". 3) "I'll come" when you're leaving (ennam) → "I'm off" / "I'll be back". 4) He/she mixed ("eyā" is gender-neutral): "My brother… she" → "he". 5) "No?" as a universal tag: "You're coming, no?" → "aren't you?". 6) Continuous with stative verbs: "I am having a car" → "I have a car". 7) /f/ as /p/ and /z/ as /s/: "pan" for "fan", "sero" for "zero" — blow the /f/, buzz the /z/. 8) "Also" in the wrong place and "only" for emphasis: "I also will come", "today only" → "I'll come too", "today". 9) Sri Lankan usage that confuses abroad: "what to do" (oh well), "shape" (fine), "years back" (years ago), "cousin brother" (cousin), "off the light" (turn off). 10) Missing articles and a flat rhythm: "I am doctor" → "a doctor"; stress one syllable — "comPUter", "deVELop".

A list won't fix these; making them out loud and being corrected in the moment will. Airi is built for that: she hears the pattern, fixes the one mistake that matters in her reply, and keeps the conversation going. Speak with her daily and these stop being habits within a few weeks. Free to start, no card.

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