මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි
mama oyāṭa ādareyi
To say "I love you" in Sinhala, use මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි (mama oyāṭa ādareyi). Wiktionary also lists මම ඔබට ආදරෙයි (mama obaṭa ādareyi).
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Sinhala | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි | mama oyāṭa ādareyi |
| මම ඔබට ආදරෙයි | mama obaṭa ādareyi |
This phrase is used as an affirmation of romantic feeling.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි literally breaks down to "I to you love": මම means "I", ඔයාට means "to you" and ආදරෙයි means "love".
Which one should you use?
The form මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි is the standard informal way to say 'I love you' to a partner or peer, while මම ඔබට ආදරෙයි is more formal and is less commonly used in intimate romantic settings than the informal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb ආදරෙයි is a fixed form in this context and does not change based on the gender of the speaker or the person being loved.
How do you pronounce it?
mama oyāṭa ādareyi
Did you know?
- The word ආදරෙයි is derived from the Sanskrit word 'ādara', which originally meant 'respect' or 'esteem' rather than romantic passion.
- In Sri Lankan culture, the phrase මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි is rarely spoken aloud between partners in public, as romantic affection is more commonly expressed through subtle gestures and glances.
- Because direct declarations of love can feel too intense, many Sinhala speakers use the word මම ඔයාට කැමතියි, which literally means 'I like you', to convey romantic interest in the early stages of a relationship.
Examples in context
- මම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි.mama oyata aadarey.I love you.
Example conversation
A couple is walking in a park at sunset.
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaමම ඔයාට ආදරෙයි, තරිඳු.mama oyata aadarey, tharindu.I love you, Tharindu.
- තරිඳු Tharinduමමත් ඔයාට ආදරෙයි, කවින්ද්යා.mamath oyata aadarey, kavindya.I love you too, Kavindya.
- කවින්ද්යා Kavindyaඔයා මගේ ජීවිතයමයි.oya mage jeevithayamayi.You are my whole life.
- තරිඳු Tharinduමමත් එහෙමයි.mamath ehemayi.Me too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I love you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
