The course is designed for foreigners living in Sri Lanka who want to gain a basic, practical knowledge of the spoken language.

Many foreigners living in Sri Lanka feel that they can "get by" with English in most situations, and to a certain extent this is true. But those who do make the effort to learn the Sinhala language usually find the experience rewarding. Apart from the many practical uses (at work, at home, travelling in buses and trishaws, shopping, travelling out of Colombo, etc.), a knowledge of Sinhala will enrich your stay in Sri Lanka and give you an invaluable insight into the people and culture of the country.

WHY THE BRITISH COUNCIL?
We have been running our popular Sinhala beginners' course for the past 10 years. We are the only school in Colombo offering Sinhala lessons in a classroom environment using the latest language teaching methods. Our teacher, Michael, has lived in Sri Lanka for 20 years and understands the problems of foreign learners. We offer two levels:

SINHALA 1 (Beginners)
This 40-hour course is designed for foreigners living in Sri Lanka who want to gain a basic, practical knowledge of spoken Sinhala. On completing the course you will be able to communicate in simple everday situations: introducing yourself, shopping, making simple requests and offers, etc. You will learn a basic vocabulary of common nouns, verbs, adjectives and time expressions and will also be able to recognise the most common letters of the Sinhala alphabet.

Course length	40 hours
Class times	Monday and Wednesday from 1800 to 2000 or Tuesday and Thursday from 0830 to 1030 Duration: 10 weeks
Location	Teaching Centre, British Council, Colombo
Fee	Rs.24,300/- (payments can be made by cash, cheque or credit card)
Term dates	from 6 October to 11 December 2008

SINHALA 2
This 40-hour course is designed for anyone who has completed the beginners' course or who already has a basic knowledge of spoken Sinhala. On completing this course you will be able to communicate more effectively in everyday situations: telephone conversations, taking a three-wheeler, talking about daily routines, etc. You will build up your vocabulary, learn to use different tenses (past, future, present perfect) and increase your knowledge of Sinhala script.

Course dates: next classes start in January 2009. Please look out for more details on this page by Monday 15 December 2008.

HOW TO REGISTER

Registration begins on Sunday 14 September 2008. You are strongly advised to register early to ensure a place on the course.

Please contact the Teaching Centre registration desk at the following times:

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MICHAEL MEYLER