Albanian

[red devil]

Isn't Q like ch in southern dialects only, and kj in the northern?

Well in reality,in pronounciation, in northern dialects (especially Kosovo) the difference between "q" and "ç" is virtually non-existant. They are pronounced as weak "ch" (chore) in English

In sounthern dialects and in the Standard Albanian, these two sounds are very distinct. I will post a link where you will be able to hear the difference, soon

[CoBB]

1. Dua që ta bësh.

2. Dojmë që ta shikojmë.

3. Shkoj per të punuar. Kremtojmë që të dua.

Hmmm, the problem is indeed that we don't know anything about the use of nouns.

[CoBB]

I've got a little question about lesson 1. You wrote that 'he loves me/you' is '(ai) më/të do'. Shouldn't that be 'don'?

Also, as a general remark, if the formal conjugation is nothing more than the second person singular, it's unnecessary to list all the time. Are there any cases where they are different?

[Asturies]

My friends all say Tung (hello and goodbye) - they're 25 - i think it depends on who you're speaking too. If the other person is equal or younger than you Tung is ok. If its a formal situation or you are speaking to an elder - I'd use the full.


I think

Yes Klee, I think. I have been in Albania and Kosova and people say it that you said...

[Klee]

Hehe i haven't done this before - so I'll post now - you started from a different place entirely from all the books i have - its good!!

1) dua që ta berë

2) dojmë që ta shikuar

although seem to be different from everyone elses

[red devil]

I've got a little question about lesson 1. You wrote that 'he loves me/you' is '(ai) më/të do'. Shouldn't that be 'don'?

Very well spotted. The answer to this question is they are both correct. I forgot to put the alternative versions, apologies, I will correct this.

Also, as a general remark, if the formal conjugation is nothing more than the second person singular, it's unnecessary to list all the time. Are there any cases where they are different?

The formal 'you'(to a single person) is always the same as 'you' (to many people), no exceptions.

[Rikita]

I wrote some more sentences, trying to also use the nouns and more of the verbs. I am pretty sure they are all wrong, but just for fun I tried to play a little with the words, maybe I am lucky and one of them is right...

Kremtoj që të punon.
Fillojmë që ta punojmë.
Shkoj për të shikuar film.
Kremtojmë që (të) shkollë fillon.

[marie427]

Well in reality,in pronounciation, in northern dialects (especially Kosovo) the difference between "q" and "ç" is virtually non-existant. They are pronounced as weak "ch" (chore) in English

I speak the Gheg dialect of Albanian because my parents are from Kosovo (I was born in New York). I would love to help out in this community, although my writing skills in shqip are poor.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention something about "q" in shqip. I grew up pronouncing it practically like "sh", which is why I still get confused about how certain words are spelled because I'm not sure whether to spell a certain word with "sh" or "q", since they sound identical to me, thanks to my parents' Kosovar dialect. So, "shqip" is pronounced as if the "sh" is just more forceful, if that makes sense. I do know that "q" is very distinct in the Tosk (southern) dialect, and that in other parts of the Albanian-speaking regions, "q" sounds more like "ch". It's a confusing sound since it's pronounced in several different ways, and someone trying to speak Albanian should try and get an idea where the Albanian person they're speaking to is originally from.

Although Red Devil definitely seems more equipped to prepare lessons here, I hope to help out in any way that I can! Just keep in mind that I need some writing help myself, even though I can speak and understand shqip fluently. I'll try to visit as often as possible, although sometimes my work schedule precludes me from posting every night.

[Rikita]

Just wondering when the next lesson will be there...

[Asturies]

Can any create a conversation in Albanian with "How are you...I am fine...Where are you from" and someone more, please?

[red devil]

Present Tense Continued


Albanian verb structure is very complex. All verbs that I have shown you so far, I have constructed in the simple ‘mood’ (Dëftore/Indicative). Unfortunately, Albanian has 6 moods in total, and to further complicate things each mood has their own number of different tenses.


Just for an illustration:

Qenke I shpejtë (You are fast!) (surprised)
Je I shpejtë (you are fast) (indicative)

For the sake of simplicity I will stick to the simple-cum-indicative mood (for the time being). The Indicative is the mood you will use the most, and I will continue to teach you how to form sentences in it, same as I have done in the previous two lessons.

For more information on moods and the general Grammatical structure of Albanian, here’s a great external link http://www.argjiro.net/albi/green/?book ... bchapter=2



In the last lesson I have briefly shown you how to construct simple sentences with UAR verbs in the present tense. One bonus here is that you can apply the same endings to virtually all UAR verbs in Albanian, and another bonus is that the majority of verbs in Albanian are of UAR type.

Again these are: oj, on, oni, on, ojmë, oni, ojnë

If you read an Albanian text, and see a word ending in ‘oj’, you’ve most certainly hit a verb in the first person form. Here are a few more verbs of this type you could play around with:

Për të Përfunduar (to complete, to accomplish)
Për të Shfrytëzuar (to use)
Për të Larguar (to move away, to leave)
Për të Lexuar (to Read)
Për të Frymëzuar(to Inspire)

Other verb types in Albanian

Verbs ending with UR:

Për të Përdorur (to use)
Për të Përsosur (to perfect, to improve)
Për të Vendosur (to decide)

The endings in the present indicative tense are: i, ë, ni, ë, im, ni, in
So:

I use – (unë) përdori
You use – (ti) përdorë
You use [formal] – përdorni
He/She uses – (ai/ajo) përdorë

We use – (ne) përdorim
You (pl) use – (ju) përdorni
They use – (ata/ato) përdorin


Verbs ending with Rë:

Për të larë (to wash)
Për të bërë (To do) (irregular)
ër tu larë (to bathe)

The endings in the present indicative tense are: j, n, ni, n, jmë, ni, jnë

So:

I do – (unë) bëj
You do – (ti) bën
You do [formal] – bëni
He/She does – (ai/ajo) bën

We do – (ne) bëjmë
You (pl) do – (ju) bëni
They do – (ata/ato) bëjnë

[DanSwe]

Thought i would get my answer here, i read in a school project at internet made by a pupil in Sweden who has roots in Albania that the students in Albania has russian as 2nd language. Is this really true?

[Oleksij]

Well, maybe some people still know Russian in Albania, because it would have been taught during the communist times. But, anyway, I don't think younger generations might know it in big numbers.
I too was surprised when a Polish student in my school told me he could speak Russian and learnt it at school. Even I never learnt Russian in Ukraine!

[red devil]

Speaking of second languages, most Albanians in Albania speak at least one other foreign language. In most cases this would be Italian (due to the enormous influence this country exerts on Albania) and in some southern towns most people speak Greek fluently.

Younger generations are most likely Italian and English speakers, some of them Greek speakers.

Russian in Albania is not spoken at all. Very few people that do speak it are probably in their 50-ies and even they may have forgotten it. But it is true that the language was taught in schools during the 50-ties, but this stopped soon after the political links with Russia broke later in the 60-ies.

It was replaced with Chinese, until it was dropped altogether later in the decade. Even then most Albanians were fluent in Italian, due to RAI Radio and TV (Italian state broadcaster) being easily accessible despite the communist ban.

[Skurai]

1.për të shkuar
(unë) shkoj
(ti) shkon
(ju) shkoni
(ai/ajo) shkon

(ne) shkojmë
(ju) shkoni
(ata/ato) shkojnë

2.për të dështuar > për ta dështuar

3.shkojmë për ta shikuar

[Rikita]

according to this book i was looking at, how are you is in the formal form "si jeni" - so i would assume the informal form it's "si je" - is that right?

and the answer according to the book is "shume mire" (with dots on the e's, but i don't have them on my keyboard)...

is that correct?

[Kastrioti]

"si je" is correct, for how are you.
"qysh je" is even more casual.
"shumë mirë" means very good.
"keq" is bad.

[Vinaok]

First of all, hi
That's my first post in the Albanian virtual school of language although I've visited this section many times so far. I've always been interested in the eerie Albanian language and culture mostly cause i've spent most part of my short life in an Arbëreshë village in south italy. I've born there and dwelled till my 12 years when I moved to a bigger city and i have nearly lost all the acknowledge I had attained in that albanian dialect.

Well after this quite pointless beginning i'd like to know if there's in this forum other albanian mother tongue or learner who shares this interest or if they are able to understand or deal in some way with it.

My skills are right now almost beside zero and i don't even know if there's a way to gather more information or grammar thingies.
My grandmother (hope last dies) is almost natively aquainted with it as she has spoken it all life long and still nowadays elder people use to communicate in Arbëreshë idiom. I don't know how much help i'll manage to take out of here, she's really old now and italian influence has never been so closer and harmful. However i'll keep on harping on it though i am totally unaware about his writing or spelling rule ( i really doubt one exists ) therefor i'll try to rake up audio stuffs if there's anyone able and glad to deal with I've placed the starting stone

[Rikita]

faleminderit shumë!

[Tomcat]

Could anybody translate me these two sentences?

"X has entered the room"
"X has left the room"

Please mark or explain which words stand for "the room".

Thanks a lot in advance!

Tomcat