Albanian Language
Adding another language to my collection
My first language is English and I have a love of languages. My parents encouraged travel from a young age but with that gift came the mandatory requirement of studying the language before I was permitted to go abroad. I have carried that through my entire life and EVERY time I go to a new country I at least learn the basics the best I can.
I speak English and decent Japanese (it used to be very good but it’s been a while since I used it daily). I have been living in Central/South America for 7 months and I studied Spanish in high school, while I am FAR from good enough, I know enough to live and and not die! LOL
Other languages I have studied, but only know basic greetings, Portuguese, German, Romanian, Bulgarian, Turkish….and now I will also learn the basics of Serbian because I am spending a month there next. BUT, I really really want to learn Albanian. Since I will be spending 3 months in Albania this summer I have decided that I will start taking lessons from an Albanian teacher now.
I took my first class this week and will continue to take classes twice a week with a wonderful instructor from Tirana, Albania named Luli. I found her contact information on a facebook expat channel and I reached out to her with my interest. I love her already 
and I hope to be able to do classes in person when I arrive in Albania.
Fun Facts
- 36 letters in the Alphabet
- Spoken by around 6 million people
- Countries in the Balkans that speak Albanian: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Greece
- 500 year old Albanian is spoken by a community in southern Italy
- There are two dialects: Tosk in the South and Gheg in the North. Standard Albanian is based on the Tosk dialect
- Albanian language is an independent branch of the Indo-European language tree, which means there is no other language quite like it
- Your aunt and uncle have multiple names depending on if it is your mother or father’s side
- Every letter is phonetically sound…like Spanish and Japanese
- Albanian word order is relatively free, but the most common sentence structure is subject-verb-object
Wish me luck!!
Albanian
Alphabet
| A a cow |
B b bat |
C c hats |
Ç ç chin |
D d debt |
Dh dh then |
E e bed |
Ë ë about, the |
F f far |
| G g go |
Gj gj gear |
H h hat |
I i seed |
J j yes |
K k scar |
L l lean |
Ll ll ball |
M m man |
| N n not |
Nj nj onion |
O o law |
P p spin |
Q q cute |
R r pero |
Rr rr perro |
S s son |
Sh sh show |
| T t stand |
Th th thin |
U u boot |
V v van |
X x goods |
Xh xh jet |
Y y French tu, German Lüge |
Z z zip |
Zh zh vision |
Albanian
The Basics
- Good morning – Mirëmëngjes!
- Good day – Mirëdita!
- Good evening – Mirëmbrëma!
- Good night – Natën e mirë
- Hello – Përshëndetje! / Tungjatjeta
- Bye – Mirupafshim!
- Thank you – Faleminderit
- You’re welcome – Ju lutem
- Yes – Po
- No – Jo
- Sorry – Më fal
- Excuse me – Më falni
- How are you? – Si Jeni?
- Nice to meet you – Gëzohem që ju takoj
- What’s your name? – Si quheni?
- I don’t understand – (Unë) nuk kuptoj
- Do you speak English? – Flisni Anglisht?
- What time is it? – Sa është ora?
- Can you help me? – Mund të më ndihmoni?
- Where can I find the toilets? – Ku është tualeti / banjoja?
Albanian
In a restaurant
- Cheers – Gëzuar
- Could I please see the menu? – A mund të shoh menunë, ju lutem?
- How much is it? – Sa kushton?
- The check, please – Faturën, ju lutem
- It was delicious – Ishte e shijshme
- Breakfast – Mëngjes
- Lunch – Drekë
- Dinner – Darkë
- A beer/two beers, please – Një birre/dy birra , ju lutem
- A glass of red/white wine, please – Një gotë vere e kuqe/e bardhë, ju lutem
Albanian
Directions
- Where? – Ku?
- Here – Këtu
- Left – Majtas
- Right – Djathtas
- How do I get to… ? Si mund të shkoj te
- Taxi – taksi
- Bus – autobus
Albanian
Numbers
- One – Një
- Two – Dy
- Three – Tre
- Four – Katër
- Five – Pesë
- Six – Gjashtë
- Seven – Shtatë
- Eight – Tetë
- Nine – Nëntë
- Ten – Dhjetë
- Twenty – Njëzet
- Thirty – Tridhjetë
- Forty – Dyzet
- Fifty – Pesëdhjetë
- Sixty – Gjashtëdhjetë
- Seventy – Shtatëdhjetë
- Eighty – Tetëdhjetë
- Ninety – Nëntëdhjetë
- Hundred – Njëqind
- Thousand – Një mijë
Please note that I have not received these products for free or at a discounted price in exchange for my opinion. There may be links that are affiliate links but at the time of posting this review, I have not received any monetary kickbacks.