The English verb "to be" does two jobs. It joins a subject to a description ("the day is warm", "she is a teacher") and it says where something is ("the book is here"). Albanian gives both jobs to one verb, jam. It is the verb of Lesson 2 because it is the verb the first sentences of any language need: Unë jam këtu "I am here", Ajo është mësuese "She is a teacher".
Albanian has no infinitive, so there is no form meaning "to be" in the dictionary. Albanian dictionaries list the verb under its "I" form, jam, and this course does the same. The verb is irregular, and its six present-tense forms share almost nothing in spelling, so they must be learned as a set:
- jam "I am" - je "you are" (one person, familiar) - është "he is, she is, it is" - jemi "we are" - jeni "you are" (more than one person, or one person politely) - janë "they are"
The root of jam is an old one. According to Wiktionary it comes from Proto-Albanian esmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, and so it is a relative of English "am" and of Latin sum. The past tense and the other tenses draw on more than one stem, and this lesson names them without teaching them all.
The ending shows the person, so Albanian usually leaves out the subject pronoun: Jam këtu is a whole sentence, "I am here". The pronouns unë "I", ti "you", ai "he", ajo "she", ne "we", ju "you (plural)", ata "they (masculine)" and ato "they (feminine)" are added for emphasis or for contrast, and for the third person when it is not clear who is meant.
The verb is easy to confuse with its neighbours:
- ka (/ka/, "has, there is") is the verb "to have". It is also the verb of "there is" (Lesson 1: Ka një kopsht "There is a garden"). The verb jam says what something is or where it is, and ka says that something exists: Libri është këtu "The book is here", but Ka një libër këtu "There is a book here". - kam (/kam/, "I have") is the "I" form of the same verb "to have", and it looks like jam in print. A learner must keep the two apart: Jam këtu "I am here", Kam një libër "I have a book". - qenë (/cɛnə/, "been") is the participle of jam. It does not look like any present form, and it is the stem of the perfect, as in kam qenë "I have been".
The first thing to learn is that the present has six forms with no pattern. The second is that a noun after jam that names a profession or a nationality takes no article and no një: Ajo është mësuese "She is a teacher". The third is that the tenses are not all made on one stem: the present is jam, je, është, the imperfect is isha, ishe, ishte, and the perfect is built on kam, the verb "to have".
Orthographic points: the letter ë decides whether a form is right. Është and janë must carry it, and janë "they are" differs from jenë "they may be" only by the vowel before the n. J is not the English "j": it is the English "y" of "yes", so jam sounds like "yam".
FAQ: What does "be" mean in Albanian?
Q: What is "to be" in Albanian? A: It is jam, an irregular verb that gives the forms jam, je, është, jemi, jeni, janë. Albanian has no infinitive, and jam is the dictionary form.
Q: Do I need the word for "I" before jam? A: Usually not. Jam këtu means "I am here". Add unë for emphasis: Unë jam këtu "I am here (and not someone else)".
Q: How do I say "is" and "there is"? A: "Is" is është. "There is" is ka, from the verb "to have".
Q: How do I make it negative? A: Put nuk before the verb: Nuk jam mësues "I am not a teacher".
Key Takeaways
- Jam is the dictionary form of "to be". The present is jam, je, është, jemi, jeni, janë. - The subject pronoun is normally dropped, because the ending shows the person. - Negation puts nuk before the verb: nuk jam, nuk është. - A profession or a nationality after jam takes no article and no një: Ajo është mësuese. - The imperfect is isha, ishe, ishte, ishim, ishit, ishin, and "there is" is ka, not është.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
IPA in this lesson is a simple transcription of each word on its own, and stress is not marked, as in Lesson 1. The six present forms are:
- jam /jam/, je /jɛ/, është /ɛʃtə/, jemi /jɛmi/, jeni /jɛni/, janë /janə/.
The six imperfect forms are:
- isha /iʃa/, ishe /iʃɛ/, ishte /iʃtɛ/, ishim /iʃim/, ishit /iʃit/, ishin /iʃin/.
Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- j = /j/, the "y" of "yes": jam /jam/, je /jɛ/, janë /janə/. It is never the "j" of English "jam". - ë = /ə/, a weak vowel like the first sound of English "about": është, janë, këtu. At the end of a word it is light and unstressed. In fast speech është is often heard as ësht. - e = /ɛ/ as in "bed": je /jɛ/, ishte /iʃtɛ/. At the end of ishte and ishe it is a full vowel and is not weakened as the ë is. - sh = /ʃ/ ("sh"): isha /iʃa/, është /ɛʃtə/, shkollë /ʃkɔɫə/. - a = /a/ as in "father". The difference between janë /janə/ "they are" and jenë /jɛnə/ "they may be" is a difference of vowel, and it matters. - nj = /ɲ/ ("ni" in "onion"): një /ɲə/, njerëz /ɲɛɾəz/. ng = /ŋ/ in nga /ŋa/. dh = /ð/, the "th" of English "the": dhe /ðɛ/. - q = /c/, a palatal sound like a soft "ty": shoqja /ʃɔcja/, qytet /cytɛt/. xh = /dʒ/, as the "j" of English "jam": xhamia /dʒamia/.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Examples 2.1–2.15 are pedagogical constructions built from verified vocabulary and patterns (Acceptabile). They are not quotations. In line a each form of the verb is glossed together with its subject: jam is I-am, je is you-are, jemi is we-are, jeni is you-all-are, and isha is I-was. A form that has no pronoun in English is glossed with the plain verb: është is is, janë is are. The article ending is shown as -the on the English word, as in Lesson 1: libri is book-the. A genitive form is shown as boy-the's. The linking articles are glossed of before a genitive and (link) before an adjective. Line b uses the abbreviations of Lesson 1, with these additions: PRES (present), IMPERF (imperfect), NEG (negation), 1SG, 2SG, 3SG, 1PL, 2PL, 3PL (first, second and third person, singular and plural).
2.1a Unë I jam I-am këtu here
2.1b Unë /unə/ 1SG.NOM jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES këtu /kətu/ here
2.2a Ti you je you-are në in shkollë school
2.2b Ti /ti/ 2SG.NOM je /jɛ/ be.2SG.PRES në /nə/ in shkollë /ʃkɔɫə/ school.F.SG.INDEF
2.3a Ai he është is në in shtëpi house
2.3b Ai /ai/ 3SG.M.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES në /nə/ in shtëpi /ʃtəpi/ house.F.SG.INDEF
2.4a Ajo she është is mësuese teacher
2.4b Ajo /ajɔ/ 3SG.F.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES mësuese /məsuɛsɛ/ teacher.F.SG.INDEF
2.5a Ne we jemi we-are në in qytet town
2.5b Ne /nɛ/ 1PL.NOM jemi /jɛmi/ be.1PL.PRES në /nə/ in qytet /cytɛt/ town.M.SG.INDEF
2.6a A whether jeni you-all-are të (link) lumtur happy
2.6b A /a/ Q jeni /jɛni/ be.2PL.PRES të /tə/ LINK.PL lumtur /lumtuɾ/ happy.PL
2.7a Ata they janë are në in kuzhinë kitchen
2.7b Ata /ata/ 3PL.M.NOM janë /janə/ be.3PL.PRES në /nə/ in kuzhinë /kuʒinə/ kitchen.F.SG.INDEF
2.8a Ku where je you-are ti you
2.8b Ku /ku/ where je /jɛ/ be.2SG.PRES ti /ti/ 2SG.NOM
2.9a Unë I nuk not jam I-am mësues teacher
2.9b Unë /unə/ 1SG.NOM nuk /nuk/ NEG jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES mësues /məsuɛs/ teacher.M.SG.INDEF
2.10a Jam I-am nga from Shqipëria Albania-the
2.10b Jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES nga /ŋa/ from Shqipëria /ʃcipəria/ Albania.F.SG.DEF.NOM
2.11a Libri book-the nuk not është is këtu here por but është is në in çantën bag-the e of djalit boy-the's
2.11b Libri /libɾi/ book.M.SG.DEF.NOM nuk /nuk/ NEG është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES këtu /kətu/ here por /pɔɾ/ but është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES në /nə/ in çantën /tʃantən/ bag.F.SG.DEF.ACC e /ɛ/ LINK.F djalit /djalit/ boy.M.SG.DEF.GEN
2.12a Djali boy-the është is i (link) vogël small por but vajza girl-the është is e (link) madhe big
2.12b Djali /djali/ boy.M.SG.DEF.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES i /i/ LINK.M vogël /vɔɡəl/ small por /pɔɾ/ but vajza /vajza/ girl.F.SG.DEF.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F madhe /maðɛ/ big.F
2.13a Ishim we-were në in shkollë school por but tani now jemi we-are në in shtëpi house
2.13b Ishim /iʃim/ be.1PL.IMPERF në /nə/ in shkollë /ʃkɔɫə/ school.F.SG.INDEF por /pɔɾ/ but tani /tani/ now jemi /jɛmi/ be.1PL.PRES në /nə/ in shtëpi /ʃtəpi/ house.F.SG.INDEF
2.14a Dje yesterday isha I-was në in qytet town por but sot today jam I-am këtu here
2.14b Dje /djɛ/ yesterday isha /iʃa/ be.1SG.IMPERF në /nə/ in qytet /cytɛt/ town.M.SG.INDEF por /pɔɾ/ but sot /sɔt/ today jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES këtu /kətu/ here
2.15a Kur when isha I-was i (link) vogël small isha I-was në in fshat village
2.15b Kur /kuɾ/ when isha /iʃa/ be.1SG.IMPERF i /i/ LINK.M vogël /vɔɡəl/ small isha /iʃa/ be.1SG.IMPERF në /nə/ in fshat /fʃat/ village.M.SG.INDEF
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
2.1 Unë jam këtu. → "I am here."
2.2 Ti je në shkollë. → "You are at school."
2.3 Ai është në shtëpi. → "He is at home."
2.4 Ajo është mësuese. → "She is a teacher."
2.5 Ne jemi në qytet. → "We are in town."
2.6 A jeni të lumtur? → "Are you happy?" (to more than one person)
2.7 Ata janë në kuzhinë. → "They are in the kitchen."
2.8 Ku je ti? → "Where are you?"
2.9 Unë nuk jam mësues. → "I am not a teacher."
2.10 Jam nga Shqipëria. → "I am from Albania."
2.11 Libri nuk është këtu, por është në çantën e djalit. → "The book is not here, but it is in the boy's bag."
2.12 Djali është i vogël, por vajza është e madhe. → "The boy is small, but the girl is big."
2.13 Ishim në shkollë, por tani jemi në shtëpi. → "We were at school, but now we are at home."
2.14 Dje isha në qytet, por sot jam këtu. → "Yesterday I was in town, but today I am here."
2.15 Kur isha i vogël, isha në fshat. → "When I was small, I was in the village."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
2.1 Unë jam këtu.
2.2 Ti je në shkollë.
2.3 Ai është në shtëpi.
2.4 Ajo është mësuese.
2.5 Ne jemi në qytet.
2.6 A jeni të lumtur?
2.7 Ata janë në kuzhinë.
2.8 Ku je ti?
2.9 Unë nuk jam mësues.
2.10 Jam nga Shqipëria.
2.11 Libri nuk është këtu, por është në çantën e djalit.
2.12 Djali është i vogël, por vajza është e madhe.
2.13 Ishim në shkollë, por tani jemi në shtëpi.
2.14 Dje isha në qytet, por sot jam këtu.
2.15 Kur isha i vogël, isha në fshat.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for jam in Albanian:
1. The present tense. The six forms are irregular, and each must be learned:
- unë jam "I am" (2.1, 2.9, 2.10, 2.14) - ti je "you are" (2.2, 2.8) - ai, ajo është "he, she, it is" (2.3, 2.4, 2.11, 2.12) - ne jemi "we are" (2.5, 2.13) - ju jeni "you are" (2.6) - ata, ato janë "they are" (2.7)
2. The subject is usually dropped. The ending of the verb shows the person, so Jam nga Shqipëria (2.10) is a complete sentence. The pronoun is added for emphasis or contrast, as in Unë nuk jam mësues (2.9) and Ku je ti? (2.8), where ti means "and you?". The forms është and janë serve for every subject of the third person, so a noun or a pronoun is normally present: ai or ajo for "he" or "she", ata for "they" of men or of a mixed group, ato for "they" of women or of things that are feminine.
3. Je and jeni. Je is for one person you know well, and jeni is for more than one person (2.6). A single person to whom you speak politely is also addressed with jeni, and with the pronoun ju.
4. Negation. Put nuk before the verb: nuk jam (2.9), nuk është (2.11). In speech nuk is often shortened to s' and joined to the verb, and one hears s'jam and s'është. The long form is the one written here.
5. Questions. A statement becomes a question with the particle a before the verb (A jeni të lumtur?, 2.6), or with intonation alone, or with a question word such as ku "where" (Ku je ti?, 2.8).
6. A noun after jam. A profession or a nationality takes no article and no një: Ajo është mësuese (2.4), Unë nuk jam mësues (2.9). The English "a" does not appear. Where the noun is identified as one particular thing, it takes the article, as in Lesson 1: Ky është libri "This is the book".
7. An adjective after jam. The adjective takes the linking article that agrees with the subject, as in Lesson 1: i for a masculine singular subject (Djali është i vogël, 2.12) and e for a feminine singular subject (vajza është e madhe, 2.12). For a plural subject the link is të: A jeni të lumtur? (2.6). A feminine plural adjective often takes an -a: të lumtura (Genre Section, 2.28).
8. Where something is. Jam with në "in, at" and a noun gives the place, and the noun after në is usually indefinite, as in Lesson 1: Ti je në shkollë (2.2), Ai është në shtëpi (2.3), Ne jemi në qytet (2.5), Ata janë në kuzhinë (2.7). Nga "from" gives origin, and a country takes its definite form after it: nga Shqipëria (2.10), and in the same way nga Kosova.
9. Jam and ka. Jam tells where a known thing is: Libri është këtu "The book is here". Ka tells that a thing exists: Ka një libër këtu "There is a book here". English uses "is" for both, and Albanian does not.
10. The imperfect. The imperfect describes a state in the past, or what used to be:
- unë isha "I was" (2.14, 2.15) - ti ishe "you were" - ai, ajo ishte "he, she, it was" - ne ishim "we were" (2.13) - ju ishit "you were" - ata, ato ishin "they were"
11. The other tenses, for recognition. The completed past, the aorist, has the forms qeshë, qe, qe, qemë, qetë, qenë. The participle is qenë "been", and the perfect uses the verb "to have": kam qenë "I have been", ke qenë "you have been". The future is made with do të: do të jem "I will be". The subjunctive is të jem, të jesh, të jetë, të jemi, të jeni, të jenë. The imperative is ji "be" (to one person) and jini "be" (to several). A later lesson treats these in full.
12. Janë and jenë. The present janë "they are" and the subjunctive jenë "they may be" differ only in the vowel before the n: ata janë "they are", do të jenë "they will be".
13. Age. Albanian uses jam for age, as English does: Jam njëzet vjeç "I am twenty years old".
Common Mistakes
- Forgetting the ë. Wrong: jane, eshte. Right: janë, është. - Mixing up je and jeni. Je is for one person you know, jeni for several people or one person politely. - Mixing up janë and jenë. Ata janë këtu "They are here". Jenë belongs to the subjunctive and the future. - Using ka for "is". Wrong: Libri ka këtu. Right: Libri është këtu. And ka is "there is": Ka një libër këtu. - Mixing up jam and kam. Jam is "I am" and kam is "I have": Jam këtu, Kam një libër. - Putting nuk after the verb. Wrong: Jam nuk mësues. Right: Nuk jam mësues. - Putting një before a profession. Wrong: Unë jam një mësues for "I am a teacher". Right: Unë jam mësues. - Leaving out the link before an adjective. Wrong: Djali është vogël. Right: Djali është i vogël. - Giving every subject a pronoun. English needs "I" and "you". Albanian does not: Jam këtu is the plain sentence, and Unë jam këtu stresses unë. - Reading j as in English. Jam begins with the "y" of "yes".
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Frequency and register. The forms of jam, and është above all, occur on nearly every page of written Albanian and in nearly every conversation. They belong to every register. The choice between je and jeni is a choice of address: Si je? to one person you know well, Si jeni? to several people or to one person politely.
How are you? The everyday greeting is Si je? "How are you?", addressed to a friend, a relative or a child. To a stranger, an older person or a group the form is Si jeni?, with jeni. The usual answer is Jam mirë, faleminderit "I am well, thank you". The Genre Section gives it in a conversation.
Nationality and origin. An Albanian says Jam shqiptar (a man) or Jam shqiptare (a woman), with no article and no një, as in Section D, rule 6. Origin is given with nga: Jam nga Shqipëria "I am from Albania", Jam nga Kosova "I am from Kosovo".
Days of the week. After është a day of the week takes the linking article e: Sot është e hënë "Today is Monday". The days are e hënë, e martë, e mërkurë, e enjte, e premte, e shtunë, e diel. The Genre Section uses e shtunë, "Saturday".
Regional variety. The forms taught here are those of the standard language, which is based on Tosk. In Gheg, the northern dialect, the third person of the present is âsht or asht instead of është. The Gheg vowel is nasal, and its quality varies from one dialect to another. The printed spelling varies too, âsht with a circumflex or plain asht, and Section F gives a famous line in which it appears.
In poetry. Pashko Vasa, a poet of the Albanian National Awakening, wrote O moj Shqypni between 1878 and 1880. In its best-known line the verb asht joins two definite nouns, and the sentence has become a motto of Albanian national feeling. Section F gives the line.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Pashko Vasa, "O moj Shqypni" ("O my Albania"), written between 1878 and 1880 and first published by the Czech linguist Jan Urban Jarník in his Zur albanesischen Sprachenkunde (1881). Two lines near the end of the poem, and its best-known sentence.
The poem is written in the Gheg dialect of Shkodër. The text is given as printed in the online copy consulted (voal.ch), which keeps Vasa's older spelling (shqyptar-, asht). Other copies differ in small details: some print âsht with a circumflex, and one spells the last word shqyptarija. We have not modernised it, and the translation is ours.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a E and mos not shikoni look-you-all kisha church-the e and xhamia mosque-the
F.1b E /ɛ/ and mos /mɔs/ NEG.IMP shikoni /ʃikɔni/ look.2PL.IMP kisha /kiʃa/ church.F.SG.DEF e /ɛ/ and xhamia /dʒamia/ mosque.F.SG.DEF
F.2a Feja faith-the e of shqyptarit Albanian-the's asht is shqyptaria Albanianism-the
F.2b Feja /fɛja/ faith.F.SG.DEF.NOM e /ɛ/ LINK.F shqyptarit /ʃcyptaɾit/ Albanian.M.SG.DEF.GEN asht /ɑ̃ʃt/ be.3SG.PRES (Gheg) shqyptaria /ʃcyptaɾia/ Albanianism.F.SG.DEF.NOM
F-B: Original → Translation
E mos shikoni kisha e xhamia: Feja e shqyptarit asht shqyptaria!
"And do not look at church and mosque: the faith of the Albanian is Albanianism!"
F-C: Original Only
E mos shikoni kisha e xhamia: Feja e shqyptarit asht shqyptaria!
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- asht: this is the Gheg form of është, the third person singular of jam, and it is the verb of this lesson. The vowel is nasal in the dialect, and its quality varies, so the /ɑ̃/ of the IPA line is only one of the possible values. Some prints write âsht. - Feja e shqyptarit: feja is the definite form of fe "faith", with the feminine ending -ja, as in dritarja (Lesson 1). Shqyptarit is the Gheg spelling of shqiptarit, the genitive-dative form of shqiptari "the Albanian", with the masculine ending -it (Lesson 1, Section D, rule 7). The linking article e agrees with feja, which is feminine: "the faith of the Albanian". - asht shqyptaria: the verb joins two nouns, and both are definite: "the faith of the Albanian" is "Albanianism". Section D, rule 6 says that a profession after jam has no article, because it says what a person is. Here the article is present, because the poet identifies one particular thing with another. - E mos shikoni: mos shikoni is the negative imperative, in the second person plural: "do not look". E at the beginning is "and", and the same word joins kisha and xhamia. The nouns kisha "church" and xhamia "mosque" are given in the definite form as printed, and we do not analyse their case further.
The line asks the reader to put being Albanian before the divisions of faith.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A short narrative with a conversation, set in a café in Tirana, in which two friends meet. It is a pedagogical text built from verified patterns, and each sentence has a form of jam: the present for what is so now, the imperfect for yesterday. The forms are those of Section D.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
2.16a Sot today është is e (link) shtunë Saturday
2.16b Sot /sɔt/ today është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F shtunë /ʃtunə/ Saturday
2.17a Ana Ana është is në in Tiranë Tirana
2.17b Ana /ana/ Ana është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES në /nə/ in Tiranë /tiranə/ Tirana.F.SG.INDEF
2.18a Ajo she është is e (link) re young dhe and është is studente student
2.18b Ajo /ajɔ/ 3SG.F.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F re /ɾɛ/ young.F dhe /ðɛ/ and është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES studente /studɛntɛ/ student.F.SG.INDEF
2.19a Ana Ana dhe and Besa Besa janë are në in kafene café
2.19b Ana /ana/ Ana dhe /ðɛ/ and Besa /bɛsa/ Besa janë /janə/ be.3PL.PRES në /nə/ in kafene /kafɛnɛ/ café.F.SG.INDEF
2.20a Besa Besa është is shoqja friend-the e of Anës Ana's
2.20b Besa /bɛsa/ Besa është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES shoqja /ʃɔcja/ friend.F.SG.DEF.NOM e /ɛ/ LINK.F Anës /anəs/ Ana.F.SG.GEN
2.21a Kafeneja café-the është is e (link) vogël small por but është is e (link) bukur beautiful
2.21b Kafeneja /kafɛnɛja/ café.F.SG.DEF.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F vogël /vɔɡəl/ small por /pɔɾ/ but është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F bukur /bukuɾ/ beautiful
2.22a Besa Besa e her pyet asks Anën Ana Si how je you-are sot today
2.22b Besa /bɛsa/ Besa e /ɛ/ 3SG.ACC.CL pyet /pyɛt/ ask.3SG.PRES Anën /anən/ Ana.F.SG.ACC Si /si/ how je /jɛ/ be.2SG.PRES sot /sɔt/ today
2.23a Ana Ana përgjigjet answers Jam I-am mirë well faleminderit thank-you
2.23b Ana /ana/ Ana përgjigjet /pəɾɟiɟɛt/ answer.3SG.PRES Jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES mirë /miɾə/ well faleminderit /falɛmindɛɾit/ thank-you
2.24a Dje yesterday isha I-was e (link) lodhur tired por but sot today jam I-am mirë well
2.24b Dje /djɛ/ yesterday isha /iʃa/ be.1SG.IMPERF e /ɛ/ LINK.F lodhur /lɔðuɾ/ tired por /pɔɾ/ but sot /sɔt/ today jam /jam/ be.1SG.PRES mirë /miɾə/ well
2.25a Besa Besa pyet asks Ku where ishe you-were dje yesterday
2.25b Besa /bɛsa/ Besa pyet /pyɛt/ ask.3SG.PRES Ku /ku/ where ishe /iʃɛ/ be.2SG.IMPERF dje /djɛ/ yesterday
2.26a Ana Ana thotë says Isha I-was në in shtëpi house me with nënën mother-the
2.26b Ana /ana/ Ana thotë /θɔtə/ say.3SG.PRES Isha /iʃa/ be.1SG.IMPERF në /nə/ in shtëpi /ʃtəpi/ house.F.SG.INDEF me /mɛ/ with nënën /nənən/ mother.F.SG.DEF.ACC
2.27a Sot today jemi we-are bashkë together
2.27b Sot /sɔt/ today jemi /jɛmi/ be.1PL.PRES bashkë /baʃkə/ together
2.28a Ato they janë are të (link) lumtura happy
2.28b Ato /atɔ/ 3PL.F.NOM janë /janə/ be.3PL.PRES të /tə/ LINK.PL lumtura /lumtuɾa/ happy.F.PL
2.29a Kafeneja café-the është is plot full me with njerëz people
2.29b Kafeneja /kafɛnɛja/ café.F.SG.DEF.NOM është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES plot /plɔt/ full me /mɛ/ with njerëz /ɲɛɾəz/ people.PL.INDEF
2.30a Në in mbrëmje evening Ana Ana është is në in shtëpi house dhe and është is e (link) lumtur happy
2.30b Në /nə/ in mbrëmje /mbɾəmjɛ/ evening.F.SG.INDEF Ana /ana/ Ana është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES në /nə/ in shtëpi /ʃtəpi/ house.F.SG.INDEF dhe /ðɛ/ and është /ɛʃtə/ be.3SG.PRES e /ɛ/ LINK.F lumtur /lumtuɾ/ happy
Part B: Natural Sentences
2.16 Sot është e shtunë. → "Today is Saturday."
2.17 Ana është në Tiranë. → "Ana is in Tirana."
2.18 Ajo është e re dhe është studente. → "She is young and she is a student."
2.19 Ana dhe Besa janë në kafene. → "Ana and Besa are in a café."
2.20 Besa është shoqja e Anës. → "Besa is Ana's friend."
2.21 Kafeneja është e vogël, por është e bukur. → "The café is small, but it is beautiful."
2.22 Besa e pyet Anën: "Si je sot?" → "Besa asks Ana, 'How are you today?'"
2.23 Ana përgjigjet: "Jam mirë, faleminderit." → "Ana answers, 'I am well, thank you.'"
2.24 Dje isha e lodhur, por sot jam mirë. → "Yesterday I was tired, but today I am well."
2.25 Besa pyet: "Ku ishe dje?" → "Besa asks, 'Where were you yesterday?'"
2.26 Ana thotë: "Isha në shtëpi me nënën." → "Ana says, 'I was at home with my mother.'"
2.27 Sot jemi bashkë. → "Today we are together."
2.28 Ato janë të lumtura. → "They are happy."
2.29 Kafeneja është plot me njerëz. → "The café is full of people."
2.30 Në mbrëmje Ana është në shtëpi dhe është e lumtur. → "In the evening Ana is at home and she is happy."
Part C: Target Language Only
2.16 Sot është e shtunë.
2.17 Ana është në Tiranë.
2.18 Ajo është e re dhe është studente.
2.19 Ana dhe Besa janë në kafene.
2.20 Besa është shoqja e Anës.
2.21 Kafeneja është e vogël, por është e bukur.
2.22 Besa e pyet Anën: "Si je sot?"
2.23 Ana përgjigjet: "Jam mirë, faleminderit."
2.24 Dje isha e lodhur, por sot jam mirë.
2.25 Besa pyet: "Ku ishe dje?"
2.26 Ana thotë: "Isha në shtëpi me nënën."
2.27 Sot jemi bashkë.
2.28 Ato janë të lumtura.
2.29 Kafeneja është plot me njerëz.
2.30 Në mbrëmje Ana është në shtëpi dhe është e lumtur.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Present for now, imperfect for yesterday. The text is in the present, with është (2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.20, 2.21, 2.29, 2.30), janë (2.19, 2.28), jam (2.23, 2.24) and jemi (2.27). Yesterday is told in the imperfect: isha (2.24, 2.26) and ishe (2.25). The words sot "today" and dje "yesterday" mark the change. - Questions. Si je sot? (2.22) asks about a state, and Ku ishe dje? (2.25) asks about a place. In both the verb stands before the pronoun or without one, and no a is needed because there is a question word. - A day of the week. Sot është e shtunë (2.16): the day has the linking article e, and the sentence has no other noun. - Profession and article. Studente (2.18) is a profession, so it has no article and no një, as in Section D, rule 6. - Adjectives. E re (2.18), e vogël and e bukur (2.21), e lodhur (2.24) and e lumtur (2.30) take e, because the subject is feminine singular. Të lumtura (2.28) takes të, because the subject is plural, and the adjective has the feminine plural ending -a. - Genitive. Shoqja e Anës (2.20): shoqja is shoqe "friend" with the feminine ending -ja, and Anës is the genitive-dative of Ana with -ës. The link e agrees with shoqja. - Object forms and the clitic. Anën (2.22) is the object form of Ana, with the clitic e before the verb: e pyet Anën "asks Ana". Nënën (2.26) is the object form of nëna, after me "with". - Indefinite after në. Në Tiranë (2.17), në kafene (2.19), në shtëpi (2.26, 2.30) and në mbrëmje (2.30) keep the noun indefinite, as in Lesson 1. - Quotation. Direct speech is introduced by a colon and put in quotation marks (2.22, 2.23, 2.25, 2.26).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Check these in every sentence:
- The verb forms. jam /jam/, je /jɛ/, është /ɛʃtə/, jemi /jɛmi/, jeni /jɛni/, janë /janə/. The imperfect: isha /iʃa/, ishe /iʃɛ/, ishte /iʃtɛ/, ishim /iʃim/, ishit /iʃit/, ishin /iʃin/. - ë. Always written and always counted: është, janë, këtu, mirë, lodhur. Wrong: eshte, jane, ketu. The ë is a weak /ə/, and the e of je and ishe is a full /ɛ/. - j. The "y" of "yes": jam, je, janë. It is not the English "j". - janë and jenë. Janë /janə/ is "they are". Jenë /jɛnə/ is subjunctive. - sh, nj, dh, q, xh, ng. These are letters in their own right, and each stands for one sound: isha /iʃa/, një /ɲə/, dhe /ðɛ/, shoqja /ʃɔcja/, xhamia /dʒamia/, nga /ŋa/. - Apostrophes in speech. In speech nuk before the verb may be heard as s', as in s'jam. The written form in this lesson is nuk. - Capitals. Names of countries, cities and people are capitalised (Shqipëria, Tiranë, Ana, Besa), but the days of the week are not. - Quotation marks. This lesson uses plain quotation marks for speech, as in Lesson 1. - Dialect spelling. Asht and shqyptar- in Section F are Gheg spellings of the 1870s, and the standard forms are është and shqiptar-. - Diacritics used in this lesson: ç ë. Check every one in every form.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)